The Arkansas Toothpick - What is it? Bowie Knives & Historical Accounts 

What exactly was the Arkansas Toothpick? We look at some period newspaper accounts. Replica by Windlass: www.museumreplicas.com/battlecry-arkansas-toothpick-knife?affiliate=scholagladiatoria

You kill a guy on a sandbar once and suddenly the history of American fighting knives just poofs out of existence. Thanks for bringing up a classic blade.

Hey, I work for the Historic Arkansas Museum, where we have the original Bowie No. 1. Our specialty is 1830's-1840's Arkansas (around the time Bowie got his knife from James Black), specifically Little Rock, but we have done plenty of research into this for our Knife Gallery. Bowie wanted this knife made because he was a duellist, and a lot of the knives he was seeing on the market didn't really have the handle he was looking for. He wanted a fixed blade, and a handle that he could more easily hold in a handshake grip-- better for thrusts. The double-edged design is actually not what Bowie got from Black originally; Bowie No. 1 was single-edged, about the size of a long seax. It had the kind of broken back or drop point that you see on a lot of seaxes, and that broken back was sharpened for the exact reason you stated: better for thrusting. It functioned essentially as the "false edge," so to speak. After the famous (or infamous) Sandbar Fight, a lot of people came forth saying they wanted "a knife like Bowie's." As not every blacksmith knew exactly what Bowie's knife from James Black looked like, the design fluctuated a lot, and the name basically came to mean "a big knife." From our research, an "Arkansas Toothpick" can honestly refer to any number of blades in the time period. Arkansas was well-known for its knives, tbh. Our resident blacksmith regards the term as kind of an umbrella referring to big knives made in Arkansas in general. If it doesn't already have another name, it's likely to be referred to as an Arkansas Toothpick. Often in our sources, the term "Bowie Knife" and "Arkansas Toothpick" are interchangeable, but sometimes they're not. Naming conventions are weird and mostly arbitrary in a lot of these sources. TL;DR: "a knife like Bowie's" and "an Arkansas Toothpick" are sometimes interchangeable terms in Arkansas in the 1830's-40's, but not always. It's weird and arbitrary and more than a little dependent on the person doing the writing.

As an actual Arkansas swamp person, I approve this video.

As an Arkansasian, I can confirm that this is exactly what we pick our tooth with

My Shawnee Grandmother, referred to any long-bladed knife other than a butcher's knife as a Bowie, except the very long double-edged Arkansas Toothpick, one of which she carried in a sheath under her skirt until her death in the 1970's. Her mother had traveled to Shawnee Kansas on the Trail of Tears with the Cherokee's that went on to Oklahoma, at the end of that winter she was sent to White Oak Oklahoma with many other Shawnees. (circa 1840) My Grandmother was born in 1883 near White Oak.

For whatever it's worth, my father grew up in North Carolina, and he insisted that "Bowie Knife" and "Arkansas Toothpick" meant the same thing. He also said the REAL definition was just "big-ass knife', which might be broad, but seems functionally accurate to me.

Being from the American South myself (mother is from Arkansas) i have observed that much like our axes here in the US, our knife designs tend to be regional in nature & largely dependent on the original region of the old country the people of each state came from. For example the people of Arkansas are mostly German & Celtic so the designs tend to follow that. Where as in places like Minnesota where people are Norwegian etc they had more axes & knives of that design.

I love these "in period" account videos. Also, reporters didn't always know what they were talking about. Same as today. I mean, I feel sorry for researchers in 2124 reading today's newspaper accounts trying to figure out what was going on.

Arkansan here. I live about thirty minutes from Washington AR where the original Bowie was forged and I can tell you the Bowie they have on display that was forged to the dimensions of the original is a beast!

My family has had an Arkansas toothpick passed down as an heirloom for three generations. As an aside, here in Arkansas you see all sorts of long bladed knives called Arkansas Toothpicks. Ours is double edged but I've seen a few shaped like Bowie blades.

Jim Bowie defined a Bowie knife as one 'Heavy enough to split kindling, sharp enough to shave with and wide enough to paddle a canoe'

As an Alabamian, it's illegal to carry a blade longer than three or four inches, *concealed*. You can, technically, wear a sword if you wanted as long as it carried openly. Edit: proud lizard here.

