When was Nessmuk carried??

Hey fellers, does anyone know what time frame the Nessmuk style knife was carried? I made one today and was wondering if it was PC...Bud

If I recall correctly, Nessmuk the man lived late 19th century. He was a back to nature type fellow, way before his time.

Nessmuk himself was late 19th century, but that style of knife is a bit older and is also called a "Green River" skinner by some folks. Russell makes one like it that they just call the hunting knife pattern. Nessmuk used a Green River skinner and it came to be called a Nessmuk pattern, but he did not invent it. Nice knife you have there. It is a good using pattern, which Nessmuk coupled with a two blade folder and small axe for field use.

Thanks fellas. Was just curious...Bud

I have to disagree. He designed the knife. It's not really anything like a Green River Skinner. It's a third quarter of the 19th c. knife. I just ordered a custom Nessmuck, but it's for hunting and camping only. (not living history)

This is the Nessmuk I have on order.
[url] http://www.outdoors-magazine.com/s_article.php?id_article=179[/url]

swampman, I would like to see your reference for that ("he designed the knife"). I disagree that it is nothing like a Green River skinner. I own three Nessmuk copies and used to have a Green River skinner, but gave it to a friend recently--basically it looks just like the knife the original poster shows (above), except with wood slab handles. Marbles later (early 20th century) modified the pattern to make their popular Woodcraft knife, which I like as a using knife even more. Nessmuk's little book Woodcraft makes an excellent read.

Nifeman, I like your knife, in fact, like it better than the one Swampman ordered but have to agree with Swampman neither look like any Green River skinner that I ever saw.

Deadeye said:

Nifeman, I like your knife, in fact, like it better than the one Swampman ordered but have to agree with Swampman neither look like any Green River skinner that I ever saw.

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Let me clarify: I think you guys are thinking about the "mountain man's" Green River knife--the trade knife, or maybe Russell's sheep skinner style. The knife style known as a Green River skinner is what Russell called their "hunting knife" and its blade shape is like the first one pictured above, with a plain slab handle. The blade is about 4-5" long. I wish I had a photo, but I gave mine away. In the knife collecting world you will find such knives called either Nessmuk or Green River styles pretty much interchangeably. I know Nessmuk designed the little two edged hatchet he carried, and he very well may have designed the blade of the knife--I would like to see the reference, because I was under the impresson that the style pre-existed. No doubt he popularized it and Marble's cashed in on his fame by naming their knife Woodcraft after Nessmuk's book title.

According to the Koval Knife catalog, the Russell knife I am talking about is now called their "sheath knife" blade (try googling up Koval Knives--Russell). It is 4.5" long and makes a good hunting knife. As they state, it is basically a short butcher style. The one I had, marked Russell, was very close to pic#1 above.

Deadeye said:

Nifeman, I like your knife, in fact, like it better than the one Swampman ordered but have to agree with Swampman neither look like any Green River skinner that I ever saw.

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Seems like I started a real discussion here. I looked on one of my affiliate knife forums and found this little read:
Link

Hopefully this will clarify a bit better...Bud

Nifeman said:

Deadeye said:

Nifeman, I like your knife, in fact, like it better than the one Swampman ordered but have to agree with Swampman neither look like any Green River skinner that I ever saw.

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Seems like I started a real discussion here. I looked on one of my affiliate knife forums and found this little read:
Link

Hopefully this will clarify a bit better...Bud

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Here's another link I found after posting this:
Link
If you would, read the part by Dan Schectman. He claims Sears designed the knife...Bud

What I have learned about Nessmuk is that he chose his equipment very carefully. In Chapter 2 of his book "Woodcraft and Camping" he writes in length about traveling a great distance to have his double bitted axe made. He also took a wooden model of the axe to the company. I believe the company was Bushnell. I have lent the book out so I am just going by memory here. I would think that if he went to so much trouble and expense to have his axe made he probably did the same with the knife. He was born in 1821 the Woodcraft book was published in the early 1880's. He sketched the knife in the book indicating he had it before then. From 1850 until the Civil War, even tho frail, he would have probably been in his prime. I have no documentation to back it up, in my opinion he designed the knife and it was made during this time.

