AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: arlen on May 30, 2017, 02:31:21 AM
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Are there any known rifles by James Lakenan, Jacob Hawken's partner in St Louis? Where was Lakenan born? For whom did he apprentice? Who is James Lakenan?
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a good friend of mine that has passed away was doing research on him , trying to find out if he was in anyway connected to Lakenan Mo. which is where my friend was raised , and is close to where I live. I will talk to of his daughters and see if she has any information.
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It would be interesting. He probably knew the western market much better than the Hawken brothers.
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Are there any known rifles by James Lakenan, Jacob Hawken's partner in St Louis? Where was Lakenan born? For whom did he apprentice? Who is James Lakenan?
The only source I know of for information on James Lakenan is Hanson's The Hawken Rifle: Its Place in History. Appendix C of that book suggests that James Lakenan was from Essex County, Massachusetts. It is believed he left New England and came to Richmond about 1801 to work in the Virginia Manufactory. He apparently was a gunsmith at that point. No info on where he apprenticed, but if the info about Essex County, Mass. is correct, then likely somewhere in New England. Lakenan worked at the Virginia Manufactory for several years, leaving in 1818 for St. Louis.
Hanson does state that he thinks James Lakenan may have had influence on what was to be developed as the Hawken mountain rifle. He shows a picture (page 47) of an early Virginia Manufactory rifle, iron mounted, and notes the similarities to the classic J&S Hawken rifle. Hanson makes no mention of any rifles by James Lakenan. If he had known of any, I'm sure he would have mentioned them to either strengthen or dispel Lakenan's influence.
Hanson seems to imply that Jacob Hawken and James Lakenan may have known each other before moving to St. Louis. He states, "It seems much more than coincidence that James Lakenan and Jacob Hawken were both working at public armories in the same state, apparently left those jobs within a month of each other, and turned up in the St. Louis area in the fall of 1818."
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Good info. Phil. I forgot or didn't know that Lakenan and Jake arrived here in St. Louis about the same time. Still a mystery as to the roots and influences of the Hawken rifle. I wonder if there were some local rifles that inspired them as to what was needed for those going west. The Henry scroll guard came later, and almost all guns made for the western trade had brass furniture. I can see where the Virginia manufactory rifle is a likely inspiration, and the Harpers Ferry as well. Still the combination of scroll guard, double set triggers, iron furniture, deeply curved buttplate, and patent breech seem to have been what launched the Hawken brand.