BosnMate
Gold Member
- Sep 10, 2010
- 6,916
- 8,441
- Detector(s) used
- Whites MXT, Whites DFX, Whites 6000 Di Pro
- Primary Interest:
- Other
Back in the late 1800's there was a fella that lived in Camas Valley, in Douglas County, Oregon. His name was W. R. Barr. Mr. Barr was a mill wright by trade, and a very talented person otherwise. He was known to make some cap lock muzzle loading guns, which the local museum has a couple made by him, and I've seen another in private possession. Mr. Barr was not a gun maker in the sense that he built rifles like the Pennsylvania makers of Kentucky Long Rifles, rather from what I can tell by looking at the ones with his name on them, he assembled parts guns. In other words he took parts from several other guns, perhaps a lock from a pistol, a barrel from a rifle and triggers and butt plate from a shot gun, and assembled them into a completely different gun, and did a rather good job of it. Mr. Barr also made some knives, and this particular knife was purchased at a garage sale for one dollar. At the time of purchase it was just a hand forged blade blank with W R Barr stamped into the blade. A friend took the knife blank, draw filed the blade smooth, and put the handle on, and gave it to me. So it has kind of an interesting story, but that's not the best part. Mr. Barr needed to make some money, so he commenced manufacturing some. He was counterfeiting silver dollars out of babbitt, got busted and spent time in the big house in Salem. That's still not the end of the story. Supposedly nobody ever found his stash of counterfeit money, possibly 300 babbitt dollars. Some say he dumped it down the well, but nobody knows for sure. The Treasury guys were asked about having the counterfeit money, and it's OK as long as you don't try and pass it as real. However it could be kept or sold as counterfeit money. At least that's what we were told when we thought about trying to find it.
