Firearms With a Storied Past

Rock Island gavels off high profits from historic firearms.

- STEVE FRIESEN

Rock Island Auction Company's final sale of 2023 was exceptional, grossing $26.7 million. One of their Premier Auctions, it was promoted by three catalogs filled with firearms used in the West. Many were accompanied by stories of their owners and the part they played in history.

In 1853, Jonathan Browning joined the Mormon migration from Illinois to Utah, settling in Ogden. There he opened a gunsmithing shop. His sons continued their father's work, opening the Browning Company in 1878. Jonathan's "harmonica" rifle, created before he made the trek, sold for $49,938. Professor William Henry Brewer moved west to California in 1860 to take part in its first geological survey. He also took part in later exploratory expeditions to the Rocky Mountains, Greenland and Alaska. His engraved Colt 1851 Navy revolver sold for $25,438.