"That's a knife? THIS is a knife!" - Jim Bowie

Jockteleg: a large clasp knife. Collins dictionary says it's Scottish in origin, which makes sense because many Gaelic words end in -lig, or -laig, including the word in Gaelic for Gaelic itself: Gaidhlig. Regarding laws in the different states; I was a police officer in Mississippi about 18 years ago and at that time at least, it was illegal to carry double edged knives all together, while single edged knives under 3 inches of blade length could be carried concealed, and single edged blades of any length could be carried openly unless any particular municipality had additional laws against it. This was supposedly because a single edged knife was for outdoor work while double edged knives were considered to be weapons as a primary function, and especially a weapon favored by thieves and "assasins".

"Jocktileg," from old Scots language, is a small folding pen knife with a handle usually carved in the shape of the lower human leg. Some references spell it as joctileg, jocteleg, etc.

Thank you for another well researched video. Since I was young, well before the Internet, the old-timers in Alabama I knew had referred to Bowie-sized daggers as an "Arkansas Toothpick" and a "Tennesee Toothpick" was a narrow Bowie knife. My guess is the nicknames were varied between regions as well as reporters and authors wanting a more dramatic name in many cases.

Awesome video as per usual. I fell in love with the Arkansas Toothpick when it was depicted in the 1979 made for TV movie "The Sacketts" staring Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott. It's about a family of Welsh immigrants and their trials and travails. A young, but already grizzled Sam Elliot plays Orrin Sackette; a mountain man and gold prospector. In a Wild West bar, Orrin pulls his trusty Arkansas Toothpick to settle a fight with a miscreant trying to steal his gold. He shaves off the man's mustache with that Arkansas Toothpick, much to the amazement and awe of the bar patrons. It was a great scene, with a real hero's knife. It sounds like the Director may have done his homework and depicted the knife correctly in-period. If you haven't scene it, I highly recommend it. On the shifting application of the name, one theory is that the name shifted from a specific type of Western Fighting Knife, to a more general long, slim-bladed Western Fighting Knife. Western Towns had robust gun control laws, contrary to what some Americans will tell you. You seem to have also found knife laws that were passed later in time. If you can no longer legally carry an Arkansas Toothpick, then a folding, long, slim-bladed knife would be a good way to legally carry a good fighting knife. The name naturally shifted over, as language does.

Bowies were often simply referred to as butcher knives. Bowies, Arkansas Toothpicks, etc. tended to be names that could refer to any big fighting knife. Terms seemed to be very fluid and depended on the location and personality of the owner.

Someone may have already said it: Connecticut is the ‘Nutmeg State’ due to in it’s early days ‘Chapman’ ( traveling traders) would commonly be outfitted in this state and one item they where noted for selling was spices such as nutmeg. Wooden Nutmegs were sometimes mixed in with the Chapman’s real nutmegs where it would pick up the smell and be pretty much indistinguishable from the actual nutmegs - allowing the Chapman to augment his supplies by selling ‘Wooden Nutmegs’ ( cheating the buyer) - People from Connecticut are known is 'Nutmegers'

I’ve always found it interesting that Bram Stoker had Dracula killed with a Bowie knife in his story rather than a wooden stake. Could’ve used a toothpick as easily. There is a cool scene in “The Sacketts” TV series where Tell Sackett (Sam Elliott) uses an Arkansas Tooth pick to shave off the mustache of someone who offended him.

I am so glad you mention that the Bowie design goes back as far as medieval times. My wifes family is Scottish and we have photos of deadset bowies in the family collection stemming back to the battles between the English and Scots at Hadrians wall. Jim might have made them popular in the US - but the inventor of the design he was not.

The writing in the encounter with the wolf is 1) amazing, and 2) demonstrates that folk were clearly and actively seeking out creative colloquialisms to use in their descriptive writing. When people are writing like that, they might describe a letter-opener as "An Arkansas Toothpick" if it added color to the story.

I love that knife. I’ve had a difficult time finding one in a good steel that I can afford. Have plenty of hunting type blades. Thanks great Video!

The sheer level of research that you incorporate into each video is always impressive. The impression I get is that an "Arkansas Toothpick" is a large knife wielded by a someone from Arkansas. In similar vagueness as "Samurai Sword"

I love when you read the accounts from journals and newspapers! It's immersive to hear original accounts, but also the slight differences in language they use is so interesting.

