Knives of the Old West?

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Nov 21, 2006
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What sort of cutting implements would a frontiersman have carried in the pre-civil war,westward expansion era? Maybe someone in the Lewis&Clark expedition? What handle materials would be appropriate to the era?

My own current woods carry knives are BRKT Settler with mulberry wood handle on my belt and SAK OHT in my pocket.The Settler seems to my limited imagination to be period correct but the OHT obviously not.It's just so damn useful it's hard to leave home.

Andy
 
Ragweed Forge, Ragnar, has some period correct cutlery and pics.

Apparently, folk would trade blades and the buyers would fasten their own handles from natural materials such as wood, bone, antler and leather once the blade was obtained.

Spring steel butcher knives would be correct for L&C.

I've followed the L & C trail from the headwaters of the Missouri River to Oregon City. Just about every display has examples of knives that are similar to ones that could have been carried on the expedition. Unfortunately, next to nothing in the way of genuine artifacts remains from the actual expedition. Just about all of personal property on display, is a re-creation.

oregon
 
I am really into these types of knives myself. The most common knives were the trade knives like the Green River knives with very thin carbon steel blades often sold without handles so that they could be transported easier and the owners could make them themselves. This Red River knife is very close to those trade knives.
rr1.jpg


Then there were the higher quality knives used by the traders themselves like the classic Hudson bay Knife. The Bark River version is excellent and with a wood handle very close to an original.
HBCK_Black_G_10_L_E.jpg


Most of the knives we think of as period are actually not that old. The Settler is an excellent knife but more like the early 20th century knives than the 18th or 19th.
Even the classic stetson cowboy hat was invented in the 1920's. Still the reason we like these are not because we are married to the idea of a specific era but because we like the classic designs. However if you do want a period version of the SAK you could get a french trapper model. Sorry i don't have any photos of one.

My favourite period designs are the fighters like the Price Bowies.
MP1528-EL-1.jpg

Or the designs from SwampFox which are usually very period correct.
image011.jpg

The ball handle was popular with the Quebec trappers.
 
Thanks for the great link,Oregon.That must've been some trip! The Swmpfox knives are simply incredible.

On to the knives.I did find one trade knife,The Voyager,on the Ragweed site very similar to The Settler.The overall size and shape of blade and handle are almost identicle.The only differences are the tip which is a spearpoint on the Barkie vs drop point on the original and the guard.I think The Settler is a more useful knife due to those two changes.I guess the early explorers were less klutzy then myself. :) The Settler sheath is the same as the Red River that Unsub posted though lighter in color.Maybe I'll try to darken mine some.

So all in all I'm pretty happy with The Settler.It seems roughly period correct,fits my hand very well and is a terrific user.When I'm alone in the forest I can maintain the illusion that I'm the first white man to step foot there.The butcher type knives may be too big for what I'd be using them for.

I MUST HAVE a Swampfox Bowie!

Andy
 
I also purchased a Bark River Settler (Light Birdseye Maple) as I wanted a period correct knife from that era. I use my Settler all the time in the kitchen and have used it in the woods as well. I find it to be a very comfortable knife. I can easily keep my hand below the guard or choke up a bit above the guard if I want.

You mentioned you wanted to darken up you leather sheath:

You should put some Obenauf's Heavy Duty Leather Preservative on the sheath - That should darken it up a bit.

http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Knife...ther-Preservative-(LP)-8-oz/product_info.html


:cool:Steven
 
The types of knives carried back then varied greatly. At that time the U.S. had very limited culterly production on a large scale basis; there were a lot of locally produced knives by smiths, and a lot were imported, especaiyy from England.

As has been mentioned, some of the Green River models are probably close to some of the types that were carried. I've bought several of their blades and finished them out. The Bark River Mountain Man started out as a Green River 1095 blade. A knife I just got in, but haven't had time to use yet, is a "trade knife" supposedly model after the french fur trade knives, hand made by Jeff White. It is roughly finished, but appears well made for what it is. I got it for about $30.00 on ebay.
 
Even the classic stetson cowboy hat was invented in the 1920's. Still the reason we like these are not because we are married to the idea of a specific era but because we like the classic designs. However if you do want a period version of the SAK you could get a french trapper model. Sorry i don't have any photos of one.

According to this site http://www.stetsonhat.com/history.php
John Stetson developed the cowboy hat in 1866.
 
I have an Old Hickory 6 inch knife that my Grand mother had. Its around 100 yrs old. I would think that would fit the bill.
 
The so called Green River knives the Mountain men employed were impoted from England. The initials GR indicated George Rex not Green River.
 
Also check out ML knives too, I have also looked and drooled over the Swampfox knives. If the price is a concern, there are alot of knives at Crazy Crow Trading Post's website. Interesting, although I do not know about how high quality, but they looked interesting.
 
Ragweed Forge, Ragnar, has some period correct cutlery and pics.

Apparently, folk would trade blades and the buyers would fasten their own handles from natural materials such as wood, bone, antler and leather once the blade was obtained.

Spring steel butcher knives would be correct for L&C.

I've followed the L & C trail from the headwaters of the Missouri River to Oregon City. Just about every display has examples of knives that are similar to ones that could have been carried on the expedition. Unfortunately, next to nothing in the way of genuine artifacts remains from the actual expedition. Just about all of personal property on display, is a re-creation.

oregon

Not trying to hijack the thread, just an addendum.. The "History Channel" a year or so back did a show on the Lewis and Clark expedition and some of the efforts to follow their path. One such expidition may have found the remnants of their iron ribbed "folding" boat. Pretty cool concept.
 
Knives post civil war around the turn of the 19th century similar to these minus the baby sunfish.
034-1.jpg
 
I recently read Cormac McArthy's "Blood Meridian," which is about a nefarious, psychopathic gang of scalp hunters along the Mexican border in the late 1840's. It is a gruesome, gruesome book, but a masterpiece.

McArthy, who researches very thoroughly for his books, has his protagonist carrying a Green River knife and other characters wielding large Bowies, along with their Whitneyville and Dragoon Colts.
 
A few years ago I got a “Hudson Bay" wood handle& 6"blade. I glued some old leather onto the handle and it looks pre civil war until you read the fine print that states “A Division of Cold Steel ". If I remember right, their ad stated these blades were in fact traded with the Indians for fur.
 
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