The Winchester Rifle and Indigenous Peoples in the Paton Photo Collection
This article was originally published in the Winter 2017-18 edition of Folklore Magazine.
Adrian Paton's photo collection, which he began in 1980 and donated to the SHFS in 2011, contains 8000 photos from the area around his residence in Arcola, Saskatchewan. Of these, about 1000 were digitized by the Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society in 2012 and 2013. These photos span the period of 1870 to 1950, providing a glimpse into the lives of people living in the Arcola region.
A large number of the photos are of, or related to, the many Indigenous peoples in the area. Several of them depict members of these communities with firearms. Of the firearms that appear, one type that occurs quite often is the Winchester Repeating Rifle.
The Henry and Winchester models of lever-action repeaters are guns that can be considered the ideal “frontier” rifle. “Lever action repeater” refers to a gun, usually a rifle, which uses a lever integrated into the trigger guard and grip to eject spent cartridges, and load new ones into the chamber. This system allowed several shots to be fired before reloading. In the popular imagination, the Winchester Repeaters are one of the iconic weapons of the late 19th and early 20th-century western frontier.
The first model of what would become a quintessential old west rifle was the 1860 Henry which was produced by the New Haven Arms Company owned by Oliver Winchester. The mechanism of this rifle was based on the patent of Benjamin Tyler Henry, after whom it was named. The 1860 Henry used a toggle locked lever-action system fed from a 15 round tube magazine. In this type of magazine, cartridges were stored tip to base and fed into the chamber.
Henry rifle model 1860, showing both sides. Photo by SN VFX.
While it was not the first manually repeating rifle, it brought several qualities to the table that earlier examples of repeating rifles didn't.
First, it fired a reasonably powerful cartridge, in the form of the .44 Henry rimfire, one of the first self-contained metallic cartridges available in large numbers on the civilian market. The rimfire cartridge was a vast improvement over earlier systems, where the chamber had to be loaded with powder, bullet, and percussion cap before firing. Instead, the powder, bullet, and primer were stored in a single unit.
Second, it had a far greater rate of fire than contemporary long arms, most of which were muzzle-loaded or single-shot firearms. The ease with which the action could be cycled allowed an exceptionally high rate of fire of an aimed shot every 2-3 seconds. These aspects combined to make the rifle an excellent all-purpose frontier arm, capable of dealing with a variety of game.
After Benjamin Tyler Henry attempted to turn to the courts for ownership of the New Haven Arms Company due to a lack of compensation for his patent, Oliver Winchester formed a new company by the name of Winchester Repeating Arms. Despite losing much of the old company, Winchester retained ownership of the Henry patent itself. This would see the creation of the first “Winchester” Rifle, the model of 1866.
This iteration replaced the complicated reloading system of the Henry with a side-mounted loading gate through which the magazine could be reloaded at any time. This made the 1866 a massive improvement on its predecessor. The later 1873 and 1876 models improved on the basic design, increasing reliability and moving from the rimfire cartridges of earlier versions to centerfire cartridges like the .44-40 Winchester.
The centerfire cartridge replaced the priming compound around the rim of the case with a primer in the center of the case's base. With centerfire cartridges, cases could be made thicker, allowing for higher pressures and greater durability. Primers were also standardized, which made cartridges easier to reload, and the less exposed primer made the ammunition safer to handle.
The next iteration, the 1886, was designed by prolific firearms designer John Browning, among whose most famous designs were the Colt M1911 Automatic Pistol and the M1919 and M2 machine guns. The Model 1886 and following models replaced the less durable toggle lock of prior Winchester Repeaters with a much stronger locking block, allowing the use of full-power rifle cartridges like the .45-70 as opposed to the weaker large pistol cartridges of earlier models.
Winchester 1894 lever action rifle system. Photo by Stefan Schug.
Eight years later, Winchester released their first rifle in a full power smokeless powder cartridge, the Model 1894. This was followed by the final iteration of the Winchester rifle, the Model 1895, which used a box magazine, stacking the cartridges side by side rather than tip to base, rather than tube magazine. This allowed for the safe use of “spitzer” type bullets with a pointed tip.
