Original Buffalo Rifles On Display In Museum

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mike herth
Posts: 294
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:22 am
Location: Buffalo, WY

Re: Original Buffalo Rifles On Display In Museum

Post by mike herth »

I really like the story of the Big Horn cannon. I’ve always been fascinated by the utility of the mountain howitzers and wish I understood the art and science of shooting and loading for them. I’ll have to wander up to Fort Phil Kearny this summer and see what they’ve been learning. Seems like they were ubiquitous throughout the western posts and much appreciated.
Mike Bryant
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 12:38 pm

Re: Original Buffalo Rifles On Display In Museum

Post by Mike Bryant »

Don Weibert was a good friend of mine and one of the very best historians I ever knew. I believe his expertise was wholly grounded because he was keen and practical observer. He was a horsemen and knew the amount of room necessary to set camp, or the spaces needed in Custer's movements, or the room needed for fighting men to resists an attack. Don was a pleasure to follow around. I learned so much from him. Man. I really didn't know Henry.


As for the cannon, and this is straight from Don, he got in trouble in high school for loading up the Big Horn gun one night and blowing out all or most of the windows in the school across from the gun. That cost him some time off in his formal education, although it must have fostered his interest in western history. :lol: the gun was subsequently filled with cement. It went on to have it's own modern day sordid adventures until Don acquired it or accessed again in the early 90s'?????? Don drillled out the cement and restored the barrel and he rebuilt the entire carriage. Today she sits for all of us to admire.

Don never explained why as I recall but he always thought Jack Bean used a 44-90 BN. If he said it, I scarsely doubt it. I thought he had tracked down Bean's rifle from the family in California not too long before he died. Maybe bad memory on my part. Also the museum has removed that idnian's bllod stained jacket. It's in the basement last time :) I stopped in.
Gussy
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Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 2:37 pm
Location: WA, dry side
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Re: Original Buffalo Rifles On Display In Museum

Post by Gussy »

There's 2 mountain howitzers sitting in front of the local courthouse. Fuse holes are plugged. They were also used to remove windows..... And cement building tops, there "used to be" cannon balls sitting next to them.
Kirk Stovall
Posts: 929
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:01 pm
Location: Bozeman, MT

Re: Original Buffalo Rifles On Display In Museum

Post by Kirk Stovall »

Mike Bryant wrote: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:43 am Don Weibert was a good friend of mine and one of the very best historians I ever knew. I believe his expertise was wholly grounded because he was keen and practical observer. He was a horsemen and knew the amount of room necessary to set camp, or the spaces needed in Custer's movements, or the room needed for fighting men to resists an attack. Don was a pleasure to follow around. I learned so much from him. Man. I really didn't know Henry.


As for the cannon, and this is straight from Don, he got in trouble in high school for loading up the Big Horn gun one night and blowing out all or most of the windows in the school across from the gun. That cost him some time off in his formal education, although it must have fostered his interest in western history. :lol: the gun was subsequently filled with cement. It went on to have it's own modern day sordid adventures until Don acquired it or accessed again in the early 90s'?????? Don drillled out the cement and restored the barrel and he rebuilt the entire carriage. Today she sits for all of us to admire.

Don never explained why as I recall but he always thought Jack Bean used a 44-90 BN. If he said it, I scarsely doubt it. I thought he had tracked down Bean's rifle from the family in California not too long before he died. Maybe bad memory on my part. Also the museum has removed that idnian's bllod stained jacket. It's in the basement last time :) I stopped in.
On a separate note, I worked on a documentary for History Channel on some historically significant information that a friend and I have uncovered about artifacts removed from the Custer battle. Don Weibert’s sister, Penny worked on this project with us. Of course Henry was a significant part of our research and Don to some degree.

As to Don Weibert Shooting that cannon into the Wilson school, he wasn’t involved with that incident and if all the people that claimed they had, were assembled in one group, they would fill a library...
PROUD MEMBER #2 OF THE BRENT DANIELSON FAN CLUB!
Mike Bryant
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 12:38 pm

Re: Original Buffalo Rifles On Display In Museum

Post by Mike Bryant »

Fair enough Kirk, but that's the story Don told me in Billings one evening as we were sharing a couple of Wild West Sarsaparillas. The Big Horn Gun was in the garage.
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