I remember reading somewhere awhile back that the late great "Blue Jacket " Sanders found a knife that looked like the H.B. camp knife stamped Sublette and Campbell
So...maybe that style of knife first appeared in 1830's or 40's.
Recent article in latest Muzzlloader mag about their trek across the west in winter to supply a rendevous. In fact it was this very article in which it states due to hardship they ate their pack dog, that i was admonished for by many dog lovers telling me nobody would ever eat their dog.
Having known Blue Jacket well, I would say that knife stood a very good chance of being an excellent fake!
Why?
Phil made some of the best fakes ever, of knives, tomahawks, rifles and revolvers.
Gee, I hope he didn't sell them as originals. I thought that'd be early for a Hudson Bay camp knife.
We won't get into that.
Short answer yes along with Blackfoot dags both Sheffield made articles I used to know makers but I think there all dead might be some younger ones took them up but the ones I got made the Dags mostly But Freddy James used to make the HB for some US dealer might have been Atlanta Cutlery Bill some thing he was a great scrounger of old stock in the town . Fred made lots of Bowies .I used to buy from the Middleton's out at Half Way But they used their Dads old Rockingham Street mark or My mark as'Factor' Dirks, dags ,& Bowies all grist to the mill but ile never see Sheffield again . I used to buy the steel down West Bar then tie it to my' Company Viecle' (Push bike ) and get it up of Broomspring Lane where Georgy Watts would smith out the blades for the Middletons to grind . all gone I used to buy flasks from Dixons Cornish place but that's all gone too .Though just my view Ide never hump such a big knife But that trade would be water borne in great part . .
Any merchant could get any item stamped with his company mark.' London sounds good 'most gun & cutlery would be Birmingham or Sheffield .Cutlers didn't care what stamp the customer wanted so long as they got paid that mattered most .If a firm only made carvers, skinners ect & the merchant wanted scissors they didnt decline just sent their mark to a firm that did make scissors . Crooked knives and Indian awls what ever I had 'crooked knives' R or Left hand with my mark a small bear with an imperfect back the small change of the fur trade . Somewhere I have a pattern drawing of a Camp Knife & Bucks Co had some Dag blades size went on use dag or spear , war club ect point Sorbys did them originally nothing flash just tools .The Bowies all sorts got Middleton or My mark Dirks &
Well you two dropped lucky perhaps as in sorting out my old stuff and theres three pages of HB camp knives & the Blackfoot dags the sizes I had made one being for Geoff Flint of Ingle wood Ontario .Been many moons since but hope Geoff wont mind you see the Wolstenholme's knife was a supeiror knife compared to the Coulson article Freddy James & Think his wife Ivey worked & latterly Freddy ran" Washington" works such was the Volume of the US trade .They where up a passage on Broomspring lane When Freddy died, Ivey still kept working was always good to see them like a time warp great character's just Maybe Stan Shaw has a little place up Garden Street near Pettys old works . The potential was huge bur few young people would get into the trade I knew a lot of the old cutlers But the Communist Counsel regarded such trades an embarrasment & the Cutlers Hall hosted Steel works executives who could'nt make a knife if they tried '.Big Cutlers Feast 'complete sham.whlle the real Cutlers worked in garrets & dingey holes Like Colin Sampson who mostly made Sykes Fairburn,s in an alley off West street. Bloody Rickarts a German ruined the trade with cheep rubbish & the Mighty' Cutlers Hall' did nothing to stop them .Richards ' Gas lamp ' brand of tack . Still I'le never see Sheffield again I've about run my run Oh but what a run If they shot me tomorrow
Surprising no one considered my drawings worth a 'Like ' There the Real Mcoy right out of Sheffield I don t have to speculate I was right in there . Born there Ime as good as a ' Document ' you could say Plenty I knew could tell you more but most of them are long dead . I think it was Chaucer who wrote "He wore a Sheffield thwikle in his hose " Might have been in his ' Pilgrims progress' long before Columbus or even Leif Ericson or Brendon .if not sure re last two mentioned. dates