While the Henry and Winchester Repeaters are well known as an American cowboy rifle, this overlooks much of the rifle's history.
During World War I, France bought a large order of 1894 Winchesters for support troops. At the same time, 280,000 of the 1895 model Winchester were bought by Imperial Russia due to a lack of weapons for their military. Many of these Russian Winchesters ended up in the hands of the Latvian Rifles, who famously defected en masse to the Bolshevik cause in the Russian Revolution of November 1917.
Large numbers of the rifles, both ones sent from Russian surplus stocks and a large number of the domestically produced copy of the 1892 model named the “El Tigre” were used in the Spanish Civil War. Finally, they were a much-desired firearm by Native American trappers and hunters throughout North America.
An example of how common the guns were among the Indigenous peoples in North America, many of whom relied on hunting and trapping to survive, can be found in the 1980s archaeological examination of the site of the battle of Little Big Horn. Based on their analysis of cases and bullets found at the battlefield, fully a quarter of the Indigenous warriors were equipped with a Henry or Winchester design, with another quarter equipped with non-Winchester firearms.
Available evidence of the number of the guns in the hands of Indigenous and Métis fighters during the 1885 Resistance is less plentiful but still available. According to a book published in 1886 titled The History of the North-West Rebellion, their inventory included “Some... fine Winchesters, a Snider or two, a Queen's Own rifle, a Springfield Carbine... and shot guns of every description.”
A first-hand account of the Frog Lake Massacre by witness William B. Cameron published under the title Blood Red the Sun describes Cree War Chief Wandering Spirit carrying a Winchester with him as his weapon of choice. Based on this, it is clear that at least some number of Winchester type rifles were in the hands of the North West Resistance as they attempted to fight back against encroachment by the Canadian government.
However, the popularity of the firearm is attested to by the number that appear in the photos of the Adrian Paton Collection, particularly those of Indigenous peoples around the end of the 19th century. Six photos of Indigenous people in the 1000 total photos digitized thus far were photographed carrying Winchester firearms. What follows is a description of the photos, based on the information provided by Mr. Paton, as well as the rifles depicted and any additional information on the content of the photos.
Three Bears and his wife (needs naming). This photo was taken by Tom Brittan of Brittan & Butcher's studio in Grenfell sometime prior to 1905. "Three Bears” is written on the back of the photo. Adrian Paton Photo Collection, 252.
The photo postcard used to open the article is number 252 in the Paton photo collection. This photo dates from 1905 at the latest, as it is labelled NWT rather than Saskatchewan. It was originally purchased by Gill Watson of the Regina Antique Mall who later donated it to Paton's collection. The couple in the photo are described by Paton, in his interviews with the SHFS, as a man named Three Bears and his wife.
The rifle in Three Bear's hand is a decorated Model of 1873, and his belt has several cartridge loops. The decorations on the rifle, as well as Three Bears belt and his wife's pouch, were done with brass tacks.
While manufactured with upholstery in mind, these brass tacks were often purchased and used by Indigenous people to decorate objects like weapons and clothes. When used to decorate clothes, the exposed point would be sheared off. Tacks could be arranged in shapes and patterns and were polished to a bright shine.
In addition, over time, a well-used rifle would often begin to splinter around the stock. One method of dealing with this was to attach leather to the exposed wood of the gun to avoid splinters and provide a warmer touch in the winter.
The next photo in the series is Paton number 332. It and the following three are among a set taken by Edith LeMesurier and donated by her descendant Betty Downey. The two white children in the foreground of 332 are Neil and Doris LeMesurier, the children of Edith and Arthur LeMesurier. The Indigenous man, woman, and child in the background were left unnamed. The photo was taken around 1905 on the LeMesurier farm on the border of White Bear First Nation.
The man is holding what appears to be a half-magazine 1886 Winchester. Half magazine versions of the Winchester, while sacrificing capacity, were lighter and better balanced than their full magazine counterparts, useful traits for a rifle that is to be carried on foot for long periods of time.
