S/N 155011, .44 caliber, 34 inch barrel Sharps Model 1874 No. 1 Creedmoor. Blue and case color finish, walnut pistol grip checkered, shotgun butt stock, walnut checkered forearm, Vernier tang sight and wind gauge front sight. Sharps letter states sent to H.T. Hansen of Helena, M.T. circa 1875. Condition: excellent bright bore, 95% original barrel blue, 90% receiver case colors fading slightly, pistol grip has crack at heal, remaining wood excellent, Vernier tang sight numbered to rifle, excellent mechanically, excellent marks.
This was 1 of 3 Sharps Creedmoor rifles known to have been sent to Samuel Hauser, in Helena. He and his good friend, Granville Stewart, were set to have a shooting contest, so Hauser ordered 3 (noted in included Sharps letter). This gun was among them. Samuel Hauser was a famous early Montana pioneer, miner, banker, and went on the 1870 Washburn-Langford-Doan expedition to Yellowstone. His lobbying efforts later helped with the creation of Yellowstone National Park. He was the first territorial governor of Montana Territory in 1885. Hauser was also a Vigilante.
Includes Sharps letter and correspondence with Mr. W.S. Peace regarding his research.
Provenance: From the Montana History Collection of Jerry "Buzz" Nyhart.
Lot 94, Sold $53,100.
Brian Lebel's Mesa Old West Auction - January 23, 2021. Mesa, AZ.