Who produced the first khukuri for sale in the US market?

not2sharp

not2sharp

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Colds Steel, BK&T, Ontario, Atlanta Cutlery, Gurhka House, and our own HI, have all contributed greatly to our appreciation of this timeless design. Yet the khukuri was virtually unknown in the US during the 19th century, not a single copy was produced by US industry during either world war, and I haven't seen much mention of them prior to the 1970s. So, who was the first to take the plunge and produce these knives for sale in the US?
 
The only info I can contribute is when I was discharged from the army in '69 I bought back a 12" tourist Kuk from Thailand. And after looking around I seem to remember similar Kuks for sale in surplus stores, thats 1969 & '70. Not much help but a clue?
 
N2S, I'm guessing that Windlass Steelworks down in India made the first khukuris for sale here but this is just my best guess.
 
Bill,

If I were a betting, I would have thought that you and HI had started the current trend. :)

n2s
 
My first exposure to the khukuri was in the early 80s. The Falkland war brought the Gurkha and his khukuri into the mainstream media. After that the khukuri was featured in many magazine articles. Quite a few people claimed to have used them in Vietnam (true or not I cannot say).

The khukuri was actually used by American soldiers in Merrils Marauders during WWII. I am surprised that some of these WWII vets did not bring the khukuri into the mainstream.

My guess is that Atlantic Cutlery imported the first khukuri's in significant numbers. I had one of these around 83. Cold Steel's ATC came out around the 90's and it does not appear that they made many of them.

Will
 
When I was in college in the '60s I worked in a hippie gift shop that carried lots of Tibetan/Nepalese items - incense burners, finger cymbals, bells, pipes, beads, rings, bracelets, etc. We had a few of the flashy Newari tourist khukuris with dragon engraved blades, brass-trimmed bone handles and coin-encrusted scabbards among all that stuff, though I had no idea at the time what they were.
 
There was a news photo in circulation years ago of a flight line officer directing helcopter landings (apparently medevacs) at a field near Saigon. He had a Khuk (looked like about 15 incher) hanging over his right hip pocket.
 
Some time ago in HI forum, I saw a pic of Civil war with a soldier & a khukuri in it. Was it possible some American enthusiasts bought khukuris?
There must have been Shefield made khukuris in marketplace at that time.
 
I beleive that some khukris were used in the Civil War, as some British citizens or men of action were involved - so they must have spent time in India. Also, the Collins Company - they made the machettes from the 1860's to about 1950, made a khukri, back in the 1890's. I lost the Collins book, but they had a picture with all their other offerings - it had about a 10/11" blade with 5" handle.
 
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