At the beginning of the summer I couldn’t believe I was leaving to drive across the country because I got the internship I had dreamed of. Already, I’m looking back at my time here and I can’t believe these ten weeks have gone by so fast. Working in the Cody Firearms Museum and the […]
The Liberation of the Lipizzaner Horses The Lipizzaner horses were bred as early as 1580 in Lipizza, Italy. The horses are famous for their performances perfected at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria, since 1572. They are the oldest cultivated breed of horses in Europe. Both riders and horses go through years of training […]
“God created all men, Samuel Colt made them equal.” Born on July 19, 1814 near Hartford, Connecticut, Samuel Colt was the son of Christopher and Sarah Colt. His mother died of tuberculosis in 1821 and Samuel took the loss extremely hard. When his father remarried, Colt moved away to work with a farmer in Glastonbury, Connecticut. He […]
Early Ignition Systems Since the introduction of black powder around 1250, cultures have been finding ways to create and improve firearms. The very first firearms that have been discovered are hand cannons that date back to 1364. These hand held devices would work by means of a wick that would be connected to a touch hole, […]
On July 7-10, I worked at the 41st Annual Winchester Gun Show sponsored by the Winchester Arms Collectors Association as part of my internship here in the Cody Firearms Records Office this summer. Overall, it was a fun experience being able to meet all the collectors and members of the Winchester Arms Collectors Association. As […]
The Sharps name has been popular in firearms since the 19th century. Christian Sharps has a huge impact on the history of firearms and the history of the American West. He began at Harpers Ferry Arsenal as an apprentice in manufacturing and learned a lot during that time. By 1848, Christian was able to obtain […]