Offered here are the personal effects including an inscribed Colt Single Action Army revolver that belonged to Dawson County, Montana Deputy Sheriff William Warren Tuttle, Jr. (1856-1924) who later became the mayor of Fernie, British Columbia, Canada. This historic archive has remained with the Tuttle family until now. Rock Island Auction Company is pleased to unveil for the first time to the public this newly discovered presentation inscribed Single Action Army. Our story begins with William Warren Tuttle, Jr.’s father, William Warren Tuttle, Sr. As told by his obituary, Senior was "one of the early settlers of Minnesota, coming to Minnesota in 1851, when that state was yet a territory. He moved to Montana in 1885." His other son, Henry, became sheriff of Dawson County. By early June 1885, Henry appointed his brother William, Jr. as jailor. Period newspapers record William, Jr. with the additional title of deputy sheriff as early as June 1886 in an expense report: "W.W. Tuttle, deputy and jailor, $100.” William’s official appoint to deputy sheriff is recorded in an accompanying handwritten statement by his brother Henry which is dated January 4, 1887. Per the statement, “I, Henry C. Tuttle, Sheriff of Dawson Co. do hereby appoint and create William W. Tuttle Jr. a Deputy Sheriff in and for said county Dawson.” The revolver was manufactured in 1882, and the inscription on the back strap points to the revolver being presented to William when he became a deputy sheriff: “W.W. Tuttle/Dep Sheriff/Dawson Co. MT./1886.” Otherwise, the revolver has standard Colt markings and matching serial numbers on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap. William was the mayor of Fernie, British Columbia, Canada, when the town was wiped out by a forest fire on August 1, 1908. The Great Fire of 1908, as it was called, saw the community burn to the ground in less than 90 minutes. Fortunately, no one was killed ,but the wake of destruction left over $5 million in property damage. This was a staggering amount that by today’s money and would be valued at over $158 million U.S. All the residents lost their homes and possessions with the exception of the clothes they were wearing. Along with his wife, William lead a relief committee which distributed relief provided by surrounding communities for three months. William relinquished the office of mayor in 1909 and as a token of appreciation the Fernie police department presented William and his wife with an ornate sterling silver serving dish which is included. This dish is inscribed, “PRESENTED/TO/Mayor & Mrs. W.W. Tuttle/AS A TOKEN OF RESPECT/UPON HIS RELINQUISHING OFFICE/BY THE FERNIE CITY POLICE/E.J. Cook Chief R. Clark & R. Bowen Constables/1909.” For years William was the owner of the Royal Hotel in Fernie. After selling the property, he lived in Spokane, Washington, engaged in the real estate business circa 1909 until his death in 1924. His relocation to Spokane may have been inspired by his work with the relief committee. His wife recalled, “Spokane contributed generously. We received from here a car of bread and a car of meat, besides lots of other supplies, clothing and bedding, shipped through the Chamber of Commerce. Hundreds of dollars in case was sent direct to Mr. Tuttle as mayor for relief work.” On the August 7, 1908, front page to "The Spokesman Review", William Tuttle is pictured with W.D. Finley who was in charge of Spokane Chamber of Commerce relief car. At the bottom of the page is an image of the destruction at Fernie caused by the firestorm. This front page is included and is displayed in a frame. Also included is William's business card when he was mayor and the photo of William that made it onto the aforementioned front page of "The Spokesman Review". William was well acquainted with President Theodore Roosevelt. As explained by a period newspaper, “Mr. Tuttle was an intimate friend of President Roosevelt and had rode the range and slept on the ground with him. When Roosevelt visited Spokane, Mr. Tuttle was invited to come here and serve on the reception committee of 25 which welcomed the president to the city.” The visit occurred in 1911. This was a return to Spokane for the former president. In 1903, Roosevelt was the first sitting U.S. president to visit Spokane. In this own words, William recalled meeting Roosevelt for the first time: “When I first met [Roosevelt] he had just come to Dakota on the Little Missouri river. He was just learning the ways of the west. Everything was a novelty to him and he was a novelty to everybody. But he was an awful good fellow. He was the great question asker I ever saw. He had to be told about everything and nothing seemed to escape him.” On September 8, 1883 Roosevelt arrived in the town of Little Missouri in Dakota Territory and for the next two weeks hunted bison. Over the next several years Roosevelt made several more trips to the Dakota Territory as well as to Montana. When Roosevelt won the 1904 presidential election William sent his friend his congratulations. In return, Roosevelt sent William a thank you on official U.S. president stationary. Around the size of a note card, the official “The President” marked stationary features the handwritten note, “With hearty thanks for your congratulations.” This presidential note along with the original mailing envelope addressed to William is presented in a framed display along with an image of an older William and a period newspaper article retelling the moment William greeted the former president during the 1911 visit to Spokane. The envelope is postmarked November 18, 1904, just ten days after the election. Roosevelt left the presidency in 1909 after his term expired and went on a ten month African safari and European tour. In 1912, Roosevelt jumped back into politics to unsuccessfully run for president as a third party candidate on the Progressive ticket. Other items in the William W. Tuttle archive include the following: Three photographs showing Tuttle wearing cowboy gear, a felt hat that appears to be the same hat worn by Tuttle in the photos, whip, leather holster rig with a 4 3/4 inch SAA holster by Wright, Beverly & Co. of Dodge City, Kansas, wide leather tooled kidney belt, riding crop, boot hook, box of Remington-UMC .45 caliber cartridges, and image of a young Tuttle on 6 inch diameter circular tin. Provenance: Montana Deputy Sheriff and Fernie, B.C. Mayor William W. Tuttle, Jr. and his descendants

Very fine, retaining 97% untouched period, possibly retailer applied nickel plating with modified front sight. The well executed authentic inscription is crisp. The slightly age shrunken grips are fine with typical age lines, some handling marks, and attractive mellow aged appearance. Mechanically functions, although needs work as hammer has only three clicks. A Montana deputy sheriff inscribed Colt SAA that will make a great addition to any frontier or law enforcement collection.