US Knife History

[burtzolotar]

I have just started collecting knives over the past year and have developed a related interest in knowing the history of knives in the US from the time right after the revolutionary war until about 1900. At this point I have read some books (fiction and non-fiction) about the Bowie Knife which while important is not the complete picture. I'm interested in usage and developments by both the explorers (e.g. Davey Crockett, Daniel Boone and Kit Carson) through the cowboys and also by the Native American population.

It would be a great help if the forumites here could suggest both non-fiction and historical fiction that are relavant to the topic. What are your favorite readings in this area?

Additionally, who are your favorite makers that are trying to duplicate the knives of this period? Again, I'm interested in both non-Native American and Native American knives.

I'm hoping that there is a lot of interest and that we get enough responses to generate a whole dialog on this and related subjects. Is there interest in a special forum (e.g. American Knife History) for this area?

 

[littleknife]

Yeah, I think one of the least discussed topics here at the forums are the history, folklor and sociology of knife using.
Here are some sources for Colonial era and Revolutionary war replica knives:

http://www.jastown.com/knives/knives.htm

http://www.gggodwin.com/page17.htm

http://www.ragweedforge.com/HistoricalKnifeCatalog.html

http://www.rollanet.org/~buckhorn/page10.htm

http://www.brigadeofguards.org/equipment.html

http://prometheus.cc.emory.edu/TurningPoint/pages/6.10.htm

And here is one of my favorite knife articles:

http://www.virtualtexan.com/cgi-bin/style/vt?/writers/joyce/nov9.htm

 

[mschwoeb]

thanks for the article littleknife. really enjoyed it.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

I really like the knives of Daniel Winkler and the book The Iron Mistress.

 

[Ed Fowler]

Madison Grant's Book, "The Knife in Homespun America" , American Knives" by Harold Peterson and another, Knives of the Frontier by Gordon Minnis are all excellent sources. Also, Russel's book on Firearms, Tools and Traps of the Mountain Men. These are all good books and worth the money.

 

[burtzolotar]

Thanks everyone for your input.

Ed, thanks especially for responding. I was able to locate most of the books you mentioned in our library catalog. One was available from our branch and the others should be in from other county branches this week. They should keep me busy for awhile. I'll probably buy one or two after I see them.