Jordan the Rodmaker: A Biography of Wesley D. Jordan at Cross - South Bend - Orvis

(frontis), (4), 194 pp., (2) One hardcover copy, inscribed and dated in year of publication on the FFEP. Jordan the Rodmaker chronicles the life of Wesley D. Jordan The art of rodmaking fell into place when by happenstance the opportunity arose in 1919 with the startup of the Cross Rod Company. Owner and boss W.R. Forsyth engaged him to learn the craft of rodmaking, and he soon found himself crafting bamboo fly rods that were as good as almost any sold. Thus began a lifelong romance with bamboo and his start in life as a self-taught rodmaker. His career derailed by the death of Forsyth in 1925, the Forsyth heirs sold the company and its machinery to the South Bend Bait Company. As a condition of the sale, South Bend purchased the services of Jordan along with his patent pending reel seat. Wes journeyed to Indiana and a six-month agreement of employment became a stay of almost 13 years. As rod factory superintendent, the company produced as many as 5000 rods a week during the heart of the Great Depression. In 1938, a dispirited Jordan left South Bend, but he soon received a call in 1939 to join the legendary C.F. Orvis Co. in Manchester, Vermont as their superintendent-rodmaker. Although the firm had fallen on hard times, through dedication to excellence and his patented waterproof impregnation of bamboo, the company survived and prospered through the difficult periods of war, bamboo shortages and the challenge of fiberglass rods. Over his 33 years Orvis grew from a company in receivership with two employees to one in a leading position of prominence in the industry. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.…