Two From Old Chicago Meat-Packing Industry

[redsquid2]

Several years ago, I came upon this small exhibit in a library. It was a display relating to the times of Chicago's heydey of meat packing. In the top picture, it looks like the tang was just wrapped with rags to cushion the hands. Maybe it was a raw hide wrapping.

I am guessing that the bottom one is for breaking apart joints. The top one looks unusual to me, but then I never spent much time in butcher shops.

 

[redsquid2]

Although I know it is difficult to put technical processes into words, I would like someone to tell me how that top one would have been used.

 

[Tommy-Chi]

Cannot tell you much abt the knives, I never worked in meat packing or as a butcher.

I grew up and have spent 20+ yrs in Canaryville, which runs from 39th and Halsted, to 47th and Halsted on Chicago's South Side. My mom worked for two meat packing companies. The Great Chicago Stockyards entrance at Root and Halsted was 1 block away from my grandmother's home. You could smell the animals and slaughter houses for miles.

When you went to the neighborhood butcher shop there was a large 55 gallon drum of saw dust in the corner of the waiting area, and saw dust 1/2 to an inch thick on the floor.

 

[shinyedges]

My guess is the top knife was used for hide removal/skinning.

 

[SpySmasher]

Great knives.

Somebody better let Sal Glesser know about that trademark violation.

 

[LEGION 12]

Cannot tell you much abt the knives, I never worked in meat packing or as a butcher.

I grew up and have spent 20+ yrs in Canaryville, which runs from 39th and Halsted, to 47th and Halsted on Chicago's South Side. My mom worked for two meat packing companies. The Great Chicago Stockyards entrance at Root and Halsted was 1 block away from my grandmother's home. You could smell the animals and slaughter houses for miles.

When you went to the neighborhood butcher shop there was a large 55 gallon drum of saw dust in the corner of the waiting area, and saw dust 1/2 to an inch thick on the floor.

I grew up in Bridgeport could smell the stockyards even there.

 

[tltt]

Top one is just a market cleaver that's been sharpened back. Here's a good catalog page that shows most of the common patterns -

 

[shinyedges]

Top one is just a market cleaver that's been sharpened back. Here's a good catalog page that shows most of the common patterns -

Holy mother of pearl. If that top knife is a cleaver it was sharpened to the point it lost all knuckle clearance and so that it had a belly .

I'm skeptical, maybe a market cleaver repurposed for other cutting tasks after it lost usefulness as a cleaver?