If I had Nessmuk's original knife and Jim Bowie's original knife I could retire.

Joe

"This Nessmuk Knife has a 4 3/4" hand forged, flat ground, high carbon steel blade that is 1/8" to 3/16" thick at the hilt and tapers to the tip. The full tang, pinned, 4 1/2" handle can be wood or antler. Starts at $190"
They can keep it for $190 bucks, gee.:shocked2: I can get an "Old Hickory" butcher knife that'll do just as well for about $10 bucks. :blah:

By the way Nifeman, I think you did an outstanding rendition of Nessmuk's knife. I like what you did. How do you plan on carrying it?

Joe

The original Nessmuk is much less curved than the Green River Skinner, it's shorter, and it has the blade tang driven into the antler handle. It is a lot different than the Green River Skinner.

Dan Shechtman is an awesome writer. I have one of his magazine articles I've probably read 40 times.

well, we're beating a dead horse and it probably ain't important, but if you look at Dan Schectman's site (above) the knife he shows is basically a shortened butcher knife style blade. the custom knives on the market are all individual interpretations of Nessmuk's drawings. Like I said, I have three myself. I have no doubt that Nessmuk had the knife custom made for himself and instructed the maker as to the style he wanted. That is not the same as "inventing" it. Just as he did not invent the double bit axe, but had a custom one made to his specs. You all may be correct, but I have not seen documentation that he invented this pattern--just people's guesses--and I thought that the basic tip style was much like pre-existing butcher knives. I also do not know when Russell introduced their 'sheath knife' which has a similar style blade. And I do not know when the term Green River skinner came to be applied, but it seems that there is a relationship between the Russell Green River Works and the name. Being a knife collector, I would like to know.

Swampman said:

The original Nessmuk is much less curved than the Green River Skinner, it's shorter, and it has the blade tang driven into the antler handle. It is a lot different than the Green River Skinner.

Dan Shechtman is an awesome writer. I have one of his magazine articles I've probably read 40 times.

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Once again, you are confusing the old Russell Green River skinner pattern with what I am talking about. The Russell 'sheath knife' pattern is what has become known as the Green River skinner or Nessmuk. I know it is confusing. If you peruse the old custom knife books you will see alot of knives that look like the Nessmuk pattern, but marked Green River pattern. I have been collecting knives for near 40 years, but only relatively recently has there been a revival of the Nessmuk style. All this nomenclature may not mean anything--or it may be a clue as to origins, which I am interested in.

Joe Yanta said:

By the way Nifeman, I think you did an outstanding rendition of Nessmuk's knife. I like what you did. How do you plan on carrying it?

Joe

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Thanks Joe, and thank you all very much. This has been an enlightening experience in one mans history.
Anyway, to answer your question Joe, I'll probably have my better half make one of her simple pouch sheaths for this knife as it's a simple design...Bud

Not trying to pass off TC as a history source, but I cut and pasted the appended text from inside the rear cover of TC's 2005 catelog...I received one of these "Nessmuk" knives as a memento for letting TC use photos of bucks I'd taken with TC Hawken Flintlocks.
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T/C No. 15 "Nessmuk" Knife by Buck

George Washington Sears (pen name: "Nessmuk"), at the age of 59, weighing 105 pounds and weak from pulmonary tuberculosis, canoed the Fulton chain of lakes in the Adirondacks in 1880.

When he went into the Adirondacks, his entire load, including his canoe and two days provisions, never weighed more than 26 pounds.

He favored a "trinity" system of cutting tools; a custom-built double-bit hatchet, a substantial moose-pattern folding knife, and a light, fixed, thin blade knife "handy for skinning, cutting meat, or eating with."

This limited edition "Nessmuk" knife is made exclusively for Thompson/Center by Buck’s Custom Shop”¦Limited to 150 knives, the No.15 knife features a 4 3⁄4” flat grind blade with the distinct "Nessmuk" profile.

Grips are made of North American Elk with a lanyard hole for a thong. Each knife will be marked T/C No.15 "Nessmuk" and serialized 001 through 150...a leather pouch-style sheath is included. No.9203 $161.95