This revolver manufactured in 1904 has a fascinating history. It is featured on page 160 in "Theodore Roosevelt: Hunter-Conservationist" by R.L. Wilson and noted on page 161 as believed to be monogrammed "J.R.G., as a gift from TR to James R. Gregory, Chief of Colorado Police, and a favored hunting companion." The included factory letter is dated January 5, 1983, and is addressed to Don Fallis of Colorado. It indicates this revolver was shipped on March 3, 1906, to H&D Folsom Arms Co. in New York City in .45 caliber with a 4 3/4 inch barrel, "soft" finish, and the type of stocks not listed. The remarks note that the revolver was shipped not casehardened for engraving outside of the factory. It features extensive scroll engraving with beaded backgrounds, a gadroon border on the rear of the cylinder, fan and shell accents, wavy line borders down the back strap as well as entwining lines, and "J.R.G." inscribed on the butt. The revolver is finished in gold and silver and has pearl grips with an eagle perched on a shield with "190[?]" on the right. The revolver is accompanied by a "COLORADO SPRING/POLICE" marked round badge with five-pointed star in the middle lightly inscribed "36", a "COPHER BRAND" marked cartridge and money belt with a fancy Navajo style silver buckle, and a double loop holster with five silver fittings noted in the documentation as from S.C. Gallup of Pueblo, Colorado. Provenance: A notarized statement from Don Fallis provides important historical provenance for the revolver. He writes, "I moved to Florissant, Colorado in 1943 at the age of seven. We moved next door to Vera Marie Gregory. I soon became her good friend as she was very fond of kids. During the next few years, my family also met and became close friends with Marie's sister, Vida Ellison. Vida was then married to Robert S. Ellison. Their home was the Briarhurst Mansion in Manitou Springs. Over the years the friendship between my family and Marie and Vida grew very strong. Marie was devoted to her mother and father, and related many stories of her father, Jim Gregory, over the years. One of her favorites was of when he was Chief of Police in Colorado Springs and Teddy Roosevelt giving him a pearl handled Colt pistol. I cannot state for certain that the gift was made while he was Chief of Police in Colorado Springs or shortly after. But I do remember that it was tied into his work as police chief." Fallis continued, "In 1967 my parents had been retired for several years and were living with Marie in Canon City, Colorado. When Vida died, Marie was around 80 years old. This is when she gave my father her father's Colt; she said that she did not want to die without making sure it would be in good hands." Records indicate that Kenneth Donald "Don" Fallis (1936-2012) was the son of Kenneth Fallis (1906-1988). When Vida died, Ken Fallis was listed as one of her pallbearers. Don Fallis was survived by his son Charles Gregory Fallis. In addition to the Fallis statement explaining how the revolver was retained by Gregory's daughter until the 1960s, Brig Pemberton wrote a detailed letter detailing the subsequent historical background of this revolver as it passed through the hands of multiple noteworthy firearms collectors and dealers over the years and explains in detail how the grips became separated for decades and then were returned to their rightful place on this historic revolver. He states the revolver with its current grips and the silver mounted S.C. Gallup holster rig were found by pickers working for Lang Spraggins in the early 1980s in Colorado and that Spraggins drove up to Colorado to purchase the set and kept it for several years. He later sold the set to Jack Slaughter of Santa Fe with the current grips removed and a different pair installed to lower the cost. Slaughter later sold the set with that pair of steer head grips on it, and then purchased it back around 20 years later from the buyer's widow and sold it to Les Quick. Spraggins retained the grips. Pemberton was visiting Lang when he found the grips in the drawer in his walk-in safe. "I asked about them, and he said he had them for over 20 years but never found a gun that was high enough quality to support them. I asked if he would sell them to me, and he said he would." They planned to finalize the deal the next morning. When Pemberton returned to his hotel room, he had a message from his friend Tom Powers of Utopia, Texas, telling him about a gun, holster, and belt at the gun show in Las Vegas that he thought Pemberton would want for his collection and mentioned that Spraggins had owned the set many years prior. The following day, while talking with Spraggins about finalizing the sale of the grips, he mentioned the revolver he was buying. "He looked at me in shock, asked me to repeat the number, he then went on to explain that the grips that were sitting in front of me, that I selected yesterday were the original grips that he had removed from the gun some 20 years ago when he sold it to Jack. These grips are pearl, with a standing eagle on a shield, with crossed cartridges, and with the date 1900 carved into the pearl." When Power brought the revolver to him, Pemberton noted, "the ability to be able to reinstall the original grips back on this magnificent Single Action, and have them fit so perfectly was one of my most exciting moments in collection." That is quite a statement given the incredible Colts in his collection. The document closes with a note that Lang Spraggins had passed away in 2007, but he had the remaining dealers who had owned the revolver read through the document, and it was signed by Pemberton, Jack Slaughter, Les Quick, and Tom Power in February and March of 2008 in confirmation of the accuracy of the account. James R. Gregory: James R. Gregory (1862-1930) was born in Illinois and married Emma Jane Sams (1866-1951) of Missouri. Together, they had two daughters, Vida Frances (1886-1966) who later married Robert S. Ellison and Vera Marie Gregory (1892-1968). An invitation from Gregory for Vera's wedding is included in the documentation along with additional information and western photographs. James Gregory worked as a rancher and detective in Wyoming and Missouri before moving to Colorado. The Weekly Gazette of Colorado Springs on August 13, 1903, states: "Sheriff W.R. Gilbert yesterday morning appointed ex-Detective James R. Gregory to the position as deputy in his office. His first