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Volume 064-1 - January 2010 (6 pages)
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Page: of 6
NCHS Bulletin January 2010
The marker above identifies the spot where Sheriff David
Fulton Douglass shot bandit C. Meyers in 1896. At left is
the monument erected to the memory of the sheriff. These
plaques were dedicated by the Native Sons and Daughters of
the Golden West, the County of Nevada and the California
Peace Officers Association in 1936. (Nevada County Historical
Landmarks Commission photos.)
In 1896, Sheriff David Douglass was gunned down just
outside of Nevada City, though he took a criminal with him
into death. Unfortunately, one unknown lad escaped, but
there was a deathbed confession that closed the mystery of
how both the sheriff and the gunman came to kill each other.
For those interested, the monument to Sheriff Douglass is
on the north side of the old Nevada City airport (on Airport
Road) where the shootout took place.
I undertook the project with the permission of the county. It was interesting to say the least. No records existed
and the signage was minimal at best. There was little recollection of anyone taking care of the collection, and there
were signs of inadvertent damage being done to the fireThe author
pictured in
the Nevada
County court
house during
the course of
his investigation and
identification
of the unique
arms display.
(Authors
photo).
arms. Time was also taking a toll. Since I was approaching
the project with nothing to go on, I had to be careful lest I
do harm. My first priority was to document and photograph
all that was in the collection. It was a laborious task. Every
firearm was taken down from the unprotected metal hangers
in the pegboard. Multiple pictures were taken and marks on
the firearms that could be used for identification purposes
were documented.
As much research as possible was done on each gun.
Since many of the guns were in less than good condition
and/or poorly identified, many times it was a matter of finding a like firearm of the period and drawing conclusions
about the Searls example.
During a driving trip, I was able to visit the Cody Firearms Museum located at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center,
Cody, Wyoming. There, with the help of the able staff at
the Center, the Winchester firearms in the collection were
documented and identified.
One surprise that was uncovered pertained to the Winchester 1887 lever action shotgun in the collection. The
model 1887 in the collection is a short barrel model, a
“riot gun” of which Winchester made very few. This had
appeared to be a rare find. But after research by the Cody
staff, it was discovered that the model in the Searls collection left the factory with a much longer (standard) barrel
that was later cut down: so much for that “rare” example in
the collection!
Building the research and documentation were the first
steps. Next came the signage to refresh and correct any
wrong information for the visitor. A brochure for the visitor
was installed at the exhibit. The hooks holding the firearms
were sturdy but needed to have some protection to prevent
further damage to the guns. This was easily fixed by putting
some plastic covers (thread protectors) on the exposed ends
of the hooks.
Lastly, the guns were given a protective coating on the
metal parts. The wood was also preserved with quality wax.
The wax brought out the natural beauty of the wood by
making it more visible.
This project is really just part of an ongoing preservation. The main purpose is to continue to educate the visitors
as to how firearms play a role—often a key role—in the
development of an area and a people. It is also a tribute to
the lawmen who protected and served in those fading days.
The Searls collection is a touch-point for future generations
to look into the past, still much alive through laws, actions
and deeds of citizens that were initiated by the settlers of
Nevada County.
The Searls Firearms collection is truly a “Nugget rediscovered in Nevada County’s Gold Country.”