Samuel Hawken
1792–1884
Gunsmith
The “Hawken Rifle” made by gunsmith Samuel Hawken was famous from the Alleghenies to the Rocky Mountains. It was the weapon chiefly used by hunters of the American Fur Co. The 30 and 50 caliber St. Louis rifles, which quickly replaced the Kentucky long rifle, were heavy, powerful and deadly accurate at long range. Men like Kit Carson, General John Fremont and Buffalo Bill all swore by them. He went to Pikes Peak in 1859, sold guns in Denver for two years and retired in 1861 to his St. Louis, Missouri farm located on what is now Big Bend Road.