As an American and having spent my near 50 years in Appalachia, and with a keen interest in such things, up and down the mountains from the deep south to the foothills of Ohio, an "Arkansas Toothpick" refers always to a symmetric double edged dagger with quilons, provided it is at least 7 inches of blade. The same design but shorter we would call a "Boot Knife" and the Bowie is most certainly a completely separate thing. That is, for at least 100 years it's well understood up and down the country what a toothpick is, and isn't. Generally here a Bowie knife is considered a good camp companion while the toothpick is seen as a weapon with little other use. I'm not saying such definitions are historical, but at least for the entirety of the 20th century there isn't a doubt across 7 states and 900 miles of mountains regarding what an Arkansas Toothpick is.

Oddly if find myself BACK home in Arkansas . Arkansas is well known for its knife makers . Most of the smiths that make knives study the old smiths from Arkansas

Northwestern arkansas Ozark area, my grandfather always laughed about the toothpicks. "Everyone was missing every other tooth..." Meaning, the gap was large enough between teeth to fit and or need a larger knife to clean between their teeth.

This would match my Cold Steel Frontier Bowie really nicely. Beautiful knife.

It could be said we like our knives more than our teeth here. In a history book on our state I read that the Arkansas Toothpick is just another name for the Bowie Knife. It pictured a single bladed traditional Bowie. I am an Arkansas Native. I like yours.

When I was younger, much, I was given to understand the Arkansas Toothpick specifically had a symmetrical blade, in the form of a long, narrow isosceles triangle. The blade triangle was very accute, and straight edged. The example I was shown was diamond cross sectioned, and quite stiff. That last might actually be the "thick back," double-edged form described in one of your entries.

I really love the prose of those old newspaper accounts, and the rather lurid description of wounds given and received as well. Current news outlets refrain from such language!

An an Arkansan, I love this

GOT IT!!! The Windlass Arkansas toothpick from Battle cry blades and I am VERY PLEASED!!! I have several Windlass knives that includes the Cold Steel toothpick, Chieftain seax AND the 1917 Frontier Bowie and now my new one from Battle cry blades, does NOT disappoint!!! Thank you Mr. Easton for showcasing this knife. It is very well built, light and nimble and the 1075 steel makes it a "very" tough blade... LOVE IT!!!❤

I always thought it was a regular bowie knife but one which is more elongated and which comes to a more acute clip point.

Hi! Robert from Texas here. I’m not a historian, but I am a knife collector and lover of all things bladed, and (at least here) we tend to think of Arkansas Toothpicks as being Bowie-type knives that have a longer and narrower blade. Single edged and having the same clip point as a regular Bowie knife, just differently dimensions. I do like the folding knife version a lot, though. It would make sense that the blade would have to be narrower if they were going to make it so you can still use the tip of the blade while it’s folded up. Very cool stuff!

My great uncle was the curator of the Vicksburg Civil War Museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi. There were many examples of the bayonets and blades carried by Confederate soldiers, and there are many examples of various types of Bowie knives. The Arkansas Toothpick is one of them, while they also had the more traditional Sheffield designs, as well as Corsican style with that chef's knife profile. So all examples of large knives of that particular time period are all Bowie knives, no matter which way you cut it 😆

Mr. Easton, I "had to" order that very toothpick! I have several Windlass blades that are all very well built and worth every penny! Thank you for bringing that black toothpick to my attention. As soon as I saw it and who makes it, it became a MUST HAVE!!! Great video here too if I may add...

I was born and live in Texas. I have always said "Bowie", like you do, and not "Boo-ie". The way brits pronounce David BOW-ie is an even better pronunciation i think.

Excellent video as always, Matt! Thanks!

An important point to consider is the references and comparisons to "spanish knives". Around that time period and earlier the Navaja was popular amongst gypsies and the spanish lower classes and was a folding knife of various styles and blade lengths. Some were thin bladed and very long which I could see getting called a "pocket dirk" whereas others had wide clip point blades indistinguishable from many types of bowie knife. Another important point is that in the US we are VERY prone to using generalist terms for anything of like kind. For example both in contemporary sources and even old western movies you'd often find any revolver called a colt or any lever action called a winchester, regardless of their actual manufacturer. I believe it was much the same for the knives in that any particularly large knife came to be referred to as a bowie knife and/or one of its associative slang terms. Calling a large knife a "pig sticker" is still common to this day in many parts of the south were I lived regardless of the design or purpose of the knife or even the fact that not many people in my area hunted or even raised pigs. TLDR I think calling large knives bowie knives or arkansas toothpick is the equivalent of calling sparkling wine "champagne" even if it didnt come from that region of frog land.

