Frank James's holster

[Skeeter Lewis]

This is from the Autry Museum -

[Bugscuffle]

Question: Was frank James left handed or did he wear his gun "cavalry style" with the butt forward?

[Curley Cole]

I checked back thru my pictures, and when John Bianchi had the James rig in his museum he had it strapped on a mannequin (they had hair planted one hair at a time, anyways, Jesse had a single belt with 2 holsters like the Jesse rig we came to know. Frank had the rig that is at the Autry on and had another belt and holster just like it  I have a pix of the statue and if you have a copy of Bianchis book you will find a picture of Frank and Jesse in there too.

Now the question to ask is where is the second belt/holster?? Is the Autry only displaying one or did the other one go to another bidder?

but that still don't answer the original question as to was Frank left handed.

curley

[Curley Cole]

Better get a look at it soon. It appears that in an articole in the LA Times, the Autry is wanting to get away from the displaying of guns (they even were embarassed by the display of the gunfight at ok corral.

look soon, it may be gone.

curley

[GunClick Rick]

Just a note Curley,they started thinkin about that some time back,my nieghbor behind me made bronze statues and knew one of the guys that did things for the museum and told me then they were going for more art paintings style stuff ,more progressive ya might say,my nieghbor friend passed away a few years ago,he is the one that carved buffalo in my kentucky rifle,he was a true artist and didn't think he was.Gene is turning in his grave! Wonder what they will do with all that stuff??Another follow the money scenerio!

[Curley Cole]

John Bianchi was already pissed at what they did with all the stuff they got from him when he closed his museum. (they even cut up a fine carved wood display) he almost gave them all the stuff at pennies on the dollar.

makes ya sad don't it.

curley

[GunClick Rick]

Thanks for your inquiry Rick.

The Autry has opened several exciting new exhibitions, including Western Frontiers: Stories of Fact and Fiction in the new Gamble Firearms Gallery. Firearms were one of the most important tools on the American frontier, and the exhibition shows how individual firearms are tied to key topics in Western history. The firearms on display are spectacular, and historical figures such as Theodore Roosevelt, Ulysses S. Grant, Annie Oakley, and Steve McQueen are represented in the gallery. The gallery also features a case with every example of the Winchester lever-action repeating rifle. My personal favorite might be the Kentucky Rifle by Nicholas Beyer.

By clearing describing how each gun relates to the given topic, all of the guns are placed in their proper historical context. Additional artifacts are also used to strengthen connections. We hope visitors to the exhibition will come to understand why firearms played such an important part in Western history.

I hope you have the chance to see the exhibition. And I encourage you to become a member so you can learn more about all of the activities taking place at the museum. Thanks.

Jeffrey Richardson
Gamble Curator of Western History, Popular Culture, and Firearms
Autry National Center

[Massive]

That belt, was it th gun belt?  It seems to be all cartridges.  One is sometimes told that the old timers didn't carry their cartridges on their belt.  The stalls seem to be sewn on with discrete lines of tight sewing, that do not zig over to the next stall.

[Camano Ridge]

Massive, if you look again (on the inside of the belt) you will see that the stitch line does not cross at a diagonal, however it does cross alternately at the top or bottom of the loop to the next stall. Fromm the pictures I have seen I believe that was the Gun/cartridge belt. When carring cartridges on the belt came into vogue it was some what common to have the holster loop slid over top of cartrdges.

[Massive]

Thanks CR, lots to learn.  While it doesn't mean much maybe.  I was watching Last Train From Gun Hill last night, and I saw just such an arangement with the buckle to the back to boot.

[Fox Creek Kid]

Classic "thimble" belt. Love it. 

[Boothill Bob]

I'm thinking of the Frank James rig pattern that Will Ghormley has, isn't that autentic