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Browning Knives Keep History Alive

Phil Loughlin - JHO ProStaff - SF Bay Area, CA
June 03, 2004

Browning's Living History Knives The series of collectible knives represents American history through classic knife designs.

But do you think about knives?

Browning, like most of the big firearms manufacturers, has diversified to fit the new market. Along with fine hunting clothing and footwear, the Browning catalog now includes items like gun safes, optics, archery equipment, even scents!

...and knives.

The Browning online catalog shows 165 items under the Knives category. From hunting knives, to hatchets, to kitchen cutlery, Browning has gone big in the knife market. And what knife catalog would be complete without a fine collectible? Enter, Browning's Living History Knvies.

At the 2004 SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trades) Show in Las Vegas, one of my self-appointed tasks was to seek out products outside of the usual. Every hook-n-bullet magazine would be chasing down the hottest new guns and loads. Top end clothing and equipment always receive heavy coverage. But for every crowded booth, there was an unheralded offering... either ignored or simply outside the scope of the mainstream. Such seemed to be the case as I elbowed my way through Browning's display of new rifles, shotguns, and footwear, and stumbled into a table loaded with knives.

Now most of these knives weren't particularly striking. Primarily made in Japan, they offered the features of most other good cutlery. Then I turned around and found myself staring at a handsome Bowie in a glass case. I remember thinking, "now that's cool."

A fellow detached from the crowd and approached me. "Would you like to know more about our Living History Knives," he asked?

Turns out that I was speaking with Brent Evans, the artist responsible for the conception and design of these collectible pieces. During my meeting with Evans, he introduced me to Aimee Homan, of the American Forests organization. According to Homan, one of the things American Forests is trying to do is protect and perpetuate trees that have "witnessed" history. "When one of these trees comes down," says Homan, " we want to use the wood to tell the stories of the people."

With the assistance of the American Forests organization, each knife is provided with wood from a historically significant tree. In return, Browning donates a portion of the proceeds to help American Forests plant a "Liberty Forest", consisting of one tree for every member of the American Armed Forces... a total of 1.4 million trees.

There are five knives in the collection: the Liberty Tree knife representing the War of Independence, the Robert E. Lee for the Civil War, the Alamo Bowie representing the famous Mexican/American battle, the Dwight D Eisenhower representing WWII and Normandy, and the Crazy Horse in memory of the Native Americans. A knife from the series will be released each year, starting with the Liberty Tree knife in 2004.

"When I designed these," says Evans, "I wanted designs that represented historical events."

With Evans's ideas, several world-famous American knifemakers were given the opportunity to create the prototype knives.

The Liberty Tree Knife The handle is made from the wood of a 600 year old Tulip Maple, reputed to be the last standing Liberty Tree. The tree fell in a hurricane, and the wood was harvested by American Forests.

1776 of these knives were produced, in reference of course to the opening year of the Revolutionary War.

The Robert E Lee Knife Designed after a popular Confederate fighting knife, the Robert E Lee utilizes wood from Lee's former estate in Arlington, VA.

The Alamo bowie is next in the series. Based on a classic Bowie pattern, the prototype for this knife was also built by Jerry Fisk. Evans told me, "no one really knows what kind of knife Jim Bowie carried, but this design has become synonymous with the Bowie name."

The Alamo Knife Uses the classic Bowie design, although, according to the designer, no one really knows what kind of knife Bowie carried.

The "Ike" Knife This knife is patterned on the venerable M-3 combat knife, carried by many GIs during the D-Day invasion.

Speaking of historical battles, the next knife in the series is the "Ike" knife, named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This knife, prototyped by Jim Crowell, is modeled after the famous M-3 combat knife that was issued to so many soldiers at the time of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Evans said the inspiration for this knife came to him as he held his father's M-3 in his hand. The instantly recognizeable design shines in the Ike knife, while the five stars in the hilt represent Eisenhower's rank (five-star general) at the time of the Normandy invasion. The handle is made of ash, taken from Eisenhower's boyhood home in Texas. 1,944 of these will be produced.

The Crazy Horse knife Hand-knapped obsidian, hand-crafted sheath and beadwork, and a handle made from "sacred" aspen out of the Black Hills make this knife a striking piece of art.

There will be 1,835 of these knives. Evans told me, "The Crazy Horse knife is not tied to a date like the others. I thought it would be more appropriate in remembrance of the massacres of Wounded Knee and Watchita River, so the number relates to the number of dead men, women, and children killed in these battles.

In April of 2004, the Shooting Industry's Academy of Excellence pronounced the Living History knives "Knife of the Year".

You can find out more about these knives, and their availability on the Browning web site.

You can also help plant Liberty Forests to support our armed forces. Go online to www.libertyforests.org and see how you can get involved.