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The Winchester 73 as it was first discovered leaning against the Utah juniper pine tree in November 2014
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A view from the 'back' side of where the rifle was found
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Eva Johnson, who discovered the rifle, is carefully removing the dirt at the base of the rifle's stock. The stock was buried in a couple inches of soil over time.
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The rifle in place, with the dirt excavated before moving the rifle.
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The rifle removed from it's original position. The handle is wrapped with non-adhesive orange tape to protect it during transport.
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The rifle on a cloth, prepared for transport. The orange tape was used to stabilize the rifle stock during transport.
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The nameplate showing 'Model 1873'
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An X-Ray taken of the rifle at the hospital in Cody, Wyoming. The hospital needed a name for the patient', so they used 'Mr. Rifle'. You can see screws used to repair the stock (a common repair), and the bullet found inside.
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The rifle bore. There was just minimal oxidation of the metal due to exposure of about 130 years.
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A detail of the trigger.
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More detail of the trigger area.
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The display of the rifle before it was moved to the Great Basin National Park Visitor Center
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The same display.
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The rifle on display at the Great Basin National Park Visitor Center. Picture taken by Richard Hellewell in July 2019.
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The display at the Great Basin National Park Visitor Center. The rifle shown on this part of the display is a reproduction rifle, but shows what the rifle would have looked like when new. There are additional X-rays of the rifle shown in this display. Picture taken by Richard Hellewell July 2019.
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The landscape near the Great Basin National Park Vistor Center. Picture taken by Richard Hellewell July 2019.
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