I know what you are thinking.....Daisy is a BB Gun, not a firearm, but Daisy did produce some .22 rimfire rifles over the years, but yes for the most part they were an air rifle company. Their impact on shooters is no less important, so I have included them in this series.
I, like millions of American men, grew up with a Daisy. I owned a Daisy Powerline 880 as a young man and learned the basics (and the love) of shooting with it.
The story of the Daisy Manufacturing Company begins with its founder Clarence J. Hamilton.
Mr. Hamilton got into the rifle business in what could only be described as a round about way.
Clarence was a watchmaker, inventor and businessman.
In 1882 he, along with some investors started the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company to produce a vaneless windmill that Hamilton had invented two years earlier. They built an 8000 square foot brick building on Union Street.
Sometime later, circa 1886, Hamilton began designing a steel air rifle to compete with the Markam Air Rifle that was also made in Plymouth Michigan. He had partnered up with Cyrus A Pinkney. The two founded the Plymouth Rifle Company in 1888.
Hamilton still owned stock in the windmill business, but was hoping to make even more money on the air rifles.
In 1894 the Plymouth Air Rifle Co. suffered a devastating fire. After only 6 years and 4 different models, they didn't have the money to rebuild as they were not insured.
Hamilton did not give up, he took a a sample rifle into the offices of his Plymouth Iron Windmill Company.
On March 6th, 1888 he showed the rifle to the Board of Directors and after General Manager Lewis Hough test fired the gun he exclaimed "Boy, It's a Daisy!".
The word "Daisy" was in common usage back in the late 19th century (if you have seen the movie Tombstone, I'm sure you remember the word being used numerous times by Doc Holliday).
Hamilton's idea was to build the rifles at the windmill plant, since he could not afford to build another factory.
Along the way someone decided to give one away with the sale of each windmill.This helped the sale of windmills, but it really helped make the Daisy rifle a household name.
The gun was renamed the "Daisy" air rifle. After only a year or so the company was making more money selling Daisy rifles than windmills, so the company was also renamed the Daisy Manufacturing Company.
Beginning in the late 30's Daisy began naming models after famous movie and circus stars. Model names like Buzz Barton, Buck Jones, Golden Eagle, Davy Crockett, Zorro, Annie Oakley and perhaps the most popular: Red Ryder.
A deal was struck in 1939 to use the name and image of the comic strip, comic book and movie star.
The Red Ryder model is still produced today....It is believed to be the longest running merchandising agreement in history.
During WWII manufacturing took a hiatus due to a shortage of steel for production of non-essential manufacturing. The company switched to making electrical and other stamped metal components.
One of the biggest fans of the Daisy rifle is Ralphie Parker from the movie A Christmas Story. The movie was loosely based on one Christmas in the life of the author. As a nine year old boy he coveted one thing and one thing only: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200 shot Range Model Air Rifle.
In 1988 Daisy introduced two .22 rimfire rifles, the experiment didn't last long as sales were dismal.
The Daisy Factory sat at the end of Union Street, where Union made a bend to the east and connected with Main Street in Plymouth Michigan.
The picture below, taken in 1956 shows a young Howard Schryer of Plymouth Michigan with his trusty Daisy air rifle, looking across Union Street at the Daisy factory.
In 1958 Daisy Manufacturing uprooted itself and moved to Rogers, Arkansas.
The Daisy building was a landmark in Plymouth. So much so that when the building was torn down, someone decided to try and save the exterior wall that faced Union Street. For years the wall stood alone as a reminder of what was once a large employer in town.
Eventually some Condominiums were built on the old factory grounds. They were named in honor of the company: "Daisy Square". The adjacent roads are now named: Hamilton Street, Daisy Square Parkway, Windmill Drive and Red Ryder Drive.
On Monday November 18th, 2013 the wall was demolished. You can see the video here
The Plymouth Preservation Network sold 200 of the bricks to raise money for other projects.
Before and after comparison.
A historical marker on the left, tells the story of the Daisy Air Rifle and the factory that once stood here.
In 2016, Daisy celebrated 130 years of production (and turning boys into riflemen)
References
Daisy
NRV Outdoors
Field & Stream
Wikipedia
Daisy King
Time Machine
Plymouth Discoveries
Baker Real Estate
Patch
Eye on Michigan
Daisy King
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