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LOT 3154
Historic Buffalo Bill Presentation Inscribed, Silver Plated, and Factory Engraved Remington “Improved New Model Navy” Cartridge Revolver with Holster and Documentation Identified as Owned by Pawnee Scouts Leader and Buffalo Bill Wild West Showman Frank J. North - Serial no. 43841, 38 RF cal., 7 1/2 inch octagon bbl., silver/gold finish, antique ivory grips.
This stunning Remington “Improved New Model Navy” revolver is inscribed “F. North, from Buffalo Bill” on the back strap and is accompanied by documentation from the descendants of Frank North (1840-1885). North became famous as the commander of the Pawnee
Scouts during the Indian Wars and the building of the Union Pacific. Luther, his younger brother, also served
as a captain of Company D in the scouts. During the Republican River Expedition, they served with the 5th U.S. Cavalry and William F. Cody, “Buffalo Bill,” and became his friends and later business partners. North’s life and association with Buffalo Bill have been discussed in many publications, including “Two Great Scouts and Their Pawnee Battalion: The Experiences of Frank J. North and Luther H. North” by George Bird Grinnell (copy included), “Luther North: Frontier Scout” by Jeff O’Donnell (copy included), “A Quarter of a Century on the Frontier, or The Adventures of Major Frank North, the ‘White Chief of the Pawnees’” written by Alfred Sorenson based on North’s own words (copies of pages from the Nebraska State Historical Society included), “Buffalo Bill Gets on Track” by Mark Boardman in “True West” magazine in August 2012, and “Frank J. North: Pawnee Scout, Commander and Pioneer” by Ruby E. Wilson.
On page 53 of “Luther North: Frontier Scout,” the revolver is stated as having been taken from Buffalo Bill’s holster by a Pawnee scout named Traveling Bear during the Battle of Summit Springs and then returned to him
with Luther North’s assistance. “The pistol was an ivory handled Remington that Cody gave to Frank North several years later.” This battle was one of the events later reenacted in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. In the early days
of the show, both North and the Pawnee Scouts were key parts. The included documentation from North’s
descendants indicates this revolver was passed down through their family. It was given to Charles Jefferson Morse (1889-1946) whose mother was Alphonsine Morse (1851-1924), North’s youngest sister. It was then passed on to his son Charles E. Morse (1924-2019) and then to his wife, Charlotte Painter Morse (1925-2021).
Remington New Model Army and Navy revolvers were among the first service-size cartridge revolvers to
use metallic cartridges thanks to Benjamin Kittredge
and Smith & Wesson striking a deal in 1868 allowing Remington to produce rimfire conversions of the New Model Army prior to the expiration of the Rollin White patent. Once White’s patent expired in April of 1869, they were then free to introduce their own cartridge revolvers, including the “Navy Belt” revolvers in .38 rimfire with loading gates and ejector housings fitted to the right side of the frames like this one. Given that production of these revolvers began in 1869 or 1870, this revolver was unlikely actually with Buffalo Bill at the Battle of Summit Springs, instead he may have had his blued Remington New Model Army percussion revolver which also featured ivory grips, and the two may have been confused in
later reminiscence. This revolver was made as a cartridge revolver rather than as a percussion revolver and then converted, and this version is dated to 1870-1875 in “The Guns of Remington: Historic Firearms Spanning Two Centuries.” Instead, Buffalo Bill was likely carrying his blued percussion New Model Army revolver with ivory grips, and this revolver was likely misremembered as that one. Instead, Buffalo Bill may have purchased
this revolver for as a gift for his friend. The family clearly indicates it was presented by Buffalo Bill in the 1870s or 1880s while Buffalo Bill and Frank North were friends and business associates, and the inscription is of the style from the period. It would have been a flashy sidearm perfect for a Wild West showman, and certainly shows signs of period use that you’d expect from a showman’s gun. The revolver features extensive scroll, floral, geometric, and dot and line engraving patterns, including distinctive floral blooms around the cylinder and on the top of the frame at the breech.
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