National Geographic Gives Sharps Its Due

[robreber]

If you get the chance to look at the May issue of National Geographic, there is an article on the Great Plains that mentions the Sharps rifle. The author of the article mentioned that the Sharps rifle was the principal firearm that was responsible for the settling of the West. He must have read Mike Venturino's "Buffalo Rifles" book. For those of you that have not read the book (probably a small minority of this forum), Mike wrote that he insisted to a college professor that the Sharps more responsible for settling the West than was the Colt revolver. His college professor insisted that the Colt was more important. As Venturino argued his point with his professor, the final result was a failing grade in the course. Well at least the author of the National Geographic article got it right. Who knows - maybe the author has read Mike's book :^)

Back to lurk mode...

[8iowa]

I hate to differ with the distinguished MV, but it was the Kentucky rifle that began the push Westward through Indiana, Illinois, and then across the Mississippi into Iowa and Kansas. Major migration across the mighty river began to occur after the Black Hawk War. My ancestors moved to Iowa in 1850. They were from Pennsylvania, and took Pennsylvania firearms with them.

After the Civil War my great grandfather homesteaded in Nebraska as did many other veterans. He had a heavy muzzle loading rifle (probably made in Pennsylvania) and his Colt 1860 revolver that he had in the Army. My grandfather remembered that rifle and related stories of how his Dad hunted Antelope by the "flagging them in" method. He also remembered how, at a Summer picnic, great-grandad knocked a crow out of a tree at some distance, amazing the onlookers.

The Kentucky Rifle blazed the trail, followed by the Hawken, and then Civil War muskets and carbines. The final chapter of the saga was written by the lever action Winchesters and the powerful single shot rifles.

[Jim Watson]

I dropped my longstanding subscription to National Geographic a number of years ago after they "explained" to a couple of Polish tourists that the gun racks in American pickup trucks were there because the owners had the MISTAKEN idea that the Constitution recognized a right to privately owned firearms.

[Ken Hartlein]

MLV is right, the Sharps is the one that actually tamed the west!!

[pete]

I read the article and thought it was pretty good. I live on the plains albeit within 25 miles of a city but I also travel and hunt on them and it's true alot of the little towns are drying up. I thought it was interesting that the American Indian and buffalo populations are increasing. Almost one of those "what comes around goes around" things.
As far as the Sharps settling the west issue goes, I guess it all depends what you mean by that. I think the Kentucky and other muzzleloading rifles made it possible for whites to exist in the west but the Sharps literally changed the face of the west and for better or worse pretty much ended/settled the wild west if unfenced prairie, free roaming Indians and herds of buffalo are how you define the wild west.

[crazeyiven]

This sounds interesting. Anyone know if it is still on the stands?