This very rare original Hawken rifle is in excellent condition and is stamped "S. HAWKEN" and "ST. LOUIS" on the barrel behind the rear sight. Appears to be a .40 caliber. Samuel Hawken arrived in St. Louis in 1822 fifteen years after his brother Jacob, and the pair operated separate businesses until around 1845 when the J&S Hawken factory appears in St. Louis records. In 1849, Jacob Hawken died during a cholera outbreak. Samuel reverted to stamping rifles with the marking noted above. Though Samuel and William Hawken moved to Colorado by the years just before the Civil War, the St. Louis shop remained open into the early 20th century under the control of J. P. Gemmer. Hawken rifles were carried by many enterprising men in the West especially the famous mountain men. Among the most notable owners of Hawken rifles were Kit Carson, Jim Bridgers, Joseph Meek, and Theodore Roosevelt. This rifle is an example of Samuel Hawken's work with no patent breech. The front sight is a dovetailed blade. It has double set triggers and has a straight wrist, half stock with beavertail cheekpiece and brass furniture. This also includes the loading tools found with this rifle. A blowing horn, powder horn with measure, bullet mold, tin with round balls and shooting patches, home made lead ladle with corn cob handle.
This S. Hawken muzzle loader and accessories was found in the attic of the owners house purchased in 1990. The house had been uninhabited since 1965. The former owner owned an indian trading post in the four corners area. The blowing horn has the initials AAL as does the pewter forend tip.
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