"HOLSTER LEADVILLE, COLORADO SLIM JIM . Made for a 7-1/2" Colt Single Action Army revolver of one piece of russet brown leather, 11-1/2" long x about 5" across top with sewn back edge and open toe. It has fine border decorations of shell & feather stampings. About mid-point is a small swell which leads one to believe it may have, at one time, had a single loop which has now been altered to a belt loop secured with three copper harness rivets. Top center of the face of holster has maker's cartouche "BECKER & LEONARD / MAKERS / LEADVILLE, COL". Accompanied by page 14 from Fifth Annual Old Cowboy Saddles & Spurs by Dan & Sebie Hutchins, which identifies the Becker & Leonard cartouche. It states that Peter Becker was born in 1848 in Germany and learned the saddlery trade in Iowa and had a saddle shop in Colorado Springs, Colorado from 1873 to 1881. During that time he was also the Sheriff of El Paso County from 1875-1878. In 1878 & 1879 he employed R.T. Frazier in his saddle shop. In 1882 he moved to Leadville, Colorado and went into partnership with Samuel Leonard, which continued until 1890. He had other shops in Aspen, Col. and Glenwood Springs, Col. during the same period of time. Mr. Becker died in 1890. Gold was discovered in California Gulch, near today's Leadville which was initially named Oro City. In 1874 the gold miners discovered that the heavy sand that was impeding their mining was in fact lead sand which contained a high content of lead and silver and the boom was on. By 1880 Oro City had been renamed Leadville and was the world's largest silver camp with an estimated population of 40,000. The silver ore played out in the early 1890's although there was a brief rediscovery of gold. Undoubtedly during the period Mr. Becker & Mr. Leonard had their shop there, this was a wild & woolly town that surely lived up to the name "wild west". CONDITION: Very good to fine. Face of holster is somewhat dry & crackled but intact retaining 75-80% orig finish with some deterioration near the trigger slot. Back of holster is very fine showing moderate wear and retains most of its orig russet finish. Altogether an extremely rare and desirable holster from the frontier period of the mountain west. 4-33722 JR310 (7,000-10,000)"
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