Alfred Packers' Gun Brought Out From Archives, On Display

DENVER (CBS4)- History Colorado Center is delving deep into its archives to put some rarely-seen items on display. The first one has a gruesome background.

The gun owned by infamous killer and renowned cannibal Alfred Packer is the first item chosen.

A would-be prospector, Packer and his five companions headed out into the San Juan Mountains in the deep winter of 1874. But things didn't go as planned.

Packer was arrested after emerging from the mountains and carrying a gun with the initials A.P. His dead and partially eaten companions were found later.

Packer escaped from jail a short time later and was on the run for eight until he was rearrested in Cheyenne, Wyo. He was put on trial and sentenced to 40 years behind bars.

"So, for me it's not weird at all. It's a privilege and something again, it's just a gun until you know the story behind it and that's what really makes it powerful, they go hand in hand," said the curator of the exhibit.

The story of the gun and how it reached the museum has a fascinating history. The exhibit is called "Who Knew!? Everything Old Is New Again."

Visitors to History Colorado Center can see Packer's gun on display.