In my youth (speaking as a 49-year-old American), I was (mis)informed that the Arkansas Toothpick was simply a nickname for the Bowie. Not until this century did I hear the name being used to refer to a dagger, and THIS video is the very first I've heard of either the peculiar folding Bowies OR the name being applied to them.

You've hit upon another subject that I hold dear to my heart. Very fun.

Glad to happen upon your channel... cheers mate!

Whenever you make videos talking about the mountain man era and old west I get so excited, and now I want to get a Cold Steel Espada because of the folding bowies!

Thanks for the Video. I saw the Arkansas toothpick in a catalog in the 1990's always wanted to buy it, as I was a teenager My mom did not let me. This is the second time I have seen it., I forgot about it until your video:)

As an Arkansan blacksmith and knife maker. I'm happy to see someone get this thing right finally. As this type of knife pre dates the other two Bowie knife types. Also did you know there is a second style of Bowie knife

I grew up in Georgia and I’ve had both and still collect. Love them

I have an Arkansas Toothpick order in at Randall. Just 3 more years to go!

Montanan here, I've always called them BOW-EEE like David Bowie. Alot of americans do.

Fascinating video! Thanks for doing the research!

Great video. Thank you.

The Bowie/Toothpick crossover with the Spanish/Latin American folding Navaja with a clip point blade which could be over 12" long and the fixed blade Facón (that's the knife used by Gauchos) is fascinating.

Thank you for making this video!! I am currently working on thesis about the origins and geological usages.

I have a few bowie knives. My favorite one is the bowie knife in the expendables movie in which I own one. I like the Arkansas toothpick that Stallone used in the expendables movie as well. That I plan to own some day as well. Thank you for sharing your experience and your insight on another American classic knife. 😏👍

Looking forward to the review

You make alot of sense in this video...great job

my two favorites are the USMC Kabar and Fairbarin Sykes fighting knife.

Nice piece.

Thanks, Matt.

Windlass also makes the 1917 frontier Bowie from Cold Steel. And is very good quality knives.

Excellent video. I live a few miles from Old Washington, Arkansas. Pretty interesting town with some excellent knife history.

Mat, who made the Bowie you show at the beginning? And are somewhere detailed pictures of that guard, maybe with the front side? Looks really interesting. I got a 9" Bowie blade with coffin shaped fulltang from John Nowill & Sons and Im planning to make a similar shaped Bowie but with white Moose horn scales. Everything is only at planning stage yet. Im not sure about the size, shape and decoration (if any) of the handguard and this piece is quite an inspiration.

Very interesting. Thanks.

Hey Arkansan here, my family has one of these that has been passed down for generations. Not sure how far back. But yeah, Arkansas Toothpick, Bowie knife, big ass knife are all used interchangeably here.

Kudos to Matt for pronouncing Arkansas correctly. Not all Americans managed that. I'm not a native, but the USAF stationed me at Little Rock AFB for almost 20 years.

I think you're right about terminology changes as time passes. From what I understand, bowie knife at the start was simply a large frontier knife. Larger then a regular knife but smaller than a machete. Then, over time, they got different names as they started to fall into their own category. So I mean, I think it both. First, as a long slender dirk, then as a foldable long knife, likely of the same dirk style. As I imagine, folding the traditional bowie shape the handle would be vary thick.

I wouldn’t feel bad carrying that in dark scary places

Surprisingly interesting topic. The knife looks really good.

I own several of interpretations and I LOVE THEM!!!!

The nutmeg reference for New Hampshire is due to the popularity of the spice which came in a form somewhat similar to an acorn which you'd grind to make the powder for your food. It's somewhat derogatory as it wasn't uncommon for certain "Yankee traders" to carve a regular piece of wood into the shape of the nutmeg to make a counterfeit.

My favorite knife I'm stoked.

Thank you very much for letting me know where I can purchase one

Do you have a video of your WHOLE collection?? I'd definitely watch!!!

Love this series, but I've been hyper fixated on Kit, particularly blades, from this period since, at the latest, I was 3... which was almost 64 years ago. Thank you for doing the background work. I've run into some of the things you've mentioned, including the background fro the Middle Ages, before. I have found it quite difficult to get the internet to return answers to the questions I've asked. You have helped me with research techniques herein! Primary Source Documents are almost always better!

