Great Basin Find

The Great Basin National Park is the least-visited of all the parks in the U. S. National Park system.  Located in the desert in the middle of nowhere – actually eastern Nevada – it is not even on a primary route between other major tourist destinations.  We stopped there back in 2010, and found it has a lot to see.  It is the home of 13,063 foot Wheeler Peak, and the Lehman Caves.  It is also where you’ll find the oldest trees in North America, 3,000-plus year old Bristlecone Pines.

Now the park has a new claim to fame, a Winchester Model 1873 rifle found leaning against a juniper tree – a gun that may have been left there over a hundred year ago.

Here’s the story from the park’s website:

Many of us harbor pipe dreams of running across an original Winchester Model 1873 rifle in the rafters of a dusty attic or tucked in the dark corner of old barn.

Recently employees of the National Park Service found an original Winchester Model 1873 rifle leaning against a gnarled juniper tree in a remote part of the sprawling Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

According to Nichole Andler, Chief of Interpretation at Great Basin National Park, “The rifle, exposed for all those years to sun, wind, snow and rain, was found leaning against a tree in the park. The cracked wood stock, weathered to grey, and the brown rusted barrel blended into the colors of the old juniper tree in a remote rocky outcrop, keeping the rifle hidden for many years.”

“Engraved on the rifle is “Model 1873,” identifying it distinctly as a Winchester Model 1873 repeating rifle,” continued Andler. “The serial number on the lower tang corresponds in Winchester records held at the Center for the West at the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming, with a manufacture and shipping date of 1882. But the detailed history of this rifle is as yet unknown.”

While the specific history of the aged Winchester rifle is as yet unknown, the opportunities for speculation are rich. Perhaps it belonged to a lone cowboy riding the high range. Perhaps it was set aside by a sourdough prospector in his search for a vein of rich ore. Whatever the actual story, it has the makings of a great campfire tale.

After museum conservation to prevent further deterioration, the rifle will be returned to the park and displayed as part of the park’s 30th birthday and the NPS centennial celebration.