Manufactured in 1882, this historic Winchester Model 1876 is attributed to the North Dakota frontiersman and French nobleman, the Marquis de Morès. He was Born in 1858, the eldest son of the Duke of Vallambrosa. As a young man he first attended the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, graduating from the military academy in 1879, before attending France's premier cavalry officer academy at Saumur. Shortly after graduating the cavalry school, he served in Algiers, helping to suppress uprisings in the French colony, as well as participating in the first many duels in his life. In 1882 he resigned from the military and married Medora van Hoffman, the daughter of a wealthy New York banker. Soon after their marriage the couple moved to the Badlands of North Dakota where they purchased 44,500 acres to begin ranching. Not long after arriving de Morès began pursuing various business ventures including a hotel, a stagecoach business, a livestock processing facility, and even his own town. He named the town Medora after his wife, and it was intended to be based around his livestock processing facility. This is also when he began fencing in his property which angered many of the local free range ranchers, many of whom seemed to already dislike him due to his noble heritage, assuming that he viewed himself as better than them. It was during this time c. 1882-1883 that de Morès and future president, Theodore Roosevelt, a local rancher himself at the time, first came at odds. This dispute appears to have come about due to the Marquis attempting to adjust the purchase price of Roosevelt's cattle after they had already been delivered. After this instance there was a period of ill-will between the two which culminated in de Morès sending a message to Roosevelt that included the line "If you are my enemy I want to know it...between gentlemen it is easy to settle matters of that sort directly.", the word "directly" inferring that the Marquis had no qualms with dueling the future president. Shortly after, a calm and collected response from Roosevelt appears to have smoothed things over between the two, and they later both volunteered to join the famous Montana vigilante group, "The Stuart Stranglers", which had been started by the Montana legend, Granville Stuart, in an attempt to curtail rampant cattle rustling in the area. They were both denied this request due to their high profile images. In 1883 the locals' ill-will towards the Marquis came to a head when three local cowboys, Reiley Luffsey, Frank O'Donald, and John Reuter, allegedly after partaking in a healthy amount of cheap whisky, decided that it was time to teach the posh Frenchman a lesson. They are said to have begun "shooting up the town" of Medora and publicly deriding the Marquis, with some accounts making it clear that the three men were threatening his life. The Marquis caught wind of this and appears to have initially handled the situation in a calm and collected manner, informing the local sheriff and consulting his lawyers. A sheriff's deputy was eventually sent to arrest the three men and it is said that de Morès informed the deputy that, should he be killed during the arrest, the Marquis and his men would assume themselves deputised and continue where he left off. He and his men blocked the escape routes from the town, awaiting the outcome of the arrest. The arrest didn't go well and the three outlaws fled, apparently shooting wildly as they did. Hearing the gunshots and seeing the three men fleeing, it appears that the Marquis and his posse assumed that the deputy hand been killed. They stopped the three men as they approached, attempting to arrest them, but a gun fight broke out. The Marquis' abundance of skill in military arts and dueling played a large factor in the exchange, as one of the men of was quickly killed, another wounded, and the third captured. Over the next couple years de Morès would be charged with murder for this killing multiple times but was never prosecuted. By the time of the last trial in 1885, due to many factors including competition with the powerful Chicago meat companies, de Morès' cattle business was failing. In 1886 the processing facility closed its doors for the final time and the Marquis returned east, and then to France. In 1888 he was sent to Vietnam to oversee the construction of a railway and began to take an interest in French politics. He returned to France in 1889 and his politics began to become driven by anti-antisemitism, leading to yet another duel with a Jewish member of the Chamber of Deputies, in which the Marquis wounded his opponent. In 1896 he again found himself in French North Africa, from which he would not return. Due to his extreme political views, de Morès had made many enemies in French politics, and it is believed that some of the political rivals hired a group of Tuareg Berber tribesmen to act as though they were his guides before assassinating him. On 9 June 1896 the Tuareg attacked the Marquis, with their numbers estimated as high as 40. The Marquis de Morès fought back bravely, killing and wounding many before he was himself killed. Included with this rifle is a variety of correspondence from multiple sources, including W.H. Lenneille tracing the lineage of this rifle back to the Marquis. Also included is some general information about the area in North Dakota where he settled and this rifle would have been used. Three photos of the Marquis are included, one in French military attire, and two in western attire, both of which appear to be showing the Marquis holding this very rifle, or at least one of identical configuration. The included factory letter confirms the configuration of the rifle and that it was received in the warehouse on 11 June 1882 and shipped on 2 August 1884 along with one other rifle of identical configuration to the same order number. A hand written note on a previous copy of the factory letter notes that the serial number of this other rifle was 13672 and that the order number was 13756. A copy of the book/pamphlet "Marquis de Mores at War in the Bad Lands" by Usher L. Burdick, which describes the events of de Morès' gunfight in North Dakota and his final murder trial. The rifle itself was manufactured in 1882 and is chambered in the very desirable .50-95 Express like many of the rifles ordered by Granville Stuart. The rifle is in Second Model configuration, having the dust cover rail retained by two screws and the later pattern dust cover with the serration at the rear. The barrel is marked with the two-line Winchester address/King's patent marking and "50-CAL." at the breech. "WINCHESTER EXPRESS/.50 CAL. 95 GRS." is marked on top of the dust cover and "50-95" is on the bottom of the cartridge elevator. The upper and lower tangs have the model designation and serial number respectively. It is fitted with a German silver blade front sight and an elevation adjustable buckhorn rear sight.It is mounted with a smooth forearm and straight grip stock with a shotgun buttplate. Though the Marquis himself appears to have hand somewhat of a flamboyant reputation among the Dakota locals, this rifle bears no such frills. It is all business. Provenance: The John Fox Collection

Fine, retaining 60% of the original blue finish, 30% original case colors, and 25% original nitre blue with the balance a smooth grey patina and a few scattered patches of light pitting. The rifles carries itself as having been cared for as much like a trusted companion as it was a tool. The wood is very good bearing the marks of a rifle that was looked after but not coddled, and remained unwavering in its service to the Marquis. Mechanically the rifle is excellent. Don't miss the opportunity to own a tangible piece of the history of the American West!