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This may be the wrong section but a Question I have. How would you find where a rifle was purchased or even could have been purchased. Any location of dealers or general stores In certain geographical locations? I know alot were mail ordered, but someone showed them a catalog. Some areas around here anyways were somewhat desolate in the 1890s or 1900’s or 1910’s. Has anyone ever researched such a topic? I know alot of this would become pure speculation but add to the romance of their history or stories were told about these things.
Patrick,
With relatively rare exceptions, the information you are asking about does not exist. For the post-1907 production Model 1873s and Model 1886s, the records at the CFM records office do list who/where the specific rifle was shipped. The Model 21 records also have that information. For the rest of the many different models, no such records survive.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Yea I know the mfg. Records are gone I was just curious if anyone had discovered local stores that sold winchesters like how did winchester advertise and distribute in rural America and out west? Did every local general store sell just any firearms etc… I’m thinking more along the lines of someone digging into a local store ledger.
I remember a few years ago about someone posted a link to a retailer that had old records. If I remember right it was in the southern US.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
I suspect that nearly all “local” stores of that era are long gone, and with them, any records they might have kept while in still in business. However, and along your line of thought, there is one Eastern store that did keep their records, and they offer to look-up them for a fee.
http://secure.griffinhowe.com/Research-sample.cfm
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Yea I’m pretty sure said eastern establishment kept very good documentation. No doubt on those retailers being long gone out of business. I’m just thinking people bought them somewhere it was once wrote down if any one had ever stumbled across such a thing it would makes for a good story line, then you could play connect the dots.
I’ve wondered the same thing in the past. Several years ago there was a store on the main drag in Salida, Colorado (can’t remember the name but it was a chain, like Gambels, or something like that) and had been there for a long time. I didn’t think of it then, but they could have had storage of old records upstairs. Probably not. But the point is, the old towns, before a modern boom, that still have hardware stores in the same location, just might have something. As a small businessman, I have crap I no longer need (more than seven years old/IRS) just because I’m too lazy to toss it out, don’t need the space, etc. All in boxes.
Next time your tooling through some backwater main drag that hasn’t gone yumpie and you see a store that’s been in business since Christ was a corporal, stop in and ask. Now that you’ve got me thinking about, I’m going to do that.
I would imagine most were sold through general stores up through and into the era of the “Winchester” stores. We have a local hardware store, went out of business some time back, but had been open locally since the 1870-1880’s. One of the surviving grand kids told me they would place orders for what they wanted and sold right out of the store up until the 70’s when the store had its first fire. They even had the sight displays for Marbles sights that were used back in the day. Would imagine in the larger northeastern cities there would have been “gun stores” but out in the hinterlands the general store was the link to the rest of the world.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
Wha
1892takedown said
I would imagine most were sold through general stores up through and into the era of the “Winchester” stores. We have a local hardware store, went out of business some time back, but had been open locally since the 1870-1880’s. One of the surviving grand kids told me they would place orders for what they wanted and sold right out of the store up until the 70’s when the store had its first fire. They even had the sight displays for Marbles sights that were used back in the day. Would imagine in the larger northeastern cities there would have been “gun stores” but out in the hinterlands the general store was the link to the rest of the world.
Where at in south tx?
Vivroux Hardware in Seguin, TX.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
1892takedown said
Vivroux Hardware in Seguin, TX.
Ahhh, I lived in marion and New Braunfels about 10 yrs. I’m from Victoria moved back down here.
The research Ive done on the hardware store indicated it served a big part of the surrounding area and south Texas in the late 1800’s
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
Well that’s cool. What started this for me is I’ve acquired a 94 that supposedly came off of the Fagan Ranch ca. 1908. I guess I’m looking for something from the Refugio area. I’ve found where Refugio had Three stores in 1905 but no names of them as of yet. I know I’ll never find anything concrete. Just would like to see if were even possible to add up. Plus I love the local history.
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