assignment will be given today, when he will be sent to Leadville to take charge of young William Lang...Deputy Sheriff Gregory resigned from the detective force of the police department last Friday because, as he says, he was accused of having furnished the Gazette with information concerning the crookedness existing in the police department. Gregory has been engaged in work of the character required at the sheriff's office for about eight years, having been a detective in Wyoming and Missouri before coming here. He was on the detective force for about three years before he resigned." On May 19, 1904, the Weekly Gazette wrote that Gregory "says he is the livest dead man in the state of Colorado but he thinks hard luck is on his track. A former Denver policeman was shot and killed in that city Saturday night. He bore the name of Gregory and the impression got abroad that it was 'Jim' Gregory." Gregory also "dropped a roll of money amounting to $450 somewhere, he thinks at Seventh street, and nobody has been so good as to report finding it for him." In 1907, he was appointed Chief of Police in neighboring Colorado City. The Colorado City Iris on March 22, 1907, noted: "The Citizens' Ticket nominees pledge themselves, after election, to the appointment of James R. Gregory as chief of police of this city. This will mean a clean administration in that department, which will be an innovation. Though this city has saloons, there is no reason why it should be a rendezvous for all classes of undesirable characters. The police department is responsible in large measure for the presence of the tough element... who is responsible for their presence here? Why, the police department, to be sure, and the way to get rid of them is to put a man at the head of this department who will see to it that just as soon as one of those fellows who has no visible means of support lights, just so soon is he told to move on, and if he does not move, is thrown in jail. That is the way to keep them out of town, and that is the way to protect the good name and property of our city. Elect the Citizens' Ticket and they will appoint James R. Gregory chief of police, and these conditions will prevail." His tenure was short lived but eventful. He reportedly worked to shut down wine rooms and banned women from the saloons. In February, a drunken barber attempted to slit his throat. On April 10, 1908, it was announced that he had tendered his resignation to attend to his business interests and out of frustration with being accused of "official derelictions" by his opponents after he was accused of accepting money and liquor from a man to help him secure a liquor license and protection. In 1910, the Census listed him as retired. He worked at as a guard at the county jail in 1920 and 1921. His 1920 Census entry lists him as a manager of a ranch, and elsewhere he was identified as managing the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings just outside of Colorado Springs. The replica Puebloan dwellings were opened to the public in 1907 as a tourist attraction. In 1930, he and Emma were living with their daughter Vida. He died on July 12, 1930, and is buried in the Crystal Valley Cemetery, in Manitou Springs. Theodore Roosevelt Visits Colorado: Brig Pemberton in the included documentations states that "Gregory had met Teddy Roosevelt when Teddy came to Colorado to hunt bears in 1900." Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Colorado campaigning and hunting several times in the early 1900s while Gregory was working in law enforcement. During his Whistlestop Tour during the campaign in 1900 Roosevelt came through Colorado on September 25 to 27 and made visits to twenty-five communities. Some of the stops were beset by hostile adversaries such as when he physically assaulted by supporters of William Jennings Bryan at his stop in Victor. The following year, vice president elect Roosevelt visited Colorado multiple times, including for a five week cougar hunt guided by Peter Goff and his hounds in January. In "With the Cougar Hounds," Roosevelt noted his companions were Philip B. Stewart and Dr. Gerald Webb of Colorado Springs. During the hunt, Roosevelt killed several cougars using his hunting knife, including a world record cougar by stabbing it in the heart after it had been pinned by the hounds. Roosevelt was sworn in as vice president on March 4, 1901. He visited Colorado again that August. President McKinley was fatally wounded at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, September 6, 1901, leading to Roosevelt being sworn in as the 26th President. The Republicans expanded their control after the 1902 elections, and in 1904 Roosevelt and the Republican successfully won in Colorado. He went on a three-week long bear hunt in Colorado in 1905, and visited again in following years, including in 1910 following his famous African safari. During this visit, the members of the Colorado Sheriff's Association formed his guard of honor in Denver. Naturally, Roosevelt made subsequent visits to the state during various trips to the West, including while campaigning in 1912 as the Progressive Candidate, and he remained connected with many of his former Rough Riders from the state for many years. Provenance: James R. Gregory; Vera Marie Gregory; The Kenneth Fallis Collection; The Don Fallis Collection; The Lang Spraggins Collection; The Jack Slaughter Collection; Property of a Gentleman; The Jack Slaughter Collection; The Les Quick Collection; The Brig & Louise Pemberton Collection

Exceptionally fine with bright original gold in the protected areas, 90% original silver with attractive aged patina, smooth gray patina on the balance, crisp engraving and inscription, and generally fairly mild overall wear. The grips are also fine and have crisp carving on the right, some small flakes, and generally minor wear. Mechanically excellent. The holster rig is also fine and has mild wear including some crinkling and minor flaking of the leather and attractive aged patina on the silver. The badge is also fine with aged patina and minor wear. This is a fascinating revolver with quite the tale! A New York Engraved Colt Single Action Army with gold and silver plating inscribed on the butt with the initials of a western lawman is always going to be desirable, but the same revolver with family attribution as a gift from President Theodore Roosevelt and its holster rig is truly something special.