Musket

A muzzle-loading flintlock musket with a long barrel. This gun was found submerged in water off the shore of Meridian Lake by prospectors in 1971, found loaded with powder and ball along with a hatchet and chisel blade. The story of how this musket ended up on the lake bottom is unknown, nor is it’s age clear, however barrels of trade guns were shortened after the 1820s. The sea serpent sideplate like the one on this gun became a popular feature as the trade developed.