- Joined
- Apr 17, 2015
- Messages
- 7
I found this rig axe or half hatchet (I have seen them called by several names) while shooting in a 3D archery tournament just south of Brownwood, Texas. The property where the archery club is located was part of the 123,000 acre Camp Bowie. Over 250,000 soldiers were trained at Camp Bowie from during the early 1940s. During the first year and a half of construction there were 6072 pyramid tents and 910 wall tents set up on the base. Each tent housed 5 enlisted men. On September 9, 1942 soldiers from the Texas Division landed on the beaches of Salerno to become the first allied soldiers to crack Hitler's Europe fortress from the west. The Texas Division suffered 19,466 casualties including 3,717 killed, 12,685, wounded, and 3,064 missing in action.
We had just scored our arrows and pulled them from the target. While walking back to our bows I saw what I thought was an old tin can buried in the ground. When I brushed the dirt back with my boot it appeared to be part of an Axe. The hatchet head was buried on its side with only the flat side exposed. I dug it out and was amazed at the condition. I was shooting with a long time resident of Brownwood. He told me a soldier had probably lost the hatchet while camped there. At the time I really did not know what he was talking about. I think this hatchet was lost after WWll. I have read that the True Temper name did not appear until around 1949.
Well....three years later I have finally got around to bringing the hatchet back to life. I have removed the rust, straightened the edge, sharpened it, hung it on a new hickory handle, and even found a leather sheath for it.
Working on the hatchet also got me interested in why it was there where I found it. I researched Camp Bowie and learned a lot of history.
We had just scored our arrows and pulled them from the target. While walking back to our bows I saw what I thought was an old tin can buried in the ground. When I brushed the dirt back with my boot it appeared to be part of an Axe. The hatchet head was buried on its side with only the flat side exposed. I dug it out and was amazed at the condition. I was shooting with a long time resident of Brownwood. He told me a soldier had probably lost the hatchet while camped there. At the time I really did not know what he was talking about. I think this hatchet was lost after WWll. I have read that the True Temper name did not appear until around 1949.
Well....three years later I have finally got around to bringing the hatchet back to life. I have removed the rust, straightened the edge, sharpened it, hung it on a new hickory handle, and even found a leather sheath for it.
Working on the hatchet also got me interested in why it was there where I found it. I researched Camp Bowie and learned a lot of history.
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