. . "A butcher knife or butcher's knife is a knife designed and used primarily for the butchering and/or dressing of animal carcases.During the late 18th century to mid-1840s, the butcher knife was a key tool for mountain men. Simple, useful and cheap to produce, they were used for everything from skinning beaver, cutting food, self-defense, and scalping. During this time John Wilson, of Sheffield, England, was a major exporter of this type of knife to the Americas."@en .