When did the 1851 Navy Colt begin to reach California?

[WaddWatsonEllis]

In my ongoing search for California history, I was told that the 1851 Navy Colt was kind of the 'official' gun of the Gold Ruch, and the most worn gun during that era.

Does anyone have any history of when the gun began to reach California?

I mean, just doing the math, the  Gold Rush started about 1849, and the Colt Model 1851 began to be sold or reach California by?

Any reading or history would be greatly welcomed, as I am guessing that this will be one of my first questions to fend as a docent for the Gold Rush Era ....


Thanks!!

[St. George]

Well - do the math - then factor in shipping times.

Colt began first production of the  squareback triggerguard at Hartford, in 1850.

For more - read:

''51 Colt Navies' - by Swayze.

As to this being a first question - I highly doubt it.

Your outfit will be looked at seriously by more folks than you can imagine - and if it's 'off' - they'll lose interest in what you have to say, but in truth - you need to bone up on the Gold Rush and the times surrounding that period, along with pertinent Sacrament facts, since 'that' is why they're listening to a docent, and why they've come to your venue - 'not' when Samuel Colt packed his new revolvers into shipping crates.

If you're doing it right - you should 'blend' into the story as a sort of verbal  'accent piece' - but you're not going to be the centerpiece of the tale.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

St George,

Thank you for your thoughtful and helpful reply.

As I do my online research over the next three months, I will be sure to come back to this group for such incisive support.

Thank you again!

[Professor Marvel]

There is a snippet in the book "Gunfighter: Man Or Myth?" By Joseph G. Rosa,  found here
http://tinyurl.com/mkeb9j
with some citations which claims that model 1849's and some Dragoons arrived in California shipped factory direct by Jan of 1850, and "later the new .36 navy pistols arrived" ....

http://tinyurl.com/m7r6wy
Peter Decker wrote in his diary on Feb 7, 1851 "Bot me a Colts Revolver 4 in barrel for $40, No. 9770"
and the Navy's were certainly showing up all over California, including Sonora and Nevada City by 1852.... 

hope this helps
yhs
Prof Marvel

[Hangtown Frye]

According to "Guns of the American West" by Gravaglia and Worman, the "1851 Navy" was actually introduced in 1850 (much like car makers call the vehicle they introduce in September by the next year's title). The Colt Belt-Model "Ranger" (later referred to by all as the "Navy" due to the cylinder scene) revolver was in California by the middle of 1851 at latest.  Of course by then there were many thousands of the 5-shot pocket models referred to by collectors as the "1849" model, and some thousands of the big Holster Pattern Colt, aka the Dragoon.  After it's introduction though, the Navy quickly outsold the heavy Dragoons, as the belt model proved much easier on the belts of those who carried it!

Cheers!

Gordon

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Gordon,

Thanks!

I had read that before, but wanted to be sure.

Of all the parts of my personna, the Colt will date the era more than any other part.

So I am looking at a character in at least the early 1850s....

[St. George]

The .36 caliber Model 1851 Navy Colt was enjoyed both great popularity and a long production life - being built from 1850 until 1873 - ending at serial number 215348.

The only thing that'd date as 'early' would be the square-back triggerguard.

What folks will remember is your facility with the era - knowing the 'little' things and being able to answer questions with a degree of authority.

In order to achieve that - you need to read not only the modern written history - but also contemporary newspapers (if available) to round out your knowledge.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

St George,

That is a great idea ... living in California's capital, I can go to the State Library downtown and spend days once I know where to look .... and it sounds like a lot of fun ....

[Roscoe Coles]

I'm a bit puzzled.  In your original post you said you were aiming for 1860 (or at least implied it with your original question) and I think the answers you got reflected that date.  The 1851 was widely popular after it came out and by 1851 many many people were coming out to California via Panama and overland.  The transit times on the Panama route could be quite short, several months (I have seen 85 days in an original account on line).  This means that new technologies would be quickly available in California. 

I would think that the major limiting factors in the presence of the 1851 in California would be production and the rate at which people adopted the new and abandoned the old technologies.  In archaeology we graph the change in technologies over time  using something called a "battleship curve".  Very few things are instantly popular or unpopular.  As such if you graph their use you end up with something  that looks like a series of battleships (narrow bow tapering to a fat midsection and then tapering down to the pointy stern).  The graph shows that when something new is introduced it starts small taking only a small percentage of the market/production away from the standard technology/style/ etc.   But over time, as the new becomes popular and the old goes out of fashion, the number of the old produced falls off until the new becomes the new standard...until something new comes along and starts the process over again.  (see a chart below for a seriation chart for change in bottle types for an example of battleship curves).

In any case, if you want to go earlier in the Gold Rush, or you are concerned that the 1851 is in fact to late for your impression, then get what was popular before it, the 1849 Colt or some type of Pepperbox. 

