THE BLADESMITHS

In an era of outsourcing and declining "Made in America" products, Ruana Knives has been making and selling its wares in the same shop in Bonner, Montana for over 75 years. Rudy Ruana began making knives in the 1920's when he was a farrier in the United States Cavalry. He made his first knives for Blackfeet Indians in need of a better tool for skinning horses. He continued to perfect his process, and opened his first shop in Bonner in the 1950's. After he passed away in 1986, he was posthumously inducted into the American Bladesmith Society Hall of Fame. His son-in-law, Vic Hangas, and his grandsons Mark and Mike, carried on the business that Rudy started. They still use the same methods and much of the same equipment that Rudy invented half a century ago. Ruana knives are known in the industry as some of the most well crafted blades in America. Rudy's older knives are coveted by collectors around the world. Knives that sold for $15 in the 1950's now sell to collectors for as much as $3,500. This is truly original knife making, and this is a genuine story of a deep family tradition, rooted in old-fashioned Montana history.