Man, woman and child (all need naming), ca. 1905, near the border of White Bear First Nation. The two children in front are Neal and Doris LeMesurier. Adrian Paton Photo Collection 332.
The next photo, Paton 333, was taken in the same area and period as 332. It depicts a Sioux man named Joyea, his wife, who he met in Canada, and their family. The rifle in his hand may be a Winchester 1894. According to Paton, Joyea fled to Canada from the United States, armed with a revolver. Unfortunately, there isn't much more information on the photo available to the SHFS [editor’s note: since this article was originally published, the SHFS has learned from community members that this man’s full name was Jack Joyea and he was a town crier. His family may be related to the Kakakeways].
Jack Joyea and family (needs naming) near Cannington Manor. Photo likely taken between 1900 and 1920. Adrian Paton Photo Collection 333.
Paton 334, dating from 1907, depicts a trio of men around a recently killed moose. The two on the left and right are Indigenous hunters and behind them in the centre is Arthur LeMesurier. Paton stated that it was most likely that the two Indigenous people were hunting on their own, and LeMesurier and his wife came over to investigate and take the photo.
This photo is particularly interesting in that it shows a Winchester rifle in use as a hunting arm. While I'm unsure of the exact model, the locking blocks visible on the top of the receiver indicate it is a 1886 or later Winchester, and the loading gate on the side indicates it was a model 1894 or earlier.
Two hunters (both need naming), 1907. Arthur LeMesurier in background. Adrian Paton Photo Collection 334.
Paton 344 was taken in 1931, 24 years after the previous photo by Edith LeMesurier. The man is left unnamed, and there is little information on the photo [editor’s note: the SHFS has since learned that this man is Jack Joyea, the same man from photo 333]. He is pictured holding an 1895 Winchester, the last model of the Winchester repeater to be invented.
Jack Joyea, 1931, White Bear area. Adrian Paton Photo Collection 344.
The final photo of the set is labelled as Paton 367. It is part of a small set of photos taken by a Frenchman by the name of Gue'se over the course of an expedition by a Catholic Priest named Father Royer through southern Saskatchewan and Alberta. The Royer Expedition was launched in the summer of 1907 with the goal of establishing French-Catholic Settlements in the area.
The man in this photo is a Métis man by the name of Moses Adam. Moses Adam was a guide picked up for Father Royer's expedition for his knowledge of the terrain west of Old Wive's Lake. The writing at the bottom reads “Un guide Extra. pour la Montagne des Cyprès,” which translates to “An extra guide for the Cypress Hills." In his right hand is a Winchester, though I have not identified the model.
This photo, and the others by Gue'se, were sent back to France after the expedition. However, when the town of Ponteix, founded by Royer, contacted the priest's home town for their 75th anniversary, they were able to receive copies. From there, the copies ended up in the hands of a local man by the name of Henry Liberon, who donated them to Paton.
Moses Adam, 1907. Adrian Paton Photo Collection 367.
Taken together, these photos show that the Winchester Repeaters remained a popular weapon among Indigenous peoples through the 19th and early 20th century. They were found in the hands of trappers, hunters, and guides who needed a firearm to survive and to defend themselves in the bush.
They were also clearly something people wanted to be photographed with, as people show up with several different models in LeMesurier's posed photos. This all indicates the place of firearms, and Winchester repeaters, in the lives of the people photographed.
Taytyn Dwernychuk-Welcher.
TAYTYN DWERNYCHUK-WELCHER has recently completed a B.A. in History at the University of Saskatchewan and is now working on his Education degree. He grew up back and forth between Sucker Creek Cree First Nation, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The primary focus of his research is the history and struggle of Canadian Indigenous peoples and labour, as well as the stories of elders and members of his home reserve.
Additional reading:
For the analysis of archaeological evidence at the site of Little Bighorn: Archaeological Perspectives on the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Douglas D Scott and Richard A Fox.
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