85R2239 JGH-D
 
  By: Springer, Bernal H.C.R. No. 32
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, Forever associated with Jim Bowie and the heroic
  Battle of the Alamo, the Bowie knife has long been a vivid and
  colorful symbol of the history and heritage of Texas; and
         WHEREAS, It is thought that the first Bowie knife was made by
  Rezin Bowie, Jim's brother, during the 1820s, when the two siblings
  were in business together in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana; after Jim
  was involved in a gunfight, Rezin gave him the large hunting knife
  for personal protection, and in September 1827, in the chaotic
  aftermath of a duel near Natchez, Louisiana, Jim used it to stab an
  assailant who was trying to kill him; the story of the "Sandbar
  Fight" ensured Jim's reputation as a deadly knife fighter, and all
  across the South, men began to ask blacksmiths to make them a knife
  like Jim Bowie's; and
         WHEREAS, The weapon's fame grew when Jim Bowie took it with
  him to Texas, and he and other defenders of the Alamo are thought to
  have used the knives during the battle; the Bowie knife later became
  popular with the Texas Rangers who served under the legendary Jack
  Hays and Ben McCulloch, as well as with Confederate soldiers, who
  were known to engrave "Sunny South" and other mottoes on the blades
  of their knives; and
         WHEREAS, During an era when guns often misfired, the Bowie
  knife was a valuable back-up weapon, and schools were set up to
  teach the technique of using the blade in a fight; knife makers
  throughout the country met the increasing demand by creating
  versions of the blade, and a journalist in Louisiana wrote that "all
  the steel in the country, it seemed, was immediately converted into
  Bowie knives"; they became internationally famous as well, and
  cutlers in the English steel town of Sheffield began crafting
  models that featured elaborately etched titles and slogans, such as
  "Arkansas Toothpick," "Rio Grande Camp Knife," and "Americans Never
  Surrender"; and
         WHEREAS, The blade became less widely used as firearms became
  more reliable, but it has continued to be popular with hunters and
  collectors; designs have varied over the years, but today, the
  Bowie knife typically features a steel blade that is at least an
  inch and a half wide and eight inches long and between 3/16 and 1/4
  inch thick, with a clip point that gives the weapon its distinctive
  shape; the knife's handle often incorporates an S-shaped guard,
  with the upper part angled forward so as to catch an opponent's
  blade during a fight; and
         WHEREAS, In 1958, one scholar wrote that "in the history of
  American arms, three weapons stand out above all the rest: the
  Kentucky rifle, the Colt's revolver, and the Bowie knife"; since
  the days of the Alamo, the knife has served as an evocative reminder
  of Texas' storied past, and it is forever linked with the fierce and
  independent spirit of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby designate the Bowie knife as the official State Knife of
  Texas.