The fourth installment of the SK Guns “Lost States of America” series is a Colt 1911 Full-Size Government Model handgun chambered in .45 ACP that features imagery of James Gadsden and the proposal for the state of Montezuma, which now makes up the southern regions of Arizona and New Mexico.
This tribute to Gadsden and Montezuma, the fourth in the “Lost States of America” series, will be limited to a production run of only 200 handguns.
The “Lost State of Montezuma” is derived from a territorial purchase that led to a failed proposal to create a U.S. state. This idea emerged during the mid-19th century during a period marked by territorial expansion and debates over the organization of newly acquired lands.
James Gadsden played a significant role in this era of American expansion. Born May 15, 1788, in Charleston, South Carolina, Gadsden was a soldier, diplomat and railroad executive. Gadsden is best known for negotiating the Gadsden Purchase in 1853, leading the United States to acquire approximately 30,000 square-miles of territory from Mexico. This land purchase was to facilitate a southern transcontinental railroad and is now the southernmost regions of Arizona and New Mexico.
The slide includes a subtle scroll of Palo Verde (state tree of Arizona) and the American Bald Eagle. Mexico’s Gold Eagle also appears, accented by a banner encompassing the New Mexico state motto Crescit Eundo (“It Grows as it Goes”) and the Arizona state seal Ditat Deus meaning (God Enriches).
The right side of the slide portrays the Gadsden Purchase, otherwise known as “The Treaty,” where Gadsden, then the U.S Minister to Mexico, and a Mexican state official met to sign over the land.
Completing the firearm is a portrait of Gadsden with the title “Lost State of Montezuma” sits on top of the slide, just below the iconic American Progress symbol of Manifest Destiny. The firearm also sports Desert Ironwood grips from the Sonora Desert indigenous to Arizona.
“We are commemorating James Gadsden in this context to highlight his influence on the territorial expansion of the United States,” Simon Khiabani, the owner and founder of SK Guns said. “His efforts in securing the Gadsden Purchase not only reshaped the U.S. southern border but also set the stage for future infrastructure development. While the State of Montezuma remains a historical thought, it emphasizes the dynamic and often complex process of nation-building during a transformative period in American history.”
MSRP is $2,900. The handgun will begin shipping in May 2025. Learn more at skguns.com.
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