Frontier/Early America Knives

[Triquetra]

I've been doing a little research into the early America trade and mountain man/trapper knives such as the Green River knives. It's my impression that they were fairly thin in thickness. Anyone know what the general thickness was or how they compare to the modern day knives that we discuss here every day.

 

[mrostov]

I've been doing a little research into the early America trade and mountain man/trapper knives such as the Green River knives. It's my impression that they were fairly thin in thickness. Anyone know what the general thickness was or how they compare to the modern day knives that we discuss here every day.

They were mass produced and inexpensive, kind of like an Old Hickory knife.

 

[DaveinNY]

mrostv is correct, the Old Hickory is probably the closest thing we have today that resembles the knives traded at the rendezvous or trading posts mid to late 1830's. Although Russell's Green River knives were in supply, the English Sheffield knives coming down through the Hudsons Bay Company were more than likely the predominant trade knife. The Hudsons Bay Co. pretty much had things locked up with the trading posts of that era. If you are doing research on early trapping, follow the history of Hudsons Bay and it should Lead you in an interesting direction. Also the Museum of the Mountain man in Pinedale Wyoming has one of the better displays of traps and tools of early trapping.

 

[Triquetra]

mrostv is correct, the Old Hickory is probably the closest thing we have today that resembles the knives traded at the rendezvous or trading posts mid to late 1830's. Although Russell's Green River knives were in supply, the English Sheffield knives coming down through the Hudsons Bay Company were more than likely the predominant trade knife. The Hudsons Bay Co. pretty much had things locked up with the trading posts of that era. If you are doing research on early trapping, follow the history of Hudsons Bay and it should Lead you in an interesting direction. Also the Museum of the Mountain man in Pinedale Wyoming has one of the better displays of traps and tools of early trapping.

I actually ordered an OH Butcher knife last week to try out and to come up with some sort of mountain man reproduction.

 

[longbow50]

I've been doing a little research into the early America trade and mountain man/trapper knives such as the Green River knives. It's my impression that they were fairly thin in thickness. Anyone know what the general thickness was or how they compare to the modern day knives that we discuss here every day.

They continue to make the Russell Green River Knives today, exactly the same as they did back then and they are still inexpensive.

Russell green river knives

 

[Codger_64]

The Green River Works did not open until circa 1836 and their famous fixed blade knives were made even later. They still make them by the way.

Codger

 

[Codger_64]

THe main business for the Green River Works was axe heads and chisels. It was later that they began making knives.

The "mountain man" angle was part of the company's publicity hype in the mid-19th century, with no basis in fact. Russell had not yet <u>shipped</u> any knives at the time when the last of the free trappers found other employment.

The best source of history on Russell is "History of the Cutlery Industry in the Connecticut Valley" by Martha Van Hoesen Taber, 1955. It was her PhD thesis, and you can find it at most university libraries. It was serialized in the National Knife Magazine many years ago.

Another source, with lots of pictures, though amateurish and inaccurate in places (it was a high school class project) is "The History of the John Russell Cutlery Company" by Merriam et al, 1976.

BRL...

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Codger

 

[J.C.]

cucharadedragon ,
you might like this www.montanaamericana.com dean makes knives of an older style.
i have one of his english trade knives and i love it.