The firearm of the first woman who rode across the country on horseback
A Museum Minute
By Olivia Weitz
Wyoming Public Media
March 21, 2024
A 1-minute audio snapshot highlighting a museum object from the collection of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
Nan Aspinwall is the first woman to ride across the country solo on horseback. She completed the nearly 4,500 mile journey from San Francisco to New York in 1911. A bet between Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill allegedly inspired her journey.
Aspinwall was also a sharpshooter and trick roper in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. A firearm that was likely given to her years after her famous ride and her time with the show is on display at the Cody Firearms Museum.
Curator Danny Michael said the receiver on her Remington model 24 rifle is nickel-plated with scrollwork engraving, and it says on it “presented to Two-Gun Nan.”
“And those features on a somewhat utilitarian gun, those would be something we might expect on maybe a nicer, higher-end type gun, but to see it here on this gun is really interesting, meant as a special gift to this public figure, so that makes it a unique version of an otherwise somewhat basic firearm,” he said.
Aspinwall’s firearm is part of an upcoming exhibit that features the firearms of Buffalo Bill and performers in the Wild West show.
