Bowie Knives: An American Legend

Authentic Reproductions of 18th & 19th Century Knives used on American Frontier

No American knife design carries the weight of legend and history like the famous Bowie Knife. Hundreds of articles and numerous books have been written about Jim Bowie and his knife. No one knows who made the first Bowie knife, and this has been the subject of ongoing controversy for nearly 200 years. It has been the mainstay of the Rocky Mountain trappers, Confederate soldiers, buffalo hunters, adventurers and even senators and governors ever since its origin. Most sportsmen recognize the knife immediately, even though it comes in wide variations of shape, size, and handle and guard style.

In 1838, Rezin P. Bowie, brother of James Bowie of Alamo fame, claimed that he made the first Bowie knife while the Bowies lived in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. He designed it as a hunting knife and gave it to James for protection after his brother had been shot in the famous Sandbar Fight, which began in the Mississippi River across from the rough-and-tumble town of Natchez, Mississippi, in 1827.   Full Article