GOODWIN GRANGER ADVERTISING IN THE IST ERA (1919 – 1922)

While Goodwin Granger may have started building rods as early as 1914, the first ads to offer them for sale began in April of 1919.

The first ads from 1919 were simple and small—about 2″ wide. Granger considered the dry climate & elevation in Denver as a unique selling point and also touted a better power-to-weight ratio than “other rods”. It seems as if he was trying to differentiate himself from the East Coast rod makers of the day. Even these first ads from 1919 mention the availability of a catalog, yet none have surfaced to date. (If you know of any catalogs from this time period, please contact us.)

Ads from 1920 and 1921 highlight a more refined approach. Granger encourages customers to “Send me an order… that suits your pocketbook, tell me the kind of fishing for which you wish to use the rod… and I’ll send you a rod that will satisfy you in every respect.” This suggests that Granger was perhaps willing to customize rods for his customers’ needs. An ad from March 1921 also supports this: “There is a Granger rod for every kind of fishing. Special rods made to order.” There may have been as many as 4 grades offered before 1921 (4 prices listed in June 1920 ad), but that was reduced to 3 grades by March 1921. Interestingly, the 1921 ads all suggest that there may be another early color Goodwin Granger catalog: “Send for free circular, with rods illustrated in actual colors.”  (Again, if you know of any catalogs from this time period, please contact us.)

Goodwin Granger himself was experimenting with rod design during this time—especially in 1921 when he was introduced to the sport of Tournament Casting.

Ads from 1922, discuss the “new Deluxe and Premier models.”  The earliest 1st era rods were all labeled “The Granger Rod”—regardless of grade. It is believed that standardizing the model names at this time was an easier way to sell and market the differences between the rods that Granger offered at the time.

All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER & CO.” as the business entity and the addresses is consistent in this era at “East Ninth Ave., Denver, Colorado”.

You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.

All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.
April 1919 Outdoor Life - First Granger Ad
April 1919 Outdoor Life - First Granger Ad
April 1919 Field & Stream Ad
April 1919 Field & Stream Ad
April 1919 Outers Recreation Ad
April 1919 Outers Recreation Ad
June 1919 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1919 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
April 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
April 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1920 Field & Stream Ad
June 1920 Field & Stream Ad
August 1920 Outers Recreation Ad
August 1920 Outers Recreation Ad
March 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
June 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
March 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
May 1922 Outers Recreation Ad
May 1922 Outers Recreation Ad

GOODWIN GRANGER ADVERTISING IN THE IST ERA (1919 – 1922)

While Goodwin Granger may have started building rods as early as 1914, the first ads to offer them for sale began in April of 1919.

The first ads from 1919 were simple and small—about 2″ wide. Granger considered the dry climate & elevation in Denver as a unique selling point and also touted a better power-to-weight ratio than “other rods”. It seems as if he was trying to differentiate himself from the East Coast rod makers of the day. Even these first ads from 1919 mention the availability of a catalog, yet none have surfaced to date. (If you know of any catalogs from this time period, please contact us.)

Ads from 1920 and 1921 highlight a more refined approach. Granger encourages customers to “Send me an order… that suits your pocketbook, tell me the kind of fishing for which you wish to use the rod… and I’ll send you a rod that will satisfy you in every respect.” This suggests that Granger was perhaps willing to customize rods for his customers’ needs. An ad from March 1921 also supports this: “There is a Granger rod for every kind of fishing. Special rods made to order.” There may have been as many as 4 grades offered before 1921 (4 prices listed in June 1920 ad), but that was reduced to 3 grades by March 1921. Interestingly, the 1921 ads all suggest that there may be another early color Goodwin Granger catalog: “Send for free circular, with rods illustrated in actual colors.”  (Again, if you know of any catalogs from this time period, please contact us.)

Goodwin Granger himself was experimenting with rod design during this time—especially in 1921 when he was introduced to the sport of Tournament Casting.

Ads from 1922, discuss the “new Deluxe and Premier models.”  The earliest 1st era rods were all labeled “The Granger Rod”—regardless of grade. It is believed that standardizing the model names at this time was an easier way to sell and market the differences between the rods that Granger offered at the time.

All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER & CO.” as the business entity and the addresses is consistent in this era at “East Ninth Ave., Denver, Colorado”.

You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.

All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.
April 1919 Outdoor Life - First Granger Ad
April 1919 Outdoor Life - First Granger Ad
April 1919 Field & Stream Ad
April 1919 Field & Stream Ad
April 1919 Outers Recreation Ad
April 1919 Outers Recreation Ad
June 1919 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1919 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
April 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
April 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1920 Field & Stream Ad
June 1920 Field & Stream Ad
August 1920 Outers Recreation Ad
August 1920 Outers Recreation Ad
March 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
June 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
March 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
May 1922 Outers Recreation Ad
May 1922 Outers Recreation Ad