Bob Cargill Cripple Creek Knives

When Black Jack (Effington, IL tang stamp) bought Cripple Creek from Cargill they were supposedly going to make the knives in
n the image below. That never happened. Only the large Buffalo Skinner was made in number.
Cargill's machinery from his shop was part of the sale and he did try and school some of Black Jacks people on how to make slipjoints.
More on that later.



This pattern was only made as a prototype. The prototypes must have been made in stag and bone. Possibly pearl too.
Sweet little knife.


I
 
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The 10 Little Indians. The patterns were referred to by LI-1 thru 10. These patterns is what
would be in a dealer's set to take orders in the earlier years of Cripple Creek. Some of the patterns
changed as Cripple Creek evolved. (old photo)

 
A few different Trapper patterns. There's a story for each one. For instance, notice the Shield on the knife on the left
versus the other 3 and the long bolster on the knife on the right. The Strawberry Bone piece is the Merry Christmas
knife that Cargill made for his dealers. Only a handful of them were made.

 
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mckgreg mckgreg - Thanks for sharing these, certainly one of the most stunning collections I've ever seen! As I stated in an earlier post, I've only got two examples, and of (I assume) two of the most common patterns, but there's something special about them for sure! Mr. Cargill made a contribution to pocket cutlery that won't soon be forgotten! Shame about that Black Jack business!! Those look like some dandys!
 
Greg mckgreg mckgreg — I’ll second what Will birdsbeaks birdsbeaks says. This is an amazing thread to begin with, and can’t thank you enough for restoring photos here that have been lost over time. It’s an incredible amount of work on your part, but I’m pretty sure it’s a labor of love. 😉

This thread is a definitive resource for all things Cargill/Cripple Creek. Very much appreciated! 😎👍🏻
 
Thanks Guys! I was going to try and put the photos back where they originaly were in this thread. There is a ton of info in the first 30 pages but the posts are missing the photos. The text along with the photos is what completes the story. With the news of Bob's departure from
this world, I decided to post a visual stream of some of his work with a few tidbits of info to go along with the images. I will try to replant the images in the first 30 pages in time. The story of Cargill and his knives really does start on Page 1 of this thread but the average viewer either doesn't, or isn't able to read the text. The photos are what might hold a viewers attention long enough for them to actually read and absorb the info.
Information is the key.

In the meantime, here's a very rare Canoe Jack.
 
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I was curious mckgreg mckgreg , when Mr. Cargill was still involved in the knife business and shows, did you ever have the chance to meet and speak with him? I was too young when I saw him a few times to talk with him, but I know my grandfather considered him a fellow knife collector friend.
 
A few different flavors of the Cripple Creek Barlow. Once again, notice how the curve in the frame keeps the tang from
wearing a hole in the pocket. Notice the sunken tang on the pearl with a straight frame. The curved frame puts the blade
into the cut sooner. Some consideration from a working man's point of view (not a bean counters) is shown in a lot of Cargill's Knives.

 
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Nice groups of CCs!! Bob C. was quite a Stag afficianado!!! And I love curved Barlows!!!!


I wish I could find matches that struck🔥 easily in general, and in matchstrike pulls in particular!!! The ones you buy these days are poorly engineered in general!!
 
You're right Charlie. Cargill had a way of thinking that simplified a problem. The matchstriker pulls is just one example.
The honeycomb jigging was another example. There are many, many more. He was clever.
Here's an example of the Blood Brothers Barlow set.
 
Greg, thank you for uploading so many of these images that were lost from the beginning of the thread. I’m one of those people who started at page one (more than once) and lamented the loss of the photos.
 
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