This rifle is stamped "S. HAWKEN" in a downward angle and "ST. LOUIS" in an upward angle on the barrel behind the notch sight. Samuel Hawken arrived in St. Louis in 1822 fifteen years after his brother Jacob, and the pair operated separate businesses until around 1845 when the J&S Hawken factory appears in St. Louis records. In 1849, Jacob Hawken died during a cholera outbreak. Samuel reverted to stamping rifles with the marking noted above. Though Samuel and William Hawken moved to Colorado by the years just before the Civil War, the St. Louis shop remained open into the early 20th century under the control of J. P. Gemmer. Hawken rifles were carried by many enterprising men in the West especially the famous mountain men. Among the most notable owners of Hawken rifles were Kit Carson, Jim Bridgers, Joseph Meek, and Theodore Roosevelt. This rifle is an early example of Samuel Hawken's work given the lack of a patent breech and apparent conversion from flint to percussion. It has a Riddle lock plate with hunting scene engraved at the tail. The front sight is a dovetailed blade, and there is a second dovetail just behind it. It has double set triggers and is mounted with a checkered, straight wrist, half stock with beavertail cheekpiece and brass furniture including the patch box which contains a ramrod fitting and starting piece for the muzzle. The stock also has silver escutcheons.

Good with period alterations and some more recent touch ups. The barrel and lock have a mottled mixture of artificial brown patina, oxidation, pitting, and a few spots of applied finish. The lock has some open holes from conversion. The front ramrod pipe has been reattached, and the sights have been changed. The stock is fine with crisp checkering, various minor marks and scratches, a brass plate added at the breech (protects against flash damage), and a few slight hairline cracks. The lock and set triggers function perfectly together. Most of the markings are clear.