Colorado Springs Department of Public Utilities revolver

[Bigghoss]

I was at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum and they had a S&W revolver on display that was carried in 1955 by an agent of the Colorado Springs Department of Public Utilities. They had a short blurb about how the department came to be but nothing about why they needed guns.

I don't know much about S&W wheelguns but it looked like an N-frame. No info on model, caliber, or anything. I was only able to see the S&W stampings that confirmed it was a S&W (as if you couldn't tell by looking at it.)




Anyway, I just thought this was interesting. Feel free to add on whatever you can about the gun in particular or what you might know about the department. I should have taken a pic of the plaque that went with the gun so I could google the officer's name.

[jtcarm]

I hear Colorado utility poles are pretty wild & wooly.

[SecondsCount]

I wonder if they needed to carry for encounters with the four legged kind. My folks lived in that area from 1995-2005 and there is still plenty of wildlife that could ruin your day if they wanted to.

[Bigghoss]

I wonder if they needed to carry for encounters with the four legged kind. My folks lived in that area from 1995-2005 and there is still plenty of wildlife that could ruin your day if they wanted to.

That's entirely possible. There are still problem blackbears on the outskirts of town and even the occasional cougar sighting by the more remote residents. I'm sure it was much more of an issue 50 years ago.

[Lon]

Didn’t find anything about the Colorado Utilities people in the Standard Catalog of S&W, but it looks like a 38/44 Heavy Duty Transition.

[Jim Watson]

No ejector rod shroud as for HD.
Either a second model .44 or a 1917 .45 commercial.

[Lon]

No ejector rod shroud as for HD.
Either a second model .44 or a 1917 .45 commercial.

I wondered about that, but I found at least one reference to a 38/44 without the shroud. But I’m a novice at ID’ing old Smith’s.

[Borderland]

The cyl looks too long for 45 ACP. Cruising through the S&W Standard Catalog it appears to be a 44 hand ejector 2nd model. No ejector shroud and hammer/stocks match.

But I wouldn't buy an old S&W based on what I know.

[jtcarm]

I wonder if they needed to carry for encounters with the four legged kind. My folks lived in that area from 1995-2005 and there is still plenty of wildlife that could ruin your day if they wanted to.

That makes a lot more sense.

[MRW]

Maybe there was an aspect of their job that involved collecting or handling money.

I worked at an industrial history museum years ago that covered the anthracite coal industry. We had 2 old S&W revolvers in the collection that were used by company couriers. They carried a lot of cash on payday and were armed accordingly.