The Bowie knife was used in the borders of the US at the middle of the XVIII century, and it’s a defense, rustic hunting knife. It is quite large and the handle is not cylindric.
Its name comes from a duel happened in the September 19 of the 1827, in the beach of Vidalia (Missisipi River), close to the Natchez city (Louisiana). In this episode, the protagonist is Jim Bowie, trader and adventurer very famous in the past, engaging a fight with several opponents: after received some firearm shots could kill his opponent Norris Wright (that could hurt him with a bladed weapon), with a clean knife cut. Bowie could survive from the battle and after some years has lost his life in the epic battle of el Alamo in 1836 in Mexico.
This and other episodes told by the pioneers and colonizers of the North American West linked this knife to the conquer of the Old West and also to the US culture, spreaded worldwide.
The best moment of the history of this knife was from the beginning of the XIX century to the end of the American Civil War (1861 – 1865). This kind of knife was made in an artisanal way with rustic finish but during these years there were applied some modifications to the design especially on the manufacturing process, making it better and bringing the creation of different kind of Bowies. After its fame moment, other countries begun to make more models.
Jon Bowie was the captain of the El Alamo volunteers, one of first of the five Spanish missions in the North America. For many, Bowie, was an hero, for other, a coward. Nowadays the Bowie knife is used as a sporting knife for the hunting and other outdoor activities and it’s made by many brands and cutleries in the world. This knife is a legend.
