Everett Horton Goes Fishing for a Fortune - New England Historical Society

On March 8, 1887, Everett Horton patented his fishing rod of telescoping steel tubes. From the article:

"Everett Horton Goes Fishing for a Fortune - New England Historical Society
Everett Horton was a Bristol, Conn., crinoline hoop-maker who liked to go fishing, even on Sunday. The problem was the Puritanical village condemned the practice.

Fishing poles aren’t easy to hide, so Horton invented a pole of telescoping steel tubes. On March 8, 1887, he received a patent for his fishing pole.

In 1888, he walked into a bank and asked to see the manager. The bank manager wasn’t pleased to see Horton pull his telescoping pole out of his trouser leg. He asked him why he was hiding a fishing pole in his pants.

“So you can sneak off fishing whenever you like, even on Sunday,” said Horton. He promised the invention would make them both rich. It did.

Horton established the Horton Manufacturing Co. and moved into a three-story brick building on North Main Street. By 1907, the company employed 100 workmen year-round making the famous Bristol steel rods.

Fishing enthusiasts condemn them as horrible things, heavy and inflexible, but they were cheap and popular. By the turn of the century they were the most popular rod in the United States. They sold well into the 1930s, when the company was making a range of household items.

Long before that, Horton had sold his interest in the company. The rods can still be found on eBay and at flea markets. The company’s advertisements – created by such well-known illustrators as N.C. Wyeth – were printed as art prints. They are prized by collectors today."