Line shack 1909

[smoothshooter]

I think holster, based on cartridges/loops in the front that holster is designed for right handed right hip carry, and is turned around for a makeshift cavalry draw. Note cowboy is smoking with his right, too.

Wonder why he's wearing it like that? Edit to add: I am gonna speculate it is more comfortable sitting down when pulled around that way.

Also, looks like a very nice floral carved holster.

Jimmy, what is the distinction you are making?

For a right-handed person, when working, a gun on the right side is in the way most of the time, especially with the old-timey, long holsters. Harder to get to a pocket knife or other tool or chewing tobacco that may be in your right-front pants pocket.
When worn on a separate belt on the left side, it's an easy matter
to slide it back around to the right side in anticipation of possibly needing to use the gun soon.
I know this from many hours and days of first-hand experience.

 

[444 Magnum]

Some cowboys, I am told, kept both pistol and rifle cartridges in their holster if they were different calibers.
Here's a 7 1/2" Bisley in .45 Colt circa 1907.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Pardon my ignorance but what´s a Line Schack ?
Thanks, regards, Ray

It does not show the bay window with the view of the lake............

plus he probably lost five straight hands at cribbage and is low on coffee.

sorry.

 

[elca86]

now me being a sailor airwing guy line shack has totally different meaning lol

 

[arjay]

Doesn't look like a guy to mess with. How did they hoist that middle log into place-that thing is heavy!

 

[glenwolde]

Maybe my eyes, but the cartridges in the belt loops look awfully long for .45 Colt?
Ala Josh Randall of tv fame. No way to know definitely.

I think they look like .32-20....

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Has everybody seen one of the best Western Cowboy Movies ever made?
Will Penny.
Charlton Heston and some of the usual suspects.
And yes, there's a Line Shack.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Note everything is tied up high to keep rodents out ?

Yes. One of those sacks probably contains cured and smoked bacon, another may contain ham, possibly some dried fruit. Little shack probably smelled pretty good! Bears and coyotes may have shown some interest from time to time.

Years ago an old boy who came elk hunting with our group (and managed the camp) showed me the trick to getting the servings right for supper. Dry beans, one handful per man, soaked overnight then into the dutch oven all day with the ham or bacon, onions, tomatoes, and whatever else was handy. Let everyone salt their own to taste, way too easy to get the salt wrong.

 

[tops]

How did they hoist that middle log into place-that thing is heavy!

A dozen people or two men. Larry

 

[444 Magnum]

A dozen people or two men. Larry

HORSES. They were cowboys. They never did anything by hand they could do with a horse. Jeremiah Johnson wasn't a cowboy but he shows how to use horses/mules to build cabin. Horses pull the logs up ramps.

 

[crstrode]

Cavalry Draw -No
Cross Draw- Yes

Unless he is a lefty . ..

 

[UncleEd]

I think they look like .32-20....

Very, very possible. It was a popular
cartridge for the six-shooter and the
92 Winchester.

For every day use such as harvesting
small game or getting rid of nuisance
critters, the .32-20 got the job done.

By 1909 gents didn't need "man killer"
calibers like the .45. If they needed
more oomph, they'd get a rifle in
30-30 or 30-06.

 

[Igiveup]

I think those are rifle cartriges larger than 32-20. Remember, by 1909 the .32 spl. and 30-30 were popular calibers out west, used in the Winhester model 94.

 

[Mule Packer]

Having spent a night or two in line shacks, I can appreciate some of the advances we've seen during our time. Here's an old, old picture of yours truly at a pretty nice line shack along with my Kelpie stock dog. (It looks like it was taken at a time when I had been into town and could afford a new pair of Wranglers.)

As you can see, there was a big picture window...albeit though cracked. You can see one of the other guy's saddle there on the right side of the window. Yep. The saddles were kept inside. There was no tack room.

Also, there was no indoor plumbing, but there was a nice spring in back of the shack where someone had run some black pipe indoors so the inhabitants could honestly say there was running water.

The wood stove had a hot water jacket on it, so there was hot water to wash dishes. It was an old cook stove...meant for cooking and not necessarily heating. When it got a little chilly, you'd have that cook stove going, plus be wearing some cold weather gear to boot. I don't think the owner necessarily built that line shack for comfort, but it was one of the better ones I've seen. I wasn't one of the "permanent" residences, but I spent a couple of nights there. Although many years ago, one thing I remember very clearly. There was an abundance of mouse droppings all over the place. I remember having to sweep the mouse manure off my bunk before I put my bedroll down. It's a wonder we didn't all come down with Hantavirus. I'd bet the ranch that the line shack in the OP's picture had its share of mouse poop, too.

