I bought a black horn at a gunshow in Burley, Idaho about 20 years ago. The guy wanted $20 - would let it go for $15. He still had it at the end of the show so I got it for ten. It had brass tacks holding the wooden plug in place. For a test I pulled one of them and to my delight it had a square brass shank - not
the steel one we see today. The old, OLD tacks were cast in a single piece - all brass, square tapered shank. Conclusion: for ten bucks I had bought an
original buffalo-horn powder-horn from the 1800s. So . . . 'tis possible
Richard James
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Like Dick says, one would have to look at it, but there may be a slim chance it's an old one. There are many stories about folks picking old powder horns at strange places for next to nothing.
Concho Smith that's on this list use to buy right-away for the state of Pennsylvaina Highway Dept. and every once in a while would come up with some interesting old horns, tools, guns, etc., usually for next to nothing or nothing. He made a nice side-line business out of this stuff, when I was still in business he was a good supplier for antique items to sell, of course he high graded what he kept, butt head.
See if the gentleman will send you some pictures or even loan you the horn for a closer look, interesting.
Thanks for your time, take care.
Buck Conner
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Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2001 21:18:34 -0800
From: "larry pendleton" <yrrw@airmail.net>
Subject: Re: MtMan-List: 1831 powder horn info
Angela,
It is real hard to tell about the age of a powder horn. As has been said,
square shanked tacks are a indication also whether it has been scaped
smooth, and whether the throut has been drilled or burned out. But there
are a lot of guys out there who can do all the right things in making a horn
that can fool just about anybody. I've seen horns in museums that didn't
look right to me. I don't know who you would get to look at it to verify
the age of it.
Just my $.02
Pendleton
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I have of late developed an interest in the Iroquois of the West, the
original Free Men. Were these people actually of the five tribes or
were they more of a conglomeration of Eastern/Canadian tribes adopted
under the Iroquois name? I believe they had a great impact on the fur
trade by their experience as hunters, trappers and warriors. How did
they dress? (Interestingly, Millers drawing that I have seen of an
Iroquois is one of the few men he shows in side seem instead of pucker
toed mocs). Did they come West with the English or by many trails?
In short, is there any primary or secondary sources that give good
details about these people?
WY
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Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 00:46:19 EST
From: SWzypher@aol.com
Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Iroquois
In a message dated 3/24/1 09:02:57 PM, leona3@sourceoneinternet.com writes:
<< Did they come West with the English or by many trails?>>
They* were caught, as you know, on the losing side in the American Revolution
and maintained their allegance to Britain as they had since the earliest
conflicts between English and French (who were allied with the Huron and
others). Many had been employed for generations by Hudson's Bay and traveled
west with them - first across the "Lakes" country and then south into and on
both sides of the Rockies. When Peter Ogden has his run in with Johnston
Gardner and the other Americans in May 1825 on the Weber River (8 miles east
of here) it was largely Iroquois that defected and came over to the
Americans. One of the journalists tells of meeting them in the mountans some
time later AFTER they had expended all the gains gotten from trading with the
Americans on the Weber and on Henry's Fork a month an a half later.
Significant also is that these Iroquois were not solitary but brought their
wives and youngsters with them. Easy to see how some of the trappers could
end up trading for a good pair of pucker-toes.
Richard James
*they: some - not all
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Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 10:19:40 -0500 (EST)
From: Buck Conner <buck_conner@email.com>
Subject: MtMan-List: 1831 powderhorns and other questionable items.
It is real hard to tell about the age of a powder horn. As has been said, square shanked tacks are a indication also whether it has been scaped smooth, and whether the throut has been drilled or burned out.......
There are a lot of guys out there who can do all the right things in making a horn that can fool just about anybody....
Just my $.02
Pendleton
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Larry,
You mentioning folks making hard to detect items (horns, etc.), years ago I let a couple of young adult 1/2 breed Blackfoot kids use an old 2000 sq. ft. fruit storgae bldg. to make Indian crafts - that's when Praire Edge was going hot and heavy.
Anyway I was at a museum outside of Denver and see some of their work but in poor condition with a sign of being collected before turn of the century !
A few weeks later I'm changing irrigation pipe down by the creek on our property and see a pair of mocs staked in the water with dirt wasting through them ! I get off the tractor and head up to the fruit bldg and notice another pair of old dirty mocs staked on the tin roof !
Bottom line I was furnishing a work area for a couple of guys making good fake antiques and doing quite well at it.
I ran them off and notified the couple of museums I knew about that had their stuff, don't know what they paid for their wares, but was shocked at the museum's staff attitude in telling me "oh well, they are good looking pieces" and they are still on display today after twenty years. How much of the "original" pieces we see are really "original" ?
Thanks for your time, take care.
Buck Conner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ AMM ~ LENAPE ~ NRA ~ HRD ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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http://pages.about.com/buckconner/
"Rival the best - Surpass the rest".
___________ Aux Aliments de Pays! _
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 10:50:17 -0500
From: hawknest4@juno.com
Subject: Re: MtMan-List: 1831 powder horn info
can you scan in a few pictures of the horn and drop them to me offline
and i'll see if i can tell you anything
just from the pictures---
"HAWK"
Michael Pierce "Home of ".Old Grizz" Product line " trademark (C)
