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Recently our local newspaper carried a flier from a Fort
Collins firm which offered limited-edition collector
firearms that provide Colorado families with the
opportunity to display their heritage
and to
preserve your roots.
So I looked for a replica of some pioneer firepower like
a Spencer carbine. What I found was a 24-karat gold
limited edition Ruger .44 magnum.
Since the .44 magnum
cartridge dates back only to 1956, it can't be much of a
preserve your roots
piece, no matter how much
Colorado symbolism -- flag, mountains, motto -- is etched
on the revolver.
Further, I was surprised to read that The splendor of
the state [Colorado] served as the inspiration for our
national anthem.
Really? The view from Pikes Peak
inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write the words to
America the Beautiful
in 1893. But it is not our
national anthem.
That distinction belongs to The Star-Spangled
Banner.
The tune comes from a bawdy English drinking
song, To Anacreon in Heaven.
Our lyrics were written
by Francis Scott Key after seeing British forces bombard
Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor during the night of Sept.
13, 1814. No amber waves of grain there, but the weapons
that inspired our national anthem were Congreve rockets
(the rockets' red glare
) and Shrapnel shells
(bombs bursting in air
).
At that time, much of Colorado wasn't even in the United States. Only one American military party, Lt. Zebulon Pike's small expedition of 1806-07, had visited. If you were selling genuine Colorado heritage firearms, you might start there.
Judging from Pike's journal, with its accounts of misfires, broken locks and bent barrels, his firearms were neither sturdy nor reliable. Most likely they were .54-caliber Model 1803 flintlocks from the Harper's Ferry arsenal.
But historians still aren't sure what arms Pike's crew bore, and so an enterprising but accurate heritage replica merchant would have to start later. In the interest of honest history, I'll provide some promotional copy:
Some say Winchester, others say Colt. But the gun
that really won the West was the mountain howitzer, and now
you can savor this vital part of our Colorado heritage with
this authentic replica Model 1841 12-pound Mountain
Howitzer. The 38-inch barrel, with its smooth 4.65-inch
bore, is cast of solid bronze and is polished to gleaming
perfection. Comes with functioning carriage and full-size
cannonballs. You, too, can delight in the same powerful
portable cannon that accompanied Col. John M. Chivington
and the First Colorado Volunteers to their smashing victory
at Sand Creek on Nov. 29, 1864.
Or for those who want something smaller: The next
time you're invited to slaughter bison in Colorado's
majestic South Park, celebrate your pioneer heritage with
this replica Sharps .45-90, the gun that reduced the
original American herd from millions to a few hundred
buffalo, in just 20 years.
And for those concerned about labor unions: Make sure
your uppity employees know exactly what you think of them
with this exact replica of the Colt-Browning M1895
gas-operated machine gun. Yes, that's right -- an important
part of our Colorado heritage, the very same automatic
weapon that the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency mounted on
its 'Death Special' custom armored car to keep those
striking immigrant miners in line at Ludlow in 1914. Your
commemorative collector edition comes with a glass display
case and custom etchings depicting the heroic stand taken
by the noble defenders as they boldly faced women and
children hiding under tents.
At first, I wondered why some firearms merchant would make stuff up, when we have so much real Colorado firearms heritage. But then again, what we have may not be all that useful for modern marketing purposes.
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