Known as one of the toughest men of his era, his death could have been blamed on a broken heart. After Jim Bowie received word his wife and two children died in a Cholera epidemic in 1833 while he was on a trip to Louisiana, Jim ran from his pain into his death at the Alamo in 1836. The Alamo was the end of Jim’s travels that saw him spend time in Thibodaux, along with other areas of Louisiana and the United States, during his 41 years.

The Bowie family came to Louisiana from Tennessee in 1802 and settled in what is now Rapides Parish. As young men, Jim and his brothers, Stephen, John and Rezin, headed further South to fight in the Battle of New Orleans. It was there Jim befriended the famous pirate Jean Lafitte.

In 1819, the Bowies descended upon Bayou Black, near the current location of Southdown Plantation in Houma.

It was during the Bowies’ time in Bayou Black that the famous Bowie knife was developed. The Bowie knife is said to have been invented by Rezin, while some think Jim or possibly others created it.

Historians agree the idea for the weapon came after Jim was fighting an Indian with a butcher knife, and it slipped out of his hand, cutting him. The Bowie knife is made with a guard between the handle and the blade, and there is a blade backing of brass to catch the knife of an enemy.

The Bowie knife saved Jim’s life on many occasions. Because he was often on the move acquiring land, he came across a number of confrontations, none of which he was ever accused of starting.

He gained the reputation of being a feared knifeman and was known as the toughest man around. Men planned fights with Jim to find out if the rumors were true: they were.

The Bowies lived near present-day Houma until the Atchafalaya River flooded its banks, putting the Bowie farm underwater. With suggestion from Lafitte, the Bowies sought higher ground on Bayou Lafourche in 1828.

The brothers then began purchasing adjoining plantations, forming a 1,500 acre estate they called Acadia, located next door to the current location of Nicholls.

While in Thibodaux, the Bowies continued to run a slave trade operation, but they also began to get involved in the sugarcane industry and built Louisiana’s first steam-powered sugar mill.

With the additions of backlands, Acadia grew to 2,100 acres. Acadia would go on to be owned by Phillip Barton Key (nephew of Francis Scott Key) and Andrew Donelson, (nephew of Andrew Jackson.)

In 1830 Stephen became sheriff of Lafourche Parish and Jim soon bored with plantation life. He headed for Texas to search for gold and speculate land. It was there, in 1831, Jim married Ursula Bermendi, daughter of the Vice-Governor of Texas and had two children, a son James and a daughter Jamie.

While Jim was a feared man of his time he was also intelligent, well-respected and admired by those who knew him. He was welcomed in the finest Louisiana homes and had a deep respect for nature. Documents show he developed a strong relationship with John James Audubon.

Jim Bowie Park in Houma, as well as Bowie Road and Bowie Fire Co. in Thibodaux are strong reminders of the mark the Bowie family has left on the South Louisiana region.

How Col. Jim Bowie died at the Alamo with the likes of Davey Crockett and others, is still up for debate. Some historians say he was one of six survivors who lived through the battle of the Alamo and was shot in conclusion, while others offer a more dramatic ending.

On the 12th day of fighting, Texas Col. William Barret Travis was rumored to have drew a line in the dirt, challenging all that wanted to stay and fight to cross it, even though they were outnumbered 30-to-1.

Bowie too weak to stand from pneumonia, was asked to be carried across the line.

On the final day of battle, Jim was the last to die after Mexican soldiers stormed his room to find him with a pair of pistols and his namesake knife. In the end, Jim fought the Mexicans before being killed and joining the heap of dead Mexicans on the floor.