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Antique Winchester 1894 SRC 38-55 shipped to WF SHEARD, TACOMA WASH FOR KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH IN 1898
Guns International #: 101616890 Seller's Inventory #:
Category: Winchester Rifles - Antique Lever - Winchester Rifles - Model 1894 Pre-64
Seller's Information
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Seller: Brent Wilburn
Company: Antique Arms, Inc.
Member Since: 11/19/15
First Name: Brent
Last Name: Wilburn
State: Georgia
Zip: 30052
Country: United States
Phone: (678) 471-1432
Phone2: (678) 471-1432
Premium Seller
Number of Active Listings: 45
Total Number of Listings: 584
Seller: Private Seller
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
Payment Types Accepted: Money Order, Certified Check
Description:
I found this little carbine a few years ago at the Denver show which was a very long drive for me. It was probably the highlight of that week-long trip. Of course, finding Antique 1894's is a daunting task as very few fall under the 53,900 range so to find one in the 29,000 range (you can go from show to show and look at hundreds of 1894 carbines before you find one with an antique number) was kind of exciting but the more I looked at it, it just kept getting better and better. After noticing the caliber was in the desirable 38-55, I soon spied a dealer marking on top of the receiver, "W.F. SHEARD TACOMA WASH." so this was a bonus. Since Winchester doesn't have records on where their guns shipped in the 19th century, it's a rare occasion when you can connect one of their lever actions to the dealer who actually sold it. Looking at the serial number, I knew it was probably made around 1897 or 1898. The next day, I ran into Jesi Bennett who had a table for the Cody Museum and was conducting research for patrons. I filled out the form with the serial number to this 1894...this was on May 19, 2018. A short time later, she gave me the information which got even more interesting. First off, it lettered correctly as a 38-55 Carbine,, the serial number was applied on 10-26-1897, it went into the warehouse on 11-9-1897, and then shipped on 11-20-1897 on order 23343. So what really got the wheels turning in my head was the the Tacoma, Washington dealer marking and shipping date which was near the end of 1897. The big event going on in the Northwest United States at that time was the Klondike Gold Rush and Tacoma, Washington was where the hundreds of thousands of Prospectors stepped off the train before heading up river to Seattle by water to take a ship to the Gold Fields in Canada. That said, I'm certain that the local merchants in Tacoma were hard at work selling these prospectors supplies for the long trip up North. What started it all was the
"the headline of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on July 17, 1897, broadcast the news of the discovery of gold in the Canadian Klondike. Under the headline “Gold! Gold! Gold!” the newspaper reported that “Sixty Eight Rich Men on the Steamer Portland” arrived in Seattle with “Stacks of Yellow Metal”. The news spread like wildfire and the country, in the midst of a depression, went gold crazy. Tens of thousands of gold crazed men and women steamed up the Inside Passage waterway and arrived in Dyea and Skagway to begin the overland trek to the Klondike. Six hundred miles over treacherous and dangerous trails and waterways lay before them." So 4 months later, this Winchester was being shipped from New Haven, CT where it ended up being stamped by WF Sheard in Tacoma....no doubt it was ordered, placed in stock, and sold one of the many prospectors who passed through Tacoma in late 1897 or 1898 at the height of the Gold Rush. Once in Seattle, the prospectors had the choice between what was known as the the Rich man's route which sailed them into Alaska with a easier path into the Yukon OR the poor man's route which followed the coast into British Columbia and required several hundred miles of a tough trek northward to reach the Gold fields. Of course, there were also Canadian prospectors coming up through Alberta into the Yukon which was the Canadian route. So this is where things get really interesting because this carbine still had another secret to tell...something that I didn't discover for 6 months after I got it home. One day, I was looking it over and noticed there was quite a bit of crud and old dried gunk all over the top of the buttplate (see photo). I thought about carefully removing the crud from the metal but got a little reluctant to do so because I was nervous that I might harm the top of the stock. Long story short, I decided to removed the buttplate so I could clean it up a little better and that's when I found it. Under the buttplate....there was a small white strip of old paper...in fact, the buttplate screw went right through it and it was stuck to the metal. I carefully pried it up with a razor blade and it was blank on both sides. I held it up to the light and could see little lines and some markings so it was folded. After a bit of looking, I found the which end was folded and carefully opened it up. The ink was a little splotchy at the top...it read ??BA Lund December 7, 1933 Delburne, Alberta. Canada and what appears to be "wrote for". Delburne is just below Edmonton, Alberta which like Tacoma/Seattle was for the Americans, Edmonton was the start of the Canadian route to the Gold Fields. I couldn't help but think some American got up to the Yukon, struck out on finding Gold and sold off this 1894 carbine to a newly arrived prospector so he could raise some money for passage home to the States. The buyer being Canadian, took this carbine back with him to Alberta where it ended up with someone named Lund in the town of Delburne. I wasn't sure if the last name was Land or Lund but a quick call to the Library in Delburne revealed that the name was probably "Lund" and the first name being only 4 letters and ending in "BA" meant whoever owned this carbine starting in 1933 had a very unique name which didn't take long to find. His name was Zeba Lund and his father had settled in Alberta after immigrating from Norway during the late 19th century. His father was named Niels Lund and who knows, he may have been the one who brought this carbine back from the Yukon. At any rate, Zeba was born in 1916 so he would have gotten this 1894 when he was just 17 years of age in 1933. Zeba Lund worked as a Cowboy...Alberta still has A LOT of working Cowboys...and he eventually owned a ranch in the Delburne area. He passed away in 1985 but I did find that the Alberta Stockman's Association Library has a file on Zeba's Ranch and Brand Information. I believe for a small fee, you can order a copy of his file. At any rate, I don't think I've ever had a more interesting and historical Model 1894 Winchester than this one; a dealer marked carbine that was shipped during the Klondike Gold Rush and ended up in Canada where it was used by a real Cowboy! The gun itself is in overall NRA Antique Very Good Condition with 20% original receiver blue with the balance worn to silver. You can tell right away this came from a cold dry climate because it has almost ZERO BROWN PATINA. The barrel and magazine tube are about 35-40% original fading blue. It has all of the correct early markings including the 1st style barrel address at the 12 o'clock position with two lines. Rear sight has the proper 200-900 yard graduations without the "1873" at the top which is what they used on 1873's, 1892's, and 1894's from about 1893 up to around 1902. The caliber is marked 38-55 with no Winchester proofs....which is also correct. Upper tang has the 3 lines designating mfr, model, and John Browning's original August 21, 1894 Patent Date. Hammer has the correct decorative dipped Victorian style border as found in the 1890's. The stocks are that grainy walnut you tend to find on early 1894 carbines with the early sharp comb. Good bore which is bright and shing and nice mechanics. Screws are decent and it has the saddle ring intact. Just a really cool Model 1894 carbine and I'm almost hoping nobody wants it as I'm trying to figure out a way to keep it. I just have too much at the moment and am reluctantly thinning down my Winchester herd a little. Antique, Pre-1898. No FFL Required. Buyer must be 21 years of age and a law-abiding citizen. No sales to Chicago, NYC, NJ, or NYC. 45.00 shipping. Sorry, no international sales. 3 Day inspection.
SOLD
Antique: Yes
Rifle Caliber: .38-55 Winchester
Manufacturer: Winchester
Model: 1894