Large Caliber S. Hawken Rifle Owned by Theodore Roosevelt

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  Lot #1287  (Sale Order: 288 of 674) 
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Extraordinary Historic Documented Massive S. Hawken .70 Caliber Half-Stock Percussion Buffalo Rifle from President Theodore Roosevelt Personal Collection and Attributed to Kit Carson

This historic, incredibly rare, and very distinctive rifle is featured on page 49 of "The Peacemakers: Arms and Adventure in the American West" by R.L. Wilson where it is described as a "Sam Hawken-made .70 caliber rifle, the most massive Hawken known. From the collection of Theodore Roosevelt, the rifle was Kit Carson's. Likely a buffalo killer, as well as a target rifle for bench shooting. Condition and the quality of workmanship as fine as those of any known Hawken firearm." This rifle is also pictured and described in Wilson's book "Theodore Roosevelt: Hunter Conservationist" by Wilson with more information: "Massive, 18-pound Hawken Target Rifle, dispersed from the Boone & Crockett Club Collection in 1972. Listed as item no. 10, the rifle was one of 30 pieces which were sold, while 13 were retained-the latter all with TR significance. The intent had been to retain the 13 for exhibit at the Gun Room at Sagamore Hill. For security reasons, the firearms are no longer on display." Kit Carson's Hawken rifle is mentioned again on page 88 in Wilson's discussion of the gun room. Also see page 89 of Wilson's "Theodore Roosevelt: Outdoorsman" which discusses the guns on display in the Sagamore Hill gun room. The rifle was also described in the catalog for the Christie's October 7, 1981, catalog in lot 31 where it was headlined as "An Historic American Heavyweight Target or Hunting Rifle" and the provenance was listed as "The Theodore Roosevelt gun room, Sagamore Hill, Oyster Bay, Long Island. According to the Roosevelt family tradition the rifle belonged to Kit Carson."Jacob (1786-1849) and Samuel Hawken (1792-1884) are among the most famous makers of American muzzle loaders and worked together in St. Louis in the famous Hawken shop. Their rifles have long been associated with the 19th century frontiersmen, and their early rifles are known to have been used by the mountain men active in the fur trade in the 1830s, including by General William Henry Ashley and the American Fur Company. Many of their rifles, including this one, date to after the heyday of the Rocky Mountain fur trade when Hawken rifles continued to be in demand, including by former fur trappers like Jim Bridger and Kit Carson who found new work as hunters, guides, and scouts. Before large caliber cartridge "buffalo rifles" like the Sharps Model 1874 and Remington Rolling Block became popular for hunting bison, percussion rifles were used for the job, with some rifles upwards of .75 caliber put to use to fell the massive beasts.If the Hawken brothers were among the most famous riflemakers of the era, Kit Carson is arguably the Hawken rifle's most famous user. Carson owned multiple Hawken rifles throughout his lifetime and used them extensively in his often perilous adventures in the American West. Because of Carson's fame and his presentation of some of his rifles to his friends during his lifetime, a select few of his rifles survive today. They are among the most desirable of all American muzzleloading rifles. Christopher Houston Carson (1809-1868) was already a real life frontier legend when Theodore Roosevelt was a boy, and Roosevelt continued to admire Carson as an adult as well given he purchased a copy of Fredrick MacMonnie's sculpture of Carson at Tiffany's in New York as a birthday present for himself in 1915. The sculpture notably depicts Carson on horseback with a Hawken rifle in his arms and remains in the North Room at Sagamore Hill, and in letters referring to Carson, Roosevelt expresses clear admiration.Kit Carson worked the legendary Santa Fe Trail while still a teenager and became one of the famous mountain men who worked in the Rocky Mountain fur trade until 1840. In 1841, he worked as a contract hunter feeding the residents of Bent's Fort on the Santa Fe Trail. He then worked as a guide on multiple western expeditions, including the famous Fremont Expeditions in 1842 and 1843 that helped pave the way for the famous Oregon Trail and the 1845 expedition to California and Oregon. While working for Fremont in California, Carson met Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822-1893), also known as Ned Beale. Beale was a midshipman in the U.S. Navy but was detached to serve with the ground forces in California in the Bear Flag Revolt and Mexican-American War. At the Battle of San Pasqual on December 6, 1846, Beale, Delaware scout Chemuctah, and Carson famously snuck through the enemy lines to get reinforcements from San Diego, saving the day for the Kearney and the besieged American troops after suffering severely in the
more... Provenance: The Theodore Roosevelt Collection and Gun Room at Sagamore Hill; The Boone & Crockett Club Collection; Property of a Gentleman

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This item is part of Premier Firearms Auction - Day 2
 Saturday, May 18, 2024 | 9:00 AM  Central
 
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Large Caliber S. Hawken Rifle Owned by Theodore Roosevelt
Large Caliber S. Hawken Rifle Owned by Theodore Roosevelt
Lot number: 1287
Seller: Rock Island Auction Company
Event: Premier Firearms Auction - Day 2
Ends: Saturday, May 18 | 9:00 AM  Central

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