In regards to the holster in the OP's picture...I'm thinkin' he just used what he had and put it where it was out of the way but still somewhat accessible. Remember, he wasn't planning on doing any fast drawing.

 

[smoothshooter]

In my experience, cross-draw needs to be tilted. That picture shows a seven and a half inch barrel revolver sitting straight up and down. To draw that with the left hand you would have to pull it straight up almost to your shoulder to get the barrel out of the holster.


Possibly the man is left handed, and is wearing it for a cavalry draw on the left side, but more likely he has just pushed it around to the left side of his body, to get it out of the way.

This guy probably sees his gun as a survival tool, and as such a quick and efficient draw is not nearly important as just having a gun available somewhere on his person to deal with the occasional critter that does not shoot back. Any human encounters he may have will not be a surprise, and he would have a little time to swing his holster around to his strong side, if things did not look right.

I have found it interesting that most ranch hands from about the mid 1880's and later did not carry guns of any kind, and lots of them didn't even own one. Several of the larger ranches would fire a hired hand on the spot if found with a gun.
Ranch owners and foremen considered firearms a no-no amongst groups of rough men who had a propensity to drink and fight.
Avoidance of gun accidents was a concern too.

 

[Onomea]

... I have found it interesting that most ranch hands from about the mid 1880's and later did not carry guns of any kind, and lots of them didn't even own one. Several of the larger ranches would fire a hired hand on the spot if found with a gun.
Ranch owners and foremen considered firearms a no-no amongst groups of rough men who had a propensity to drink and fight.
Avoidance of gun accidents was a concern too.

Had not heard or read that before. Interesting. I have read that rifles were more prevalent than handguns.

Perhaps the rules depended on where one was. In a lonely line shack, surely a weapon was not a prohibited item.

 

[ancient-one]

Having spent a night or two in line shacks, I can appreciate some of the advances we've seen during our time. Here's an old, old picture of yours truly at a pretty nice line shack along with my Kelpie stock dog. (It looks like it was taken at a time when I had been into town and could afford a new pair of Wranglers.)

We had a big picture window...albeit though cracked. You can see one of the other guy's saddle there on the right side of the window. Yep. We kept our saddles inside. There was no tack room.

Also, there was no indoor plumbing, but we had a nice spring in back of the shack that we ran some black pipe indoors so we could honestly say we had running water.

The wood stove had a hot water jacket on it, so we could have hot water to wash dishes. It was an old cook stove...meant for cooking and not necessarily heating. When it got a little chilly, we'd have that cook stove going, plus be wearing some of our cold weather gear. I don't think the owner necessarily built that line shack for comfort, but it was one of the better ones I've seen.

In regards to the holster in the OP's picture...I'm thinkin' he just used what he had and put it where it was out of the way but still somewhat accessible. Remember, he wasn't planning on doing any fast drawing.

.

It look that hat is broke in just right.

 

[Nevada Ed]

HORSES. They were cowboys. They never did anything by hand they could do with a horse. Jeremiah Johnson wasn't a cowboy but he shows how to use horses/mules to build cabin. Horses pull the logs up ramps.

"ever skin Grizz....................."

"to many coals, saw it right off".

One of my all time favorites flicks.

Plus there is nothing like sleeping under the stars and hearing little feet, scampering here and there, as you try to sleep.

It is the big "Sniff, sniff" that gets my attention !!

 

[Skeet 028]

I think most of the thoughts here are somewhat skewed. Look at most of the photos of the cowboys of the 1880 1910 era. Almost all had firearms... oh and knives prevalent in the picture. I think in this picture the fellow just wanted to look like a hard nosed deperado type and made sure the gun could be seen. I had a couple of rigs from the early part of the 1900s at one time and both had rifle and pistol loops on the belt. So I think this picture had the holster and gun figuring prominently for the photographer or the person whose picture was being taken. All HE Men you know. Truly is a good picture of the real type of men that worked cattle in the era. I like it...and like the things in the background that help to make the picture stand out

 

[ddixie884]

That's one of those photographs that keep talking to you.

Yes, it does..............