"...Researchers at Great Basin National Park are trying to unravel the mystery behind a 132-year-old rifle found leaning against a juniper tree in the remote park 300 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
No one knows how long the Winchester Model 1873 sat there, or who might have left it. All they know so far is that the lever-action repeating rifle was manufactured and shipped by Winchester in 1882, one of more than 25,000 made that year of what came to be known as ?the gun that won the West.?
Very good. Thanks.
What do you do when that tweet facebook bar is on top and it makes scrolling so much harder? Is there a way to get rid of the bar?
I left an antique light bulb in my bedroom closet in 1962/ But my mother sold our house in 1966 while I was away, and I forgot to tell her to get the bulb. The chain for the light fixture in the closet was broken, so I thought that was a good place to store it. It had a point on the end. It's not 132 years, only 48. Do you think it's still there?
How fast do Juniper trees grow?
If a rifle was left against a tree 100 years ago, the tree would have long either engulfed the rifle or pushed it aside. Although from the photo it looks to be partially engulfed, it seems unlikely to me it's been there more than a few decades.
Makes one wonder. There are more than one photo. Looks like the stock was trying to revegetate. ;)
nb
On 01/16/2015 3:38 PM, philo wrote: ...
Not necessarily in the dry country--stuff grows very slowly in harsh environments.
I'd certainly not jump to any conclusion it couldn't have been there for quite a long time, indeed, altho all the article notes is the date of manufacture, _not_ when it was left.
Good point. Even in a nearly dry environment you would not think it would hold up that well.
The closeup of the Winchester logo shows some significant corrosion. There are a lot of old mining sites where they left the equipment and tools back in the late 1800's and the stuff doesn't look any worse.
The gun's owner may have been killed and the killer didn't know the victim left a gun, nearby.
Hey, it's the Code of the West. ;)
nb
Do a Google search for the article in the LA Times. Better pictures and you'll believe that gun has been there a loooooooooooong time. Looks like they had to wrap the stock with plastic to keep it from falling apart after sucking up what little water it may have been exposed to over the years.
...
Living in an area dry but not so dry as most of NV I have no trouble at all believing it.
As for slow-growing, there was a wisteria planted at the base of the old wind-charger tower by grandparents in the early '20s when it was erected. After 40 year or so, it had reached about 20-ft in height. That was my knowledge of wisteria. In TN, we had a deck off the rear of the new house built on a pretty good slope so the rear of it was almost
15-ft from the ground to the railing and left all that area exposed underneath. I built in a trellis for shade leaving a couple of walk-thrus between the deck posts and planted a wisteria at each corner and the middle thinking in 10 yr or so it would about cover up the area. Needless to say, in _that_ environment, it was trying to cover the house in less than five and had to remove it entirely.Just sayin'...if you haven't experienced the difference that the tougher environment can make and expect growth as it occurs back where it rains and is much more temperate, you really can't grasp how tough it is and how slow/stunted things can be/are in comparison...
I live in a semi-arid climate with approximately the same annual precipitation as the lower parts of the Great Basin National Park. Some of the areas I hike were clear cuts that were replanted over 25 years ago. The ponderosa pines are about 6' high. Between poor soil and little water they will be merchantable in a hundred years or so.
And that's in places with enough elevation and precipitation to even support trees. The south facing slopes and valleys are short grass prairies left to their own devices.
If you want a pine plantation, head for Georgia or the Pacific North Wet.
Some one, Oren?, posted a close-up video and maybe it has sat out there for over 100 years. It looked a lot more aged than in the photo.
Ayup, sounds about right or really doin' pretty good... :)
Altho in the PNW, less pine, more fir... :)
The new sapling would bend away from that load . What (apparently) most of y'all don't understand is just how slowly those Juniper trees grow in that climate . That tree is likely over 250 years old - yes , they grow that slowly out there . I grew up on the high mountain desert of northern Utahaha , and it would amaze you just how many growth rings you'd find on even a relatively small tree .
Yep thanks for the good explanation.
My guess is that if the rifle was left there, it's owner must have met his demise...not likely one would forget it.
Consider this. In your distant youth, you carved your sweetheart's name in a heart of the side of some tree. Forty years later, is the heart going to be
20' up?
Yep
Nope
Oh, those Tree Growth Deniers...so frustrating.
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