The Northwest Gun is the classic example of the Indian Trade Gun from about 1760
to the end of the 19th century. It was handled by such trading companies as the
Hudson’s Bay Company, the Northwest Company, the Mackinaw Company of Michilimackinac,
and the American Fur Company as well as many lesser known trading outfits. These
guns reportedly exchanged for 20-22 beaver skins or around $7.50 hard cash. Much
of the heaviest trading was done in the years between 1770 and 1860. Some American
makers secured government contracts during the Indian Wars years and the Northwest
Gun proliferated throughout the west. Charles Hanson Jr. estimates that as many
as 2.5 million trade guns were imported into North America. They were readily available
at forts, trading posts, and rendezvous and were often used as compensation in treaty
negotiations and annuities.
The Northwest Trade Gun was made simple and uncomplicated yet was well suited for
its purpose. The butt plate was simply nailed onto the stock. The guard for the
single trigger was made oversize for use while wearing heavy mittens. One must note
that early original locks did not have a half cock notch so the full cock notch
was cut deep for safety. Some experts say that a 10-15 pound trigger pull was common
on those guns. This heavy trigger pull might require two fingers to pull the trigger,
thus another practical reason for the large trigger bow.
The most distinctive feature of these guns was the serpent (or dragon) shaped sideplate.
Early British trade guns had a flat plate with the serpent features engraved while
the classic Northwest Gun used a cast one. Three lockbolts were used on early guns
but after 1800 most had two bolts in the lock with a small wood screw to hold the
tail. Some surviving trade guns have the sideplate sitting “Proud” on top of the
wood but most are inlet about half their thickness. These details vary from maker
to maker. The Indians learned to recognize and demand London proof marks and a sitting
fox or tombstone logo on the lock and barrel. One or two wedding bands were filed
into the barrel, typically one wide one at the transition of the flats to round
and another about 3 inches farther down the barrel. Flats extended 6-8” from the
breech. Since about 80 different contractors can be documented as supplying guns
for the trade some small details will vary. After 1830 we begin to see some butt
plates held on with screws. American producers added a trigger plate and ran the
tang screw down into it. Overall, the style and pattern remained consistent for
well over one hundred years.
