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In 1914, he and his friend Winthrop Brooks from Yale stayed with Jim McLaughlin and his wife Jenny
at their home near the Shoshone River outside of Cody, Wyoming, and then in 1915, the two young
men purchased McLaughlin’s property and ran the Valley Ranch as a dude ranch hosting other tourists from the
East. McLaughlin was hired as a guide. When they hosted a house warming at the ranch, The Northern Wyoming Herald on August 20, 1915, called out the “Valley Ranch Roundup” and noted that the large event would include a Wild West show. Larom served in the U.S. Army in 1918 during
World War I. After returning from the war, he
and Brooks purchased
adjoining land and
expanded the ranch
and added children’s
programs and a
college preparatory
school. Brooks later
returned to New York
to run his family’s
famous Brooks
Brothers clothing
store, and Larom took
full control of the
ranch in 1926. Larom
was key figure in the
establishment of the
Buffalo Bill Memorial
Association in 1917
and later the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming,
and worked alongside General John J. Pershing and Daniel Beard (founder of the Boy
Scouts of America) in 1923 as chairman of the National Committee of the Buffalo Bill Memorial Association.
He was also one of the founders of the Dude Ranchers Association in 1926 and was its president until 1944.
Many of his Native American artifacts were donated to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and are in the Plains Indian Museum. He was also involved in game management and conservation.
CONDITION: Very good with an attractive “Wild West” used appearance, traces of original blue finish in the protected areas, strong original blue on the loading gate, 25% plus of the age faded original case colors, crisp engraving and markings, and 30% original nickel plating on the buttplate. The wood is also very good and has smoothed checkering on the forend, repairs in the wrist as discussed above, attractive figure, and mild scratches and dings. Mechanically excellent. This is a very rare opportunity to get your hands on an extraordinary rifle identified as presented by Buffalo Bill Cody to western rancher and guide Jim McLaughlin and then given by McLaughlin to influential dude rancher Larry Larom. It is definitely a special piece of Wyoming history.
Estimate: 30,000 - 50,000
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