What is a Bowie Knife?
The Bowie Knife gets its name from Colonel James Bowie, one of the men who defended the Alamo in 1836. Somewhat of an adventurer, he created this unique style of knife that remains popular to the present day because of its size and cutting ability. There have been several designs of the knife over the years and when many people see a long knife, they think it is a Bowie. The weapon has a very colorful history.
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History
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In the early 1800s, knives were a more popular sidearm than a muzzle loading pistol because they were more accurate and could be used more easily. That type of weapon was needed for a man like Jim Bowie, who was born in 1796 in Louisiana and gained fame as an alligator riding, deer lassoing and Indian fighting jack of all trades. As a "second" in 1827 duel, he produced a butcher knife and helped his friends win the battle. However, he quickly realized he needed something better than a butcher knife in a fight.
Making the Knife
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Bowie and his brother, Rezin, hired several blacksmiths in the next few years to make them knives. By 1830, they had created a knife with a 12-inch blade that weighed one pound and could stab like a dagger, slice like a razor and chop like a cleaver. Bowie first "used" the new knife that year when he was accosted by three bandits in Texas. Bowie nearly decapitated one man, split another man's skull in two and ripped open the third's stomach. Soon, everyone was making their own version of the knife.
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Differences From Other Knives
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While many people see any long hunting knife and call it a Bowie, a true Bowie knife will have a steel blade between six and 15 inches long, a bone handle and come to straight point. A true Bowie knife will have a slight curve near the point.
Spread of the Knife
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By the mid-1800s, revolvers had replaced the knife as the sidearm of choice for frontiersman and bandits, but the Bowie knife lived on in use most famously as a piece of equipment issued to the famed Texas Rangers of that era.
In Popular Culture
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An obscure English singer named David Jones was looking for a new sound and look in the mid-1990s because another English singer named Davy Jones was becoming popular with a group called The Monkees. After reading about the Bowie Knife, he copped the named for himself and went off his way to a glam-filled rock existence in the 1970s. ABC aired show called "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" from 1956-58, which also popularized the weapon for new generations.
Pronunciation
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The actually pronunciation off the knife is "Boo-wee", but many people called "Bow-ee" because of the way the singer pronounced it. Bowie, the rock star, said he figured that was how it was pronounced, and never changed it once he gained stardom.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Courtesy of the Historic Arkansas Museum
