Bob Cargill Cripple Creek Knives

Greg, quite the collection. Thanks again for showing them here. I seem to recall that he came up with some sort of machine or set-up for his honeycomb jigging?
Here's a big stag toothpick.

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Another Buffalo Skinner from 1983. I'm sure he did invent his own Jigging machine Mike.
You don't see that jigging anywhere else. He was always tinkering. I'm still not 100% sure how he did the match striker pulls.
If I was to find out for sure how he did them I wouldn't tell anyone.
I've got a pretty good idea how but can't say for sure.
Nice Toothpick !!
Greg

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Greg, thank you for all the great pictures and information, exactly what I was hoping for when I started this thread. I was so disappointed when I was searching the older threads and found all the broken links and missing pictures.
Hopefully with the new forum software this thread will remain alive for quite some time.
 
Let's hope so Augie. If it doesn't, I'll still have the photos and most probably the knives for quite some time. Actually, I should be thanking you
for starting this thread.
Here's a Congress from 1986. You won't see a whole lot of the Congress pattern Cripple Creeks. Maybe whoever is painting the CC logo
on knives these days has a congress but keep in mind that Cargill made few of them and they are dated. After 1995-96 you aren't
going to find a Cargill Cripple Creek except for a few he made here and there.
Greg

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By the early 1990's Cargill had pretty much wore out his parts. His hands, wrists, shoulders and so on. The constant strain of cutting out his own blades, springs and frames did
their damage on him physically. The sale of the Cripple Creek Brand to Black Jack was to be a way for his creation to live on. He was to be overseer of
the construction of the brand. That didn't come to pass for one reason or another. "Why" doesn't really matter. It just didn't. We do know that Queen made the CC Barlow with the
Effingham, IL stamp and as far as I know, the majority of the Buffalo Skinners with the Effingham, IL stamp was made by Queen. I may be right on that, I may be wrong but is what I came to understand.
For the most part, any knife with the Effingham, IL stamp should not be considered a Cargill Cripple Creek.
The original game plan was to make several patterns under Cargill's direction which didn't happen.
This image below shows what the original intention was.
After Black Jack folded in 1995 Cargill got his Trademark for Cripple Creek back. He lost most of his knife making machinery and tools in the Black Jack deal. He started making what knives he could with
what he had left. Mostly inexpensive pieces that he managed to put together. Knives like the Po' Boy and the Warrior. Something to get a few bucks coming in.
Some knives were made with Queen parts from the Black Jack deal. When you see what would normally be a Queen made CC barlow but has a Buffalo Shield on it, that's one Cargill put together
during this time period.
Greg

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Do you see any Barlows in the image above?? The Effingham Barlows were made by Queen.

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During the 1990's Bob started producing the Warrior Series as pictured below. He also made the same pattern with a Desert Storm 1991 etching on the master blade.
Possibly some others too. If we find new photos we'll post them in this post to try and keep them together. The Muskrat pattern in this style is very hard to find.
They come in a powder coat finish and Satin finish.

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Below are 2 fixed blade knives from the Warrior Series. The top piece Bob made for the troops and is
Teflon coated stainless steel and wrapped with olive green rope. Came with a codura nylon sheath.
The tang is stamped Cripple Creek Old Fort, TN USA
The bottom piece is also a Desert Storm knife with a layered Red, White and Blue handle. Both knives are dated 1991 and are very rare.

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The pages that follow will be the history of Bob Cargill's Cripple Creek Knives as best as we can document it.
Several Cripple Creek Collectors have provided documents, photos and personal experiences for a compilation of information
that is next to impossible to find.
It will all be here in this thread and I strongly advise those interested to save as much of the pages that follows
to some sort of storage device for further reference.
If you are able to convert the photos and text from JPEG files to PNG or TIFF it will prove to be an advantage to you.

Here's an old Cripple Creek ad listing the Ten Little Indians (LI's) and an old photo of them. I will eventually post current photos
of each one of the 10 original patterns. More later.
Greg

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Additional info provided by Shane Stone

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I was lucky enough to come across a dealer's set of Cripple Creeks.(above) Each set contained the 10 Little Indians from1981-82. This was the early stages of CC
when the sets were assembled and were mostly for show. You will find occasional flaws in a piece or 2. I think Cargill just wanted to fill a pattern
slot with a piece with flaws rather than one that was right. Why would you pass up on being able to sell one that was done right. I'm sure
every dollar mattered at the time.
Keep in mind that patterns LI-3 thru LI-8 were replaced. So those patterns from the original 10 Little Indians are all that were made from 1981 to 1984.
Below are the LI-1 and LI-2. Notice the Turkish Clip on the Canoe.
Greg

Number of 1981 LI-1 and LI-2 made.
I#1 - DOG LEG JACK
1981
24 Bone - C.C. Shield
24 Bone - Buffalo Shield
24 Stag - Buffalo Shield
2 Pearl - Buffalo Shield
LI#2 - CANOE
1981
24 Stag - 2 blade - Buffalo Shield
12 Misc. Blades - Bone - CC. Shield
1 Bone - 3 blade - C.C. Shield
2 Pearl - 2 blade - Buffalo Shield
1982
1 Pearl - 3 blade - Buffalo Shield
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Thanks Mike for the large Texas toothpick with fine looking stag scales here, and Greg for your Buffalo skinners, Congress, LI-6 Whittler, Canoe pattern, Po Boys and all the additional bits of historical documentation and explanations you've provided here thus far!. And many thanks to Augie for starting this important thread as I have no doubt it will endure for a long time to come.. Much obliged, gentleman.
 
Anthony, I added some info to post #65 above. It's kinda hard to read but was the best I could do with what I have.
For those of you who didn't know Cargill was president of the NKCA for a while, well you do now.
Greg
 
mckgreg said:
Anthony, I added some info to post #65 above. It's kinda hard to read but was the best I could do with what I have.
For those of you who didn't know Cargill was president of the NKCA for a while, well you do now.
Greg
Click to expand...

Thanks for that tidbit. Little known fact is I actually own a year or so of the NKCA magazine when Bob Cargill was president and always enjoyed his insight and wisdom when reading his, 'To The Point' segment part of the magazine. In fact, that is what started my interest in his knives.
 
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