  I doubt that anyone has actually done a study to show when the first 1851 Colt appears in California primary source material (Its just not a study with a big payoff for the work involved, but hey you can take it up if you like) so at some level you have to go on faith and decide what's reasonable.  Could an 1851 be in California two or three months after sales started?  Well, actually yes.  Folks were heading to the Gold fields in amazing numbers and they all tended to arm them selves  with whatever they thought would help them get through.  The Colt 1849 was quite popular as were the Dragoons so it was not strange technology.  It was a pistol of proven quality but in a size that you could carry on your belt but with more power than the old 49.  Did everyone coming to California instantly buy an 1851?  Probably not.  There were not enough to go around in the beginning and some folks still liked their pepperboxes, single shots and 1849s.  But over time, the 1851 Colt became widespread in California and the west.  Not ubiquitous, just wide spread. 

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Roscoe Coles,

I started out looking at the 1860s period because I had bought a pair or Ruger Old Armys, and thought that since it would never be pulled from the holster, it would 'appear' to be an 1858 Remington.

But I got a tidal wave of mail that said that the Remingtons did not appear until after the Civil War, and that the Rugers just were not historically correct. I was told that the norm for the 1850s was the 1851 Navy Colt.

So, since I already owned the two Ruger Old Armies (and two Schofields), I took even more out of my 401K and bought an 1851 Navy Pietta.

Now you tell me that the 1851 will not do it and I must buy a pepperbox or dragoon to be historically accurate.

In the first place, to my knowledge there are no pepperboxes being reproduced, and the dragoon is more than I can afford to pick up at this point. Not to mention a new holster to fit the much larger dragoon.

Remember, for this unpaid docent position, I have already bought vaquero jackets, calzoneras, three cap and ball pistols,  a belduque knife, 1850s gun leather, wide straw hat,, well, you get the idea. For this unpaid docent position I have already committed (in both meanings of the word) to over $1400.

If you read the posts above, particularly Hangman Frye's post, the 1851 was originally produced in 1850, and was being worn in California by 1851. So any astute public will just have to assume that it is a Colt cap and ball and leave it at that ... and if I am called on it, I will explain exactly what I have told you; that I represent a Californio from the early to mid 1850s. and that the Navy Colts were beginning to be seen regularly by the mid 1850s.

That is not to say that I do not respect your input or ideas on the subject ... people here have made me much more prepared for this characterization than I would have been otherwise.

Thank you for your thoughts.

[Dr. Bob]

If you just pick a year, say 1856 and research up to that year in depth, the 1851 Colt should be common enough that folks in the know will not question you having it. 

When you are developing a person in a period that you are not familiar with, it is best to not purchase anything until you have done enough research to know what is common to the period and place.  By doing this, you will not purchase items that are not PC and will be able to discuss why you have it for your particular persona.

Books are our friends.  Books that you base your persona on should have foot notes or end notes and a bibliography is a great help too.  Things on the Internet seldom include notes on sources.  Wikipedia can be modified by anyone and should not be used as documentation.  Primary source document are always the best.  That is someone who was there and wrote about it soon after  Recollections by an old participant are less trustworthy.  Knowing about the writer, may allow you to notice bias in the recounting of the event.  More than one source on any event should give you a better understanding of what happened.

Good hunting!!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Dr Bob,

I can see that I will be spending alot of time in the California Room at the State Library downtown!

Actually, in all my test to see what I should be, a research assistant always seemed to come up .... looks like I will be using some of those skills.

About 95% of what I have bought was after research ... I was just naive enough to believe that to most of the public, a cap &ball pistol in a holster where all they would see was the hammer and caps would not have to be that specific.

Silly me.

But this thread has given me a chance to grow without making all these bad decisions in front of the public ... and I am very lucky to have such a vital set of critics ... And I have to take the thoughts that I agree with as well as the ones that don't seem to fit as well.....

[St. George]

Be happy with the Model 1851 - it'll serve you throughout 1850-1873.

Most folks didn't feel the need to buy the latest and greatest - they stuck with what worked - and given your age, you could easily be one of those.

As to the popularity of the Pepperbox - yes, indeed - they were popular, all right.

Someone (I'm pretty certain it was Connecticut Valley Arms) made a Pepperbox kit, years ago, and if properly assembled, the thing actually worked!

I know I've seen their other kits fairly cheaply on gun show tables, so these things have to be available, somewhere - so if you feel a perceived need for a Pepperbox, then find one of those, but meanwhile, you're set with the Navy Colt.

Do the research into the mundane and humdrum of the times - it'll give your words some credence.

As Doctor Bob says 'Books Are Our Friends' - and solid research will save you serious money, on top of rounding out your knowledge of the arcane.

Good Luck!

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Roscoe Coles]

Wad:
   I am not in fact telling you that the 1851 "won't do it."  I am asking for clarification on what you want to do.  If you want help with what is correct, you need to set your character in time, space, and situation.  This will allow folks to help you and provide good information.  Please believe me that I am not being hostile in any way, just trying to figure out what you want to do.

   I know exactly what you are up against, I was first a volunteer docent and then a Cal State Parks Interpretive Specialist at Sutter's Fort working with docents, students and the general public, along with my good pard  Hangtown Frye, for a number of years.  You are getting good advice here, from folks who know what they are talking about.  Folks who have experience and base their comments on books and primary source material.  One of the great milestones in a living historian's development is when he or she realizes that when folks take time to correct or criticize they are actually showing that they care.  After all, its much easier (and sometimes more fun) to just say nasty things behind someone's back (admit it, we have all done it!). 

