So I discovered a collapsed trapper cabin, with a knife...

Msturm:This is such a cool thread! Thanks for sharing your story and congrats on your find and restoration.
 
The profile screams the Western 66 pattern.
Terrific find. The handle repair looks great. It looks to have a full blade, so lots of life left in that one. :)

The original sheath looks a lot like eveled eveled posted above in post #4, but has chromed or stainless steel rivets both side at the throat, mid-way down, and an inch or so above the tip. (6 rivets total) (at least my L66 factory sheath has the rivets.) Basically, where it was likely to cut the threads pulling the knife out or putting it in.
Some factory sheaths had a basket weave design.
So far as I remember, all Western leather sheaths were brown/tan, except maybe for the "Black Beauty" "F" handle series, which may have been black.
The loop is not riveted in place.
 
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I just saw this post and thought I had this knife. After a few min. looking I found it. I must have bought this in the 60's. L66 on brass guard. Original sheath. Beautiful handle you made. Enjoyed this post.
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Mitchell Knives said:
Great find.

Makes me want to move to Alaska.
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It's great for a while, but I grew my beard because I was working outside a lot and it was -30 F for a week solid, with the rest of the month around that week in the negative teens. It was a great place to grow up and be a young man, but my joints tell me that desert living has its advantages. And if I never have to live off moose meat for another winter, I will be totally okay with that.

Love the knife restoration though! The blade has a lot of character, and that is a nicely finished piece of wood.
 
mbkr said:
Is that a light fixture above your head and slightly to the left?
That cabin's not wired is it? Battery operated or does somebody lug a generator up there?
Or am I just seeing things again?
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That is a light fixture! and yes there is one bulb inside too. My guess is someone sleds in a generator when using it. Though I have been there several times an have never seen anyone or any snow machine tracks. Also that is my buddy Curtis. I will post a picture of me.


Mitchell Knives said:
Great find.

Makes me want to move to Alaska.
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Alaska is an AMAZING place.

BitingSarcasm said:
It's great for a while, but I grew my beard because I was working outside a lot and it was -30 F for a week solid, with the rest of the month around that week in the negative teens. It was a great place to grow up and be a young man, but my joints tell me that desert living has its advantages. And if I never have to live off moose meat for another winter, I will be totally okay with that.
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It is cold, but winter is my favorite time of year up here. My area is primarily tundra so it is far more traversable when frozen and covered in snow. Moose meat is amazing stuff. Musk ox is my favorite though! You are correct about the beard. Face and neck protection is important. See the following picture.

Here is a photo of the fallen down cabin.
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Here is a picture of me after a day on the line at -30.
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Here is a photo of me after just stepping off of the sled runners and sinking into the snow up to my waist. We were shutting down the k9 line.
Nu15kPW.png
 
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Blue Sky said:
Thanks for the info Msturm, love to see some pictures of that old camp someday.
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I posted the picture above. I found your quote a bit late.

Connor_MacLeod said:
To the OP: you may be the manliest man on Bladeforums, and I like the restored knife and the cool story that goes with it!

I plan to do some beaver fleshing later today if my wife will cooperate.;)
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HAHA! I don't know about that. I just like running around in the freezing cold! Good luck with the wife! lol

Also, Thanks everyone for all of the great info!
 
Coolest knife find/resto thread story I've come across. Such a great north country story. Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful job on those birch burl handles. I think it fits that old Western perfectly. Brings a Scandinavian aesthetic to a Rockies blade. Both geographies played a role in AK's settlement, so it's on the money. And very cool it came from the same site.
 
It's been nearly 4 years this knife has seen it's share of use!

I don't carry it every day. It does not live on my belt, but when the 308 or 300 win mag make an appearance the old Western L66 is there! I found this knife stuck in a board amidst the rubble of a fallen down trapper cabin, 4 or so years ago. The leather handle had rotted out. But the blade looked sturdy despite the rust.

I took it home and cleaned it up and made a couple handle scales from birch burl. Whatever this steel is it's great. I field dressed two bears with it this weekend with just a quick strop on my Carhartts between the two. When I finished I stropped again in the same fashion after cleaning in a creek and it would shave.







Old school American made quality, still doing it's thing today!

So far that's two bears, two moose a dall sheep, a mountain goat, and a mean sliver that this knife has worked on. I can't imagine the work it put in before I found it.

Thanks for reading!
 
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I like the handle you put on it! How cool to find an old knife and be able to fix it up and use it and it really do well for you! Must be some real good steel in it.
 
Very cool story. What part of AK, and did you mount the sliver on your wall?

Parker
 
catspa said:
Very cool story. What part of AK, and did you mount the sliver on your wall?

Parker
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I'm on the southern kenai peninsula. That sliver went into the fire pit with all the scorn I could muster! Splintered axe handle right into the meat of my right palm. Ouch
 
Msturm said:
It's been nearly 4 years this knife has seen it's share of use!

I don't carry it every day. It does not live on my belt, but when the 308 or 300 win mag make an appearance the old Western L66 is there! I found this knife stuck in a board amidst the rubble of a fallen down trapper cabin, 4 or so years ago. The leather handle had rotted out. But the blade looked sturdy despite the rust.

I took it home and cleaned it up and made a couple handle scales from birch burl. Whatever this steel is it's great. I field dressed two bears with it this weekend with just a quick strop on my Carhartts between the two. When I finished I stropped again in the same fashion after cleaning in a creek and it would shave.







Old school American made quality, still doing it's thing today!

So far that's two bears, two moose a dall sheep, a mountain goat, and a mean sliver that this knife has worked on. I can't imagine the work it put in before I found it.

Thanks for reading!
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Glad to see you and the knife still kicking. Field dressed two bears and still shaves! That’s got the be some great steel.

Also remind me not to walk behind you. I wouldn’t want to trip over your massive stones.😆
 
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