As with most wars, the end of the Civil War left a lot of veterans homeless and out of work. Many chose to strike out to the Western frontier, newly opened by the completion of the transcontinental railroad, and cheap or free land. On the frontier, every man carried a knife. This “spear point bowie” knife was made by Henry Hobson & Sons and is so marked on the ricasso. Hobson was a Sheffield England cutler who used the markings on this knife in 1868 on, producing knives for the American market fueled by the Westward Expansion and Mountain Man fur trade. 5 1/8” double-edged blade, oval brass guard, and cow horn scale grips. Original scabbard with its belt loop intact (seam stitching about half opened.