   Know that this is a process and that you will always have work to do.  If you want to do it right, you always go back to the primary sources and good books.  At first its hard to know what which books are good so don't take everything for granted.  Some books are not worth the paper they are printed on, others fantastic (for example I know one book on American insignia from WWI that uses entirely reproduction patches so the publisher could sell the repros as real!).  Talking to knowledgeable folks will help you sort them out. 

   Also, absolutely no offense intended, we all have to be careful not to let what we think is cool overcome the history.  We do not share psychic unity with people in the past.  While they had the same intelligence and human capacity as we do, shared many of the same goals and needs, they existed in a repleat, holstic world that was quite different than ours.  Our job is to understand that world and try to bring it to life.  To do this we need to let the history take over and leave our own bias and baggage behind. 

   As for the pepperbox, you are quite correct,I don't think anyone makes one at the moment (if anyone knows of a maker let me Know as I would like to have one).  To my knowledge the last repros were done by Hoppies (of gun oil fame) in 70s or 80s.  They came as kits and finished guns and they command a stupid price now.  If you pick a date after late 1851 or so you should be fine with the 1851.  But hey....Tell us when, where and who you are?

PS>  I stand corrected,  Ethan Allen currently makes a pepperbox kit for about $125, available at DGW.  The only problem is that it has a brass frame and I can't remember ever having seen an original with a brass frame.  Anyone know of a brass frame original?

[St. George]

No - the originals had iron frames.

The ones sold today are likely built from the same tooling that CVA used, since that sort of thing seems to get passed on from manufacturer to manufacturer, and it looks like 'Classic Arms' is carrying the baton, since those on offer are the ones of years past.

Then again - 'Classic Arms' may've been the manufacturer all along.

On the other hand - one 'could' have the frame silver-plated, or darkened - but I'd have to ask  - 'Why bother?' - though darkening the frame chemically 'would' give it more of an 'iron' look, so long as it got touched up from time to time so the underlying bright brass wouldn't show through.

I guess you'd have to want one...

Original Pepperboxes 'do' pop up from time to time, and depending upon your locale - they're on the reasonable side - 'far' more so than a similar Sharps.

If one would be looking for something that small, them a Model 1849 would've been a good choice at the time - and at any time, as folks really did like that little revolver.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

St George,

For so many reasons, the 1851 will have to stay the primary weapon.

Later, when the financial coffers begin to refill, a little 1849 would be a nice belly belt weapon to tuck into the gunbelt of sash ....

That would be fun.

But for right now, the 1851 is bought and paid for and being shipped as we speak, and will go on a slim jim and belt along with my Belduque....

There is enough evidence that the 1851 was actually in production in 1850, and would have reached such a pivotal town as Sacramento by 1851 or early 1852 that I am comfortable with the choice of the weapon.

In fact, I would be surprised if by1851 Colt did not have an agent in San Francisco that was supplying Sacramento gun stores and such with the 1851by 1851 ... another thing to check with the local historical society.

[St. George]

For your purposes and stated time frame - it's more than enough that it was available.

No one should ever have cause to actually see it, since it's not germane to any sort of interpretive work.

Better you should become familiar with the shipping/freighting of the times - the local politics - the personalities - etc.

People will actually be interested in those topics of the past - they're not going to care about when the Navy Colt arrived in California, since they're going to assume it did in the time you portray, because of the fact you're carrying one.

Believe me - they don't care beyond that - they came to hear the history of the town, and that's why they paid the admission fees...

Should you decide to search - look for ads stating 'Colt's New Belt Pistol'.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Roscoe Coles]

No - the originals had iron frames.

I have been in the gun business for 25 years and I have never seen anything but an iron frames, but hey you never know.  We have three at work at the moment, two English double actions and a single action Hoppies repro.  I would love to have one, though according to Mark Twain in "Roughing It" they are wildly inaccurate.  They just have a good look and can go back into the 1830s in America. 

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Roscoe Coles,

John Pierpont Morgan uttered the classic phrase about 'if you have to ask, you can't afford one' when queried about how much one of his yachts had cost.

At the risk of being in the same category as the original questioner, how many shekels would I have to set aside before I could be prepared to seriously look for a pepperbox?

[Major 2]

here you go  

An Adams & Company Express Receipt for Shipment from Elisha Colt, Representing Colonel Samuel Colt, of Firearms to California for the Gold Rush. Dated May 24, 1851. Engraved document signed with seal of stage of California, and heading indicating "New-York and California/Package Express." Dated New York, May 24th 1851, and shipped by Elisha Colt, a brother to Colonel Samuel Colt, shipping four boxes of Colt firearms to Major A.B. Eaton, Colt's agent in San Francisco.


http://www.prices4antiques.com/autographs/documents-signed/DS-Colt-Elisha-for-Samuel-Colt-Gold-Rush-Firearms-Shipment-1851-B181582.htm