Who made the Hawken rifle?

Answer 1

Hawken rifles were a product of the Hawken Shop of St Louis. The rifles were produced by Jake and Sam Hawken or their employees and successors. Jake worked alone from 1815 to 1822. In 1822 He is joined by his brother Sam. From 1822 till Jakes death in 1849 the rifles were marked J&S Hawken St. Louis. After Jakes death the rifles were marked S. Hawken St. Louis. Other people that were employed by Hawken and could have produced guns in the Hawken shop were, Christian Hoffman, Tristiam Campbell, Christopher Hawken (Jakes son), and William Hawken (Sams son). In 1859 Sam turned the gunshop over to Wm. Hawken and leaves for Denver where he opens a gun shop in 1860. The St Louis shop was sold to Wm. L Watt and others in 1860. Wm. Watt employs J.P Gemmer in 1860 and in 1862 Gemmer buys a share of the business. In 1861 Sam returns to St. Louis in retirement and his Denver shop is taken over by William Hawken. In 1866 J.P. Gemmer is listed as the proprietor of the Hawken shop. J.P. Gemmer retires in 1915 and closes the Hawken shop of St Louis. It doesn't stop here, in the 1960's the estate of J.P. Gemmer was sold off and the tooling and remnant's of the Hawken shop were acquired by Art Ressel who reopened the Hawken shop and produced about 300 guns before closing in the 1980's. The shop was then sold in 1990 to a family in Oak Harbor Washington where original Hawken rifles can be purchased today.

Source "Hawken Rifles, The Mountain Mans Choice" John D. Baird