Without a doubt, one of the all-time great American success stories has got to be the Daisy company, this nation's largest and oldest manufacturer of youth-oriented BB guns.

Many folks may not be aware this mammoth producer of BB guns really had its genesis as a manufacturer of windmills way back during the 1880s in Plymouth, Michigan.

Indeed, the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company went into business in 1882. However, times were hard for the fledgling windmill manufacturer and, by 1888, the company was on the brink of liquidation when a stroke of pure good fortune changed the sinking company into what would become a legendary American institution.

Lewis C. Hough, treasurer and general manager of the Plymouth Iron Windmill Co., was visited by a young local inventor named Clarence J. Hamilton. The latter brought along a weird-looking gun made almost entirely of cast iron and folded metal, with a skeletonized wire stock. Employing a simple spring-piston power plant cocked by a lever along the top of the receiver, Hamilton's odd contraption shot lead BBs dropped down into the muzzle. Hamilton loaded and cocked the strange-looking contraption and urged Hough to have a go at it. Upon pulling the trigger and hearing the BB strike the wastepaper basket with oomph, Hough's amazement led him to utter the famous phrase: "Boy, that's a daisy!" From his last word was born the company that would bring happiness and a solid start into the shooting sports to countless generations of youngsters for more than a century.

New Life

Lewis Hough was so impressed by Hamilton's unusual airgun an agreement to manufacture it was soon struck. Thus, anyone who purchased a windmill from the struggling company would receive one of the little single-shot BB guns as a premium. In a short time, however, word of the nifty little BB gun got around and folks with no need for windmills were asking to buy BB guns. Therefore, by the late 1880s the board of directors of the Plymouth Iron Windmill Co. opted to get out of the shaky windmill business altogether and plunged headlong into the manufacture of BB guns.

Several years and BB-gun models later, the Daisy Manufacturing Company had grown into a major entity among airgun manufacturers both here and abroad. Daisy's design and sales teams were able to offer their innovative products through highly imaginative advertising. Daisy eventually absorbed or drove out of business most of its competitors, emerging as the world's foremost producer of BB guns. Currently named Daisy Outdoor Products, the company still holds a leading position in the world of airguns.

Moving from Plymouth, Michigan, to Rogers, Arkansas, in 1958, Daisy continued to flourish with dozens of highly popular BB-gun models. In the early 1970s Daisy began producing more adult-oriented BB and pellet guns under its Power Line logo. These have also proven immensely popular, further reinforcing Daisy's position as an airgun-producing giant.

Although Daisy's corporate headquarters are still located in Rogers, its main production facility was relocated to nearby Neosho, Missouri, some 10 years ago. The Neosho facility is popularly referred to as "The Cave" because it is actually located in a huge complex of caves formerly used by the US government to store tons of paperwork.

The airgun production facility at Neosho covers about 200,000 square feet, of which roughly 60,000 square feet are assigned to production.

Assembly, testing and quality control are all located within the same complex. Daisy's ability to produce airguns can reach a staggering 10,000 units per day when running at full capacity. The company also produces gargantuan amounts of BBs, of course. In fact, approximately 60,000 pounds of BBs are manufactured and packaged daily to satisfy the needs of an everexpanding BB-gun market. The BB production plant is now located in another town not far from Neosho.

Family

The many small communities surrounding their headquarters and production facilities supply Daisy's manpower needs. The Neosho work force usually numbers just over 200 employees, although more are normally hired on a seasonal basis, such as during the weeks leading up to Christmas. The working environment is as pleasant and competitive as that of any modern manufacturing plant. There is a 10-hour/4-day workweek. Employees clearly take pride in their work and often refer to themselves as members of the "Daisy family."

Besides Daisy's gigantic airgun production facilities, another important aspect of this company has become a tourist attraction in its own right. The Daisy Airgun Museum, located in downtown Rogers, is currently maintained by the Rogers Department of Parks and staffed jointly by Daisy personnel, as well as Department of Parks employees. Anyone with an interest in the history of airguns would enjoy this museum.

The museum houses a complete collection of Daisy guns going all the way back to the original design of Clarence Hamilton. These valuable airguns are displayed in chronological order. There are also samples of BB guns from Daisy's many early competitors, as well as impressive displays of vintage Daisy ads, literature and other memorabilia dating back to the company's early years. Interesting in their own right, this early Daisy literature shows clearly how Daisy's history has been an integral part of American folklore for more than a century.