Standing Rock Indian Agency

The gun in the photos below is (supposedly) a Standing Rock Indian Agency Police Shotgun. It is a Stevens Tip-Up model that was produced from the 1870s to 1895. It is a Cartridge 12 Gauge Break Open Shotgun with an octagonal to round 30" barrel with a side button barrel release. It has a walnut stock with two silver inlays, 138 brass tacks, and ten spirals of copper strapping on the wrist. The serial number is 10452. This gun is from John M. Parker's Collection. Mr. Parker purchased this gun at a large gun show in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the mid 1990s.

This gun was purchased because it is (supposedly) an Indian Shotgun.
Note that the author is very skeptical of the authenticity of this shotgun.

The photos below show the Standing Rock Indian Agency Police Shotgun:

The right side of the stock is stamped: "STANDING ROCK INDIAN AGENCY" with a silver plate stamped: "INDIAN 18 U.S. 89 POLICE" as shown in the photo below:

The left side of the stock is stamped: "UNITED STATES INDIAN POLICE -.1889.-" as shown in the photo below:

The under side of the stock is stamped: "US GOVT" and "BUREAU of INDIAN AFFAIRS" as shown in the photo below:

The top side of the stock has a silver inlay shield as shown in the photo below:

The top of the octagon portion of the barrel has text that is difficult to decipher, but is something like the following:
"15T:N COC CAPT 1/L.TISI SS P/T SEPL.E 1334" as shown in the photo below:

The Standing Rock Indian Reservation was set up in 1889. It is west of the Missouri River. Part of the reservation is in northern South Dakota and the other part is in southern North Dakota. Fort Yates was built near the Standing Rock Agency so the soldiers could keep watch over the Lakotas who lived there. The photo below shows both the fort and the agency:

The map below is of South Dakota and the Standing Rock Indian Reservation:

Fourteen years and six months after Sitting Bull defeated General George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry on June 15, 1876, Major James McLaughlin, Indian Agent for the Standing Rock Reservation, ordered the arrest of Sitting Bull. In the process of the arrest, Sitting Bull was shot by Indian Police on December 15, 1890.

The photo below is of Sitting Bull:

Could this gun have been used when the Standing Rock Indian Police went to arrest Sitting Bull?

The Standing Rock Police Web Page is at the following Internet address:
http://www.StandingRock.org/Police.htm