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Weapons ➔ Colt Revolver
Identifier:
2014.28.19Description:
This firearm was created by Colt, and is an 1851 Navy Revolver. It is a .36 caliber cap and ball. There are traces of engraving on the cylinder, which is somewhat loose. It is the fourth model, and has a 7.5" barrel. The serial number is 111078. It is a black powder percussion revolver. High production.Dimensions:
5"" h 13.5"" w 2"" dCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Related Entities:
Peter Melvin Wege (donor)Peter Melvin Wege was a member of the Steelcase Board of Directors for 50 years, but he was probably best known as a philanthropist who made significant and lasting contributions to education and environmental causes in his West Michigan community and around the world.
Wege's father, Peter Martin Wege, founded the Metal Office Furniture Company in Grand Rapids in 1912, which went on to become Steelcase, the largest office furniture manufacturer in the world. As a young man while attending the University of Michigan, Peter enlisted in the Army Air Force after Pearl Harbor, and served his country as a First Lieutenant multi-engine pilot until 1946. He joined Steelcase in 1946, working in a series of executive posts including sales, design and as an officer of the Board of Directors and the Steelcase Foundation Board.
As a fervent environmentalist, Peter's visionary influence resulted in Steelcase becoming one of the world's earliest environmental manufacturers, long before "green" became mainstream. In 1967, he created The Wege Foundation with its first project to clean up the water, air and land in West Michigan through his newly established Center for Environmental Study. At his urging, Steelcase went public in 1998, and shortly afterwards in 2000, he resigned as the company's vice chairman to work full-time on his foundation. Colt's Manufacturing, LLC (creator)
Alternate names: Colt, Colt's Arms Company, Colt's Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, Colts Pt. F. A. Manufacturing Company, Samuel Colt's Arms Company
Samuel Colt asserted his vision for the revolver came to him in 1831, when, as a seventeen year old seaman, he observed that a ship's wheel had spokes that lined up with compass points. He then had a vision for a gun with a spinning cylinder that would lock into place with the simple action of cocking a hammer. He would patent the design in Great Britain in 1835, and the United States in 1836. The revolver design gave birth to the Peacemaker, "The Gun that Won the West." Colt would succeed the Peacemaker with the 1911, the Cobra Revolver and the M16 among others. The company remains in business, producing handguns over 180 years after the first revolver was patented.
Sources: https://www.americanheritage.com/army-colt#
https://www.colt.com/timeline
