James Bowie - Legacy

Legacy

Despite his continual pronouncements of wealth, Bowie's estate was found to be very small. His possessions were auctioned for only $99.50. His larger legacy is his position as "one of the legendary characters of the American frontier." Bowie left a "frustratingly sparse paper trail" of his life, and for many "where history failed, the legends prevailed." Although Bowie's name and knife were well known during his lifetime, his legend grew after October 1852, when DeBow's Review published an article written by his brother John Jones Bowie called "Early Life in the Southwest—The Bowies." The article focused primarily on the exploits of Jim Bowie. Beginning with that article, "romanticized stories" about Bowie began appearing in national press. In many cases, "these stories were pure melodrama, with Bowie rescuing some naïve planter's son or damsel in distress." Jim Bowie was inducted posthumously into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 1988 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia, in recognition of the impact that his eponymous design made upon generations of knife makers and cutlery companies.

A number of films have depicted the events of the Battle of the Alamo, and Bowie has appeared as a character in each. The Last Command by Republic Pictures features Jim Bowie (Sterling Hayden) as the main character during the battle of the Alamo and the Texas War of Independence. From 1956 to 1958, Bowie was the subject of a television show, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, which was primarily set in 1830s Louisiana, although later episodes ventured into the Mexican province of Texas. The show, which starred Scott Forbes, was based on the 1946 novel Tempered Blade. Alan Ladd played Jim Bowie in the 1952 movie The Iron Mistress. Richard Widmark starred as Jim Bowie in John Wayne's 1960 movie The Alamo (1960 film). Jason Patric played Bowie in the 2004 film The Alamo.

Bowie also is the namesake of rock star David Bowie, who was born David Robert Hayward-Jones. Jones changed his name in the 1960s because he feared his name was too similar to Davy Jones, a member of the already famous The Monkees. He chose the surname Bowie because he admired James Bowie and the Bowie knife.

Bowie, Texas, Bowie County, Texas, and Bowie Street in Downtown San Antonio are all named in honor of Jim Bowie.