Correct, these were (both the Bowie and Arkansas Toothpick) were simply brought back into fashion by the two examples now associated with the styles. Most of the famous WWI and II combat knives were also NOT NEW, yet their "creators" get hero worship and accolades for their development. That said, for daily carry and personal defense the Dirk is, in my view, the better of the two. For wilderness or woodcraft (along with for personal defense), the Bowie would be my choice. As for the way the terms seem to change over time or use.... keep in mind, that back then, as is often the case now, those writing about things didn't know what the heck they were talking about. LOL So it is much like "It was on the internet, so it must be true". ;) Cheers!

Very nice. Told me more than I ever thought to ask my friends who make knives for sale.

As an Arkie descendant, and a toothpick myself (hey, I'm skinny. What?) I appreciate you taking the time to set this record straight. Well, as straight as it could be... I'm a believer that the Arkansas Toothpick is a folding lintel lock blade, that is hilted and has a bossel and pommel where the blade is a third longer than the handle.

In downtown Little Rock, Arkansas is the Historic Arkansas museum. They have a exhibit on the Bowie Knife.The curator of the exhibit and formerly of the museum is Bill Worthen while who also happens to be the foremost expert on the Bowie knife.

Thanks!

As someone who spent most of their childhood in Arkansas, I can confirm, both knives and toothpicks exist interchangeably.

Fascinating video, thanks for posting. I'd imagine a lot may be down to period marketing? Most folding bowies I've owned have been Victorian but examples exist from the 1830's. I wonder if the term generally refers to a thin slender blade predominantly made for thrusting.

What is the bowie knife at the beginning of the video? Looks very nice!

Another great video. Can you do a video on the paddle knife? I think the paddle knife is interesting because photos of them show that they were double edged with a flat cross section.

as someone who knows the difference between a toothpick and a short sword, I can confirm that this is a short sword.

You sure do have a nice collection

The Alabama meat cleaver is now known as the Smithsonian Bowie if you really care. It is very thick and does look like a cleaver with a point and a central handle.

in NY pistol and rifle v Bruen the US supreme court ruled that any weapons law has to have a equivalent law from the time of the Founding to the Reformation; in which all of the laws from the 19th century mentioned and prior laws that fostered this knife-fighting culture are and were Constitutional infringements. Cool video! I love bowies and this form is especially magnificent.

Texan here. The knife laws were very enforced and never forgotten until revoked. Police do not forget reasons to fluff their arrest record.

Im assuming this channel is all about blades? I like knives. The older the better. Definitely have a soft spot for military blades, especially KA-BARS

I'm an Arkansas bladesmith. Not saying that means i know anything 😁 but i have gotten to talk to many other bladesmiths and blade historians. Acording to most that ive talked to the Arkansas toothpick is actually a Bowie #1 made by James Black with his iconic coffin shaped handle.

in "Bowie knife fights and fighters" by Paul Kricher it is mentioned that in the 1830s and 40s the term Arkansas Toothpick and Bowie knife seems to have been used interchangeably possably compounded by the fact that the Bowie knife did not seam to take on its modern aspect untill about the 1850s as the knife used in the Sand Bar Fight was only described in the press as a large butcher knife

Seems like the term evolved the following ways: A. A pocket knife used to pick your teeth. B. A massive folding knife as a joke/understatement. C. A double edged dirk design named after the joke. D. Circling back to "B" the Bowie knife as a huge knife became an "Arkansas Toothpick". Basically all knives can be an Arkansas Toothpick, and a Bowie knife especially so for humerous purposes.

this looks like a very effective knife in a knife fight. only thing that worries me that it might be slightly to heavy. but with the reach and the strong thrust it would be force to reckon with in a knife fight.

I am picturing one of those folding bowies with the clip point sharpened. Now if only the clip point was sticking out it would look a lot like a double-edged toothpick style knife. Just a theory. Love the content and keep up the great work! 😀👍

Also makes a great thrower too.

Would love to see a video on the bronze age halberd! Love the channel! Watch all your videos

Some of those other knife styles you mentioned would be fun to see (quick image search didn't turn much up) "Alabama meat ax knife", "Missouri Measure knife" etc

I am so happy I live in Texas and blades, swords, guns are all legal to carry now. Bowie knife man myself. Carried one on active duty Marine Corps, Afghanistan 2002.