Gun

This pearl handled revolver was found by a park employee in 1998 near Quitobaquito Spring. No one knows who the original owner was or how it came to be in the location it was found. It is a top break revolver, either a .32 or .38 caliber and probably made by Smith and Wesson with aftermarket mother-of-pearl grips. Quitobaquito Spring is one of the oldest continuously used places within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, with evidences of human activity dating 12,000-16,000 years BP. In the harsh environment of of the Sonoran Desert, the dependability, quality, and quantity of water at Quitobaquito Springs made the location ideal for humans and their animals. A large number of plant and wildlife species also call the spring home. These are all important commodities that made survival possible and a firearm would have been a useful tool, both for protection and securing a meal.