Made in America!

The Case Brand and Bowie Knife, are two names that need no introduction to knife collectors. This is a combination of 2 American icons. It's a Case. So you know it's a quality knife. And it's a Bowie knife. This was made to commemorate 200 years of Jim Bowie, from 1790-1990. Which is odd, considering that Jim Bowie was actually born in 1796. To make things even more odd, this appears to have a date stamp of 1989. I suppose it's actually pretty fitting for something which represents a story surrounded by "facts" which are hazy at best. At least the model number is 1836, which is when he died, so there's that.

The knife is almost as big as the legend it represents, measuring in at 14.25 inches overall with a 9.5 inch stainless steel blade. You could probably slap somebody with this thing as effectively as you could cut them. And when you're done, you could probably fry an egg on it as well. It feels really nice in the hand and is well balanced. It has a solid brass cross guard and 3 brass pins in the handle. The blade etch reads "Jim Bowie" over "200th Anniversary" over "1790-1990" with a Jim Bowie portrait. The knife itself is in fantastic shape! Very solid, no wobble, nothing loose. Blade etch is perfect, as is the blade. Never used or sharpened. Has aged very well in its original sheath aside from some minor scuffs and scratches to the guard and handle.

The History:

If someone asked you about the history behind the Bowie knife, your answer may be something along the lines of, "Jim Bowie something something, Alamo." And that answer would be correct... partially. The "Original" Bowie knife was designed by Jim's brother Rezin Bowie of Louisiana, who hired a local blacksmith to craft it for him. However, this original design does not resemble what we would identify as a Bowie today. This first knife essentially looked like a large butcher knife. But Jim Bowie and his not-yet-famous "Bowie Knife" would soon become household names after an incident known as the Vidalia Sandbar Fight in 1827. As with any great legend, it is difficult to discern where the facts end and where the fiction begins. But I'll do my best to paint as small and accurate a picture as I can... 

Back in the early 1800s in Central Louisiana, some well known and respected local families were having issues with other families that had recently moved to the area. Think of the Hatfields vs the McCoys, but on a smaller scale. One party would accuse the other of various offenses, such as bad loans or denied loans, rigging a local election, and of course, the honor of a woman (allegedly). Whether or not any of these accusations were warranted, doesn't change the fact that these disputes would often escalate into violence. Fist fights were common, as well as challenging a rival to a dual, and sometimes all out gun battles. A new comer by the name of Thomas Maddox had been at the center of several conflicts with the Wells and Cuny families. A duel was proposed, this time between Thomas Maddox and Samuel Wells III, from the established Wells family. Jim Bowie was born in Kentucky, but spent most of his life in Louisiana and was now good friends with Samuel and the Wells family. He had been present for, and participated in, numerous disputes leading up to the Sandbar Fight. He had even been shot previously, during one of these skirmishes by a friend of Maddox named Norris Wright. Learning that Wright would be attending the upcoming duel, Bowie was also sure to attend, bringing along his new prized knife which his brother had gifted to him. The rivals agreed that the duel was to take place on a sandbar island on the Mississippi side of the Mississippi river. Not only was this location considered to be nuetral ground, it was also strategically located outside of Louisianas jurisdiction, to avoid any legal troubles caused by the dual. I like to think of this tactic as "less illegal". Duals were formal affairs, so when the Dualists and their posses showed up to the sand bar on Sept. 19, 1827, strict rules were set and followed. Each party was allowed one wingman (called a "Second") one surgeon and three "Supporters". Only the Seconds stayed close to the action, while on-lookers watched from a safe distance. Among the surgeons and supporters were several other spectators who had gathered to watch, including some local journalists. The Dualists took their positions and fired at each other. Nobody was hit. Per the rules, there was an intermission and then the process was repeated. After the second volley, both parties still stood unwounded. The men agreed to settle the matter with a handshake. The dualists, their seconds and surgeons walked to where the Maddox supporters were gathered, since apparently there was no "bad blood" between any of those members. But the Wells supporters then came running towards the group, armed. One of them called out Maddox's Second man over an old rivalry, wanting to settle a score. The Second responded by firing at him and missing, hitting Bowie in the hip. A chaotic gun battle then unfolded. After an exchange of fire, the man who had shot Bowie, killed his original target, but was wounded in the process. Bowie got up and charged that man, who then pistol whipped him to the ground. Bowie's old rival, Norris Wright, took this opportunity to shoot at him, but missed. He then charged Bowie, who was still on his back, with a cane sword, plunging it into his chest. But the thin blade lodged into his sternum and was stuck. Bowie pulled the man down onto his knife, killing him. Bowie was stabbed and shot at least one more time before inflicting a major knife wound to another man's arm. The entire event lasted less than 2 minutes. After the dust settled, 2 men were dead and 2 were very critically wounded including Jim Bowie. Some accounts say that Jim was shot a total of 5 times and stabbed multiple times, but even the lowest counts agree that he recieved at least 2 bullet wounds, 2 stab wounds and a concussion during the brief, yet violent, conflict. Interestingly, the 2 original duelists did not participate in the brawl; but were instead trying to break it up and keep the peace. Journalists and spectators quickly spread word over what had taken place on that day, and it soon became a national headline. The "Wild West" had been relatively tamed by this point in time, and romanticized stories from the frontier were becoming less common. So this event renewed the imaginations of city dwellers across the US. 

Jim Bowie, of course, survived his injuries, which only added to the legend. He easily became the hero of the story, as a man who brought a knife to a gun fight and emerged victorious. And soon he began recieving letters, which were pouring in from around the country. They were mostly fan mail and love letters, but many of them were from people asking about this legendary knife. "Who made it? Where can I get one?" It didn't take long for Jim and his brother Rezin to see the potential for a new business oportunity. The media had already done the marketing for them, all they had to do was capitalize on the publicity. Jim had sketched up some new designs and found a blacksmith named James Black in Arkansas to make him a prototype. Black made the knife as requested, but he had also made some modifications to the design and made a sceond knife to fit those new specs. When Jim returned to pick up the knife, he was presented with both designs, and favored Black's design. Together, they slapped the Bowie name on it and started churning them out for custom orders. The Bowie knife took the world by storm.

Jim Bowie famously went on to fight and die at the Battle of the Alamo. Here he faced the full force of the Mexican Army and earned his place in history. The legend states that, despite being bed ridden with illness, he died fighting with his famous knife in his hand. Although historians report that it is likely he used a pistol, if anything; I still like to think he managed to earn one more notch on the hilt that day.

Thanks for reading all that, I know I got carried away but it's a cool story.

**Note: I am new to knife collecting and selling. All descriptions are to the best of my knowledge and in an attempt to be as honest and forthright as possible in regards to knife condition. I have conducted hours upon hours of research on each individual knife that comes into my possession in an attempt to set a fair price. PLEASE feel free to contact me for more information on this or any other item in my store.

Semper Fi 

For Sale By: Dr. Shank-N-Stein

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