North America, United States, Spanish Frontier, New Mexico, ca. 1791 CE. A hefty cannon of a slightly smaller size than typical cannons used during the tumultuous time of the Spanish Frontier. The tapered cylindrical armament features four narrow astragals in front of a loading cap with a hinged handle, a broad muzzle, and a pair of lateral trunnions fitted within the wrought-iron loops of a spike-bottomed swivel mount; one trunnion bears the date '1791.' Hammered into the top half of the loading cap is the Spanish phrase, "Nuestro de Los Dolores de Las Vegas," indicating how this cannon hails from the Plaza Fuerte in the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico. Size: 29.4" L x 8.125" W x 16" H (74.7 cm x 20.6 cm x 40.6 cm); 21.5" H (54.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Las Vegas was established by a Mexican land grant in 1835. Originally called Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores de Las Vegas Grandes (our Lady of Sorrows of the Great Meadows) by settlers whose roots in the area went back to the early 1600s, in the beginning, the settlement doubled as a fort, designed to be battened down for attacks by the Apache Indians. One-story adobe houses circled a large, central plaza where stock could be driven to safety. Las Vegas was established in 1835 after a group of settlers from San Miguel, New Mexico and replaced the latter town as the customs center and check point for goods and travelers bound for Santa Fe.

Las Vegas soon prospered as a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. During the Mexican–American War in 1846, Stephen W. Kearny delivered an address at the Plaza of Las Vegas claiming New Mexico for the United States. Training several very large cannons directly on the Plaza, the men of Las Vegas quickly surrendered. By that time, the Santa Fe Trail was being traveled frequently, allowing entrepreneurs to send their wares westward while enterprising Las Vegans traded eastward. For the travelers along this rustic path, Las Vegas was a welcome sight, as it was the first town of any size after 600 miles of travel from Kansas. These many traders, along with other pioneers and prospectors, demanded whiskey and women, for which the town readily complied. The army remained in Las Vegas until moving to Fort Union, about 20 miles north of the city, in 1851. Built to protect the Santa Fe Trail from Indian raids, the new fort further encouraged the growth and development of Las Vegas, as the army bought supplies for the several hundred soldiers and civilians stationed at the fort.

This cannon is of the classic mid to late 18th century Spanish frontier style as recorded by Spanish Engineer Nicolas de Lafora on a military inspection between 1766 to 1768 listing cannons of bronze and iron in three to four pound caliber were the most common at the presidios, and colonial settlements. (see Spanish Military Weapons in Colonial America 1700 to 1821 by Sidney Brinkerhoff, pp. 132-135 for an example of a similar New Mexican cannon). The stipple engraving on the breach: Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de Las Vegas identifies it as belonging to the Plaza Fuerte of Las Vegas, New Mexico, most likely brought from the barracks at San Miguel by the settlers that moved to Las Vegas from there. The town name was shortened from the original founding name to Las Vegas after U.S. occupation in the Mexican War and places the cannon in use by the town from at least 1835 to 1846.

Provenance: private Glorieta, New Mexico, USA collection

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#159504

Light abrasions to barrel, back handle, and swivel mount, with light encrustations, and minor softening to hammered message on loading cap, otherwise intact and excellent. Great patina throughout and loading cap inscription is still legible. Cannon has not been tested for firing functionality.