Thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museums and Libraries, we created 360° images of two of our guns from our collections. Both of these guns are featured in our physical "Down the Barrell of History: Legendary Guns from Wyoming's Past" exhibit.
Remington Model Revolver, c. 1861
.44 caliber, cap and ball
On July 4, 1874, Captain A. E. Bates and Chief Washakie led a force of U.S. Cavalry and Shoshone warriors into the Owl Creek Mountains in present-day Hot Springs County, WY. They attacked an encampment of Northern Cheyenne, Lakota (Sioux), and Northern Arapaho in an attempt to protect the Shoshone under Chief Washakie. Bates and Washakie were forced to retreat, leaving their dead behind. This revolver was picked up by a sheep herder on the Bates Battlefield in 1908.
Allen Pepperbox Pistol, c. 1860s
.32 caliber
Thomas Durbin, the original owner of this pistol, started the first meat market in Cheyenne, WY, in the early 1870s. He originally brought 900 sheep in for butchering but bred them instead and became a successful sheep rancher as well. This Allen Pepperbox, named for its multiple rotating barrels resembling household pepper shakers, was less expensive than Colt revolvers and became popular during the mid-1800s.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [ARPML-250671-OMLS-22].
The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.