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In “A Quarter of a Century on the Frontier,” an account of Tall Bull’s
death is given stating that after Tall Bull shot and missed, North took
careful aim where his adversary had last showed his head and then fired when he reappeared killing
him before he could get off another shot. Once the fighting ended, they discovered he had killed the chief. The following day, Buffalo Bill shot a Cheyenne warrior who had escaped on Tall Bull’s white horse during the battle. This led him to believe that he had killed Tall Bull himself. Buffalo
Bill was later awarded a Medal of Honor in 1872 for his role as the leader of the scouts in 1869. Following this battle, author Ned Buntline reportedly approached North for a story, but North instead turned Buntline’s attention to Buffalo Bill. The subsequent publicity helped create Buffalo Bill’s reputation as a folk hero and led in part to his career as a showman.
North remained the commander of the Pawnee Scouts until 1871 and then became a post guide and interpreter at Camp Munson before transferring to the Sidney Barracks in 1872. Most of the remaining Pawnee relocated to Indian Territory by the mid-1870s. North remained at the Sidney Barracks in Nebraska until August 5, 1876, when he reported to General Sheridan
in Chicago. He was once again ordered to enlist the Pawnee as scouts. He and the scouts returned to the Sidney Barracks and then served under General Crook in 1876 and 1877 following the disaster at the Battle of
the Little Bighorn. Following the disbanding of the scouts, North and his brothers Luther and James partnered with Buffalo Bill and ran the cattle company Cody & North and had thousands of head of cattle spread across five ranches in the Dismal River region in the western part of the state. They sold the business in 1882 as the ranching industry declined and
Buffalo Bill’s attention turned increasingly to show business. He had begun touring as part of Buntline’s “The Scouts of the Prairie” in December of 1872 before starting his own frontier dramas.
Buffalo Bill reportedly organized
local shows with North and
other friend in North Platte,
Nebraska which evolved into
his world-famous Wild West
show that toured the U.S. and
Europe. “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West”
officially opened on May 19,
1883, in Omaha, Nebraska, and
ran until July 1913. North briefly served in the state legislature but then worked as the manager for the Native Americans in the shows, including many Pawnee scouts, and also was directly involved in the action. He
may have remained a key part of the shows for many years if he had not been injured during one of their early shows in Hartford, Connecticut, in July of 1884. While performing with the Pawnee, he was thrown from his horse and trampled by one of the horses leading to seven broken ribs and internal injuries that were expected to shortly lead to his demise, but he made a recovery enough to keep working as a manager behind the scenes. However, he then became severely ill the following March in St. Louis, Missouri, and returned home to Nebraska. He had suffered from asthma since he was a child and died from “sever asthma attacks” just days shy of his 45th birthday.
CONDITION: Fine with more than half of the original silver plating displaying mainly dark aged patina, traces of original gold in the protected areas, crisp engraving and markings, fairly heavy wear on the back of the cylinder, absent ejector rod, and some minor pitting. The inscription on the back is distinct. The cylinder stop is not working, but the revolver is otherwise mechanically fine. The grips are also fine and have attractive natural tones and grain, some minor age cracks, a few tiny flakes, and minor age and handling related wear. The holster is very good and has moderate surface flaking concentrated at the top. This is a stunning Remington New Model Navy inscribed “F. North, from Buffalo Bill” and documented as past down through the family of frontier scout leader and Buffalo Bill showman Frank North.
Estimate: 40,000 - 60,000