I thought he was out on the prairie getting ready to make a stand on a big herd of bufflers. Thanks for pointing out all the details Bill.   

Oh, how would one convert a 53 to a cartridge gun?

Looking for a husband.

Regards,
powderman

Yes, the lady on the right - I love her Oakley-style hat! - is holding a Quackenbush "Safety Rifle" in . 22 RF, patented on February 23rd, 1886, # 336586 and put into production a bit earlier.

The lady on the left is costumed like the "Indian Princess" we saw early in this thread, who together with her complimentary-dressed husband were professional sharpshooters (I don't think we ever learned their "stage" names).  In any case, I'm also pretty sure this "Indian" is NOT Oakley's would-be rival, "Princess Wenona", real name Lillian Smith.  However, she might just be Nellie Smith, Lillian’s younger sister, who was also an accomplished sharpshooter.

Bill Lawrence

Or looking for the woman who stole her husband, or both!!

I do believe that the rifle in Bill's arms is not "a rolling block" but "THE rolling block" - the famous Lucretia Borgia.  If so, I also think this is the earliest photo I've seen of that legend-making pair.

Bill Lawrence

You would think that a museum would get things right. Interesting read otherwise.

westerner wrote on Mar 30^th, 2023 at 6:06pm:


An AutoBiography of Buffalo Bill (Colonnel W.F. Cody)
first edition 1920, later reprinted 

Quote from Chapter 5

When there were no buffalo to hunt I tried the experiment of hitching Brigham to one of our railroad scrapers, but he was not gaited for that sort of work. I had about given up the idea of extending his usefulness to railroading when news came that buffaloes were coming over the hill. There had been none in the vicinity for some time. As a consequence, meat was scarce.

I took the harness from Brigham, mounted him bareback and started after the game, being armed with my new buffalo killer which I had named "Lucretia Borgia," an improved breech-loading needle-gun which I had obtained from the Government.

As I was riding toward the buffaloes I observed five men coming from the fort. They, too, had seen the herd and had come to join the chase. As I neared them I saw that they were officers, newly arrived at the fort, a captain and four lieutenants.


Quote Also from Chapter 5

Buffaloes were plentiful. It had been agreed that we should go into the herd at the same time and make our "runs," each man killing as many animals as possible. A referee followed each of us, horseback, and counted the buffaloes killed by each man. The excursionists and other spectators rode out to the hunting-grounds in wagons and on horseback, keeping well out of sight of the buffaloes, so as not to frighten them until the time came for us to dash into the herd. They were permitted to approach closely enough to see what was going on.

For the first "run" we were fortunate in getting good ground. Comstock was mounted on his favorite horse. I rode old Brigham. I felt confident that I had the advantage in two things: first, I had the best buffalo horse in the country; second, I was using what was known at the time as a needle-gun, a breech-loading Springfield rifle, caliber .50. This was "Lucretia," the weapon of which I have already told you. Comstock's Henry rifle, though it could fire more rapidly than mine, did not, I felt certain, carry powder and lead enough to equal my weapon in execution.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)