The accompanying factory letter lists this desirable black powder frame Colt SAA revolver with a 7 1/2 inch barrel in .45 caliber, blue finish and hard rubber grips when shipped to Albert Kleinschmidt Commercial Company of Helena, Montana, on October 12, 1887. This was a single gun shipment. The barrel has the one-line Hartford address on top and "45 COLT" on the left side. The frame has the three-line patent date marking on the frame, and "45 CAL" is marked on the trigger guard. Matching serial numbers are on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap. Albert Kleinschmidt was one of the early pioneers of Helena, Montana, with many business ventures in mercantile, agricultural and mining. Born in Prussia, Kleinschmidt (1844-1920) emigrated to the United States when he was 14 years of age. Before settling in Helena he operated dry good companies in St. Louis, Missouri and Leavenworth, Kansas. When he arrived in Helena in 1866 he partnered under the name Wm. H. Weimar & Co. that was later succeeded by Kleinschmidt & Brother once he was joined by his brother, Reinhold. The partnership with his brother dissolved in 1880 around the time he founded the Helena Hardware Co., one of two major hardware stores in the region. He was involved in the construction of the three largest canals in Montana and an irrigation system in the Yakima valley in the state of Washington, planted a several hundred acre vineyard as well as an orange grove in southern California, and owned a mine in Idaho that used a steamboat he had constructed on the Snake River to haul ore. Kleinschmidt also enjoyed great success as a contractor and builder of homes. "A number of the best and most imposing buildings in several Montana cities are products of his skill and enterprise," proclaimed one period publication. Scandal rocked the Kleinschmidt family in late 1907 when Albert's son, Harry, was arrested on the University of California campus for the murder of his friend and classmate Frank Bellows who was also "a rival for the affections of Miss Blanch Kerfoot." The body of Bellows was discovered in a vacant lot at the rear of the Kleinschmidt home in Berkeley in July. Beside the body was an empty vial that had contained potassium cyanide. Originally ruled a suicide, out cry from the victim's family resulted in a full police investigation and the eventual arrest of Harry. Harry was the "leading figure in one of the strangest and most tragic dramas of love and crime ever staged in the court of California," wrote a local newspaper. However, a grand jury refused to return an indictment and all charges against Harry were dropped. Comes with a Helena Hardware Co. canvas pouch and Kleinschmidt & Co. token good for 12 1/2 cents in trade.

Very good plus for such tool exposed to the hard ways and harsh conditions of the American frontier. Some strong amounts of original blue finish and patterns of original case colors remain in the protected areas, otherwise the revolver has an attractive authentic even gray patina. The grips are fine with a couple tiny chips near the bottom, some minor handling marks and crisp checkering overall. Mechanically excellent. A Montana shipped SAA showing true frontier character. Provenance: The John Fox Collection.