Here is a good and completely untouched (since an old previous cleaning) Indian trade gun that came to us over the summer with a few other artifacts. This gun came out of The Winnipeg, Canada Area, home to Fort Garry, a trading hub for the Hudson Bay Company. Established in 1822, Fort Garry played a major role in not only the Fur Trade, but was central to the administration of the HBC and the surrounding settlements. I want to be perfectly clear as to what this gun looks like. It is ugly to the layman, but might appear to be a diamond in the rough to a wise collector. Although this gun is complete and with no alterations, it shows a very old cleaning that was then varnished to preserve both metal and wood surfaces. It looks like it had some splashes of crust on it that were cleaned down. Some of the markings are virtually perfect including a Hudson Bay stamp with the running fox. However the metal parts are now heavily stained and there is still some pitting scattered across the barrel. Some areas are bright and some blackish, giving the gun a blotchy look that's not very appealing, but there's a future here. The steel parts need to be stripped of the old varnish and browned to even out the finish which would then make the gun quite presentable. The wood is in very nice condition with only a single repair towards the muzzle end. It too, has the same thick varnish covering its surface which needs to be removed and has scattered discoloration. It's in original flintlock and the gun just needs a little TLC. This is a relatively rare gun and one that has never been messed with other than this old cleaning and varnishing which was obviously applied to help preserve it. It's sort of like the girl you didn't want to date in high school and then saw at your 10 year reunion that blew the cheerleaders away. If you're still single, this one (like the girl), would be a good one to chase. It's a project, but the results of a good effort could be rewarding. This gun was most likely carried by one of the Indians of the area, possibly Assiniboine or "Stone Sioux", who were originally part of the Great Sioux Nation. The Assiniboine were close allies and trading partners of the Cree, engaging in wars together against the Atsina (Gros Ventre). Together they later fought the Blackfoot. A Great Plains people, they generally went no further north than the North Saskatchewan River. They purchased a great deal of European trade goods from the Hudson's Bay Company through Cree middlemen, this gun probably included. This is a nice find and very moderately priced.