OUR BEGINNING.....In the summer of 1998, we retired, remarried, and relocated to the great Northwest, leaving behind much-too-busy schedules, crazy traffic, polluted air, frustrated people, and stress levels that were bound to kill us both.  We didn't know exactly where we were going to "land", but a severe foot injury for Julia, incurred on our very first day in Montana,
made the decision unquestionably easy.

We had big dreams of what our retirement years might be like, but all too soon they were replaced with the realities of life. We discovered very quickly, out of necessity, that we had to find something challenging, yet fun, for "cushioning the coffers". Two summers after "settling in", we checked out Trout Creek's Annual Huckleberry Festival.  Gary was ready to go back home after 5 minutes of strolling through the park, but Julia hadn't even begun to see all the exciting arts and crafts booths!! When she balked at having to go home too soon, Gary told her there were no exciting booths for "guys". One evening that winter, while cozying up to the woodstove, we were discussing how Gary had been making knives for himself, with whatever materials he could find, since he was
9 years old; so why couldn't he make knives for other guys? After a slight hesitation on Julia's part,
we agreed to do whatever was necessary to make Gary's idea a reality; and so.....
the "Trout Creek Knives" idea was born, and our journey had begun.

OUR CURRENT STATUS.....We're keeping our "noses to the grindstone" - literally.  Gary makes close to 50 knives per year; most are accompanied by custom sheaths.  He takes time out to go ice fishing for Northern Pike when there's ice on the river (however, it's warming up now, with the gradual return of Spring temperatures, so - no more ice!), and to hunt (we didn't have enough snow during the hunting season to push the animals down from the higher elevations, thus a less-than-perfect season) so.....he's back in the knife shop!! Julia and the music group of which she is a part
(Crystal River Live - crystalriverlive.info) has just finished recording a new CD, and it is now available to the public. She is making plans to visit her family in California, and her grandchildren in Idaho soon, while making sure, at the same time, that the knife business stays on an even keel.
We're looking forward to whatever awaits us in the year ahead with our various adventures, and in every facet of our lives. 2008 ought to be great!

OUR VISION.....It is our intent to continue to stay in the "middle ground" of the knife market - somewhere between the not-long-enduring box store knives and the exclusively-crafted collector’s knives. We just want to be honest, fair, and "above board"; making good, trusty knives that lend themselves to the rigors of the working man's world, and to the budget of the working man's wallet.