Read about it HERE.

Never mind.

right where he left it.

Given the constant exposure to the elements doesn't the fact that you can still read anything that was stamped onto the rifle suggest it hasn't been there nearly as long as people think?

Even if it's a dry climate I'll bet it was put there in my lifetime. I'm 45 years old.

What the heck is a Chief of Interpretation at Great Basin National Park?

Tour guide.  Everyone needs a title to justify their paycheck.

It sounds like something out of a Monte Python skit.

I'd like to know an estimate of the tree's age.

If it were found near the valley floor, then the shade and in that desert climate, that rifle could have easily been there since the 1800s.  As far as the age of the bush/tree it was found leaning against, they have Bristle Cone Pine trees up in the mountains there that are over 5,000 years old so things don't grow really fast in that neck of the woods.

Total bullshit is my opinion. Let the hate begin. That tree is in no way that old. The stock would have rotted and collapsed on itself also. The metal was in way too good of shape as well. I have been pushing juniper or cedar as it is miscalled in central  Texas. The base looks not even a quarter of what some of the 60 year old trees I pushed this last summer. I bet it was planted by someone or the park service as a joke or media attention. I have found several firearms on ranches in under growth or dug. None were as old and all were in worse condition even the ones that were in old barns. I wonder when the last Forrest fire was in that area? Probably about the age of that tree. Interesting story though. Thanks for posting it.

read it a few days ago, pretty cool. Our best friends dad and brother were out walking their ranch. One of them leaned up against a tree to take a piss, then they noticed an old winchester that the tree has grown around. The cut that section of the tree out, pretty cool piece next to the fireplace.

Obviously there's no way to really know how long it's been there but having spent time in Texas and Nevada, there's a huge difference in climate so I can see how it's possible to be there that long.  I would expect it's been there a looong time but who knows how long.  They still find all kinds of stuff in that area that is over a hundred years old and still looks usable.

I believe it. Anyone, self included, who's spent much time in the mountains knows how easy it is to get turned around. Many times on elk hunts I'd make a mental note of a tree for a marker only to find later that it looked exactly like hundreds of others in the area. I could easily see where someone could lean their rifle against a tree while they gutted or drug a deer, then couldn't find it upon returning.

Of course nothing says it had to have been there since 1882 either. I think one way to get an idea of how long it had been there would be to extract the ammunition from the magazine.

The area is quite arid averaging less than 14" of rain per year. This and the low humidity could easily explain why the metal was in no worse shape than it was. Regarding the tree against which it leaned, I did a little research and found this info:

The Utah Juniper (Osteosperma) has a long life span relative to most other plant species and a slow growth rate. At maturity, the typical Utah Juniper (Osteosperma) will reach up to 26 feet high, with a maximum height at 20 years of 25 feet.

 

I wonder how many rounds are in the magazine tube?

Seen lots of stuff out west that had been left out for a very long time and still look be in better shape than one would expect. Go to some of the old mining towns and look at some of the equipment left out in the elements. I could believe its been there for a long time.

Have you ever been to the island mountain ranges in Nevada? High (12,000-13,000' and very dry).  For example - Eastland, TX = 1,440' & 27" precip.  Big difference in growing conditions between central Texas & the Park.