Kingfisher, OK, seems an unlikely beginning for a business that was to one day have such a profound impact on the worlds of travel and camping. But bringing light to this prairie settlement is exactly how the story begins.
If W.C. Coleman had been blessed with better eyesight, he might have become a lawyer as he had planned and escaped the world’s notice. But his eyesight was bad, so bad that he often relied on friends in class to read for him.
A lamp in the window of an Alabama drugstore caught Coleman’s attention. It was brighter than anything he had ever seen, and when he inquired about it, he discovered mantles instead of wicks. And instead of coal oil, this strange lamp burned gasoline under pressure.
The lamp’s light was brilliant and under its clean, white illumination, Coleman could read even the smallest of print. When he learned that the lamp’s maker was looking for salesmen, he plunked down the money he had scraped together to finish his last year of law school.
W.C. Coleman was in business, and he had a great idea: Sell the lamps to the merchants of Kingfisher who wanted to keep later shop hours.
Recently bamboozled by a shady “lighting” salesman, however, the merchants of Kingfisher were having none of Coleman’s new-fangled lamp. He couldn’t sell even one.
Undeterred, Coleman began offering a lighting service instead of the lamps. To seal the deal, he inserted a clause promising if they didn’t get light, they wouldn’t have to pay. That did the trick.
Before long, Coleman’s service was radiating out from its humble beginning in Kingfisher. In 1902 he set up shop in Wichita, Kansas.
Purchasing the inventory and patents for the Efficient Lamp, Coleman probably still didn’t realize he was setting out to build a legend. He had serviced the lamps and was sure he could improve the design.
In those early years, electric service was unpredictable at its urban best and at its worst, simply unavailable in rural areas. Coleman introduced a portable lamp in 1909 that became a mainstay of the rural home.
In 1914 came the lantern that would make the company famous. With 300 candlepower, the new lantern could shine good light into every corner of a barn, extending workable light in every direction for 100 yards.
Coleman’s new product changed everything. It lengthened the productive workday of farmers and ranchers. It reshaped rural life. It became a war hero in WWI, with tens of thousands being pressed into service. By 1920 the young company was producing 50,000 units.
When the war ended, so did a lot of anxiety. People had money and were ready to have fun. With the automobile came mobility and the yen to travel. The business of vacations was born. Camping surged in popularity, and the lantern from Coleman had a new market.
In 1923 the fold-up camp stove made its first appearance. Suddenly, the lantern and the camp stove were a dynamic duo that quickly became hugely popular (and practical) traveling companions.
As electric service became more widespread and dependable, some of Coleman’s market disappeared. So he began producing gas floor furnaces and oil heaters, products that would help the company survive the ravages of the Depression.
By WWII, the U.S. government had become Coleman’s biggest customer. The company produced a variety of products, but its most enduring contribution was the GI Pocket Stove.
Developed in only two months, the remarkable little stove met all of the military’s specs. In 1942 thousands were carried into battle by GIs in North Africa. The stoves could burn for two hours on a cup of plane or jeep fuel. By war’s end, more than a million had seen duty on every battlefield across Europe and the Pacific.
After the great war, America moved outside, renewing and expanding its fascination with outdoor recreation. The lantern and camp stove were joined by a galavinized cooler in 1954. By the end of the 1960s, Coleman had become the biggest name in camping.
By the 1980s, Coleman was producing canoes as well as a full line of gear for backpacking and mountaineering. Today the company supplies millions of products for a grateful worldwide market.
Just think how different the world would be if W.C. Coleman’s eyes had been stronger and he had never stopped at that drugstore. You can learn more about this remarkable man, the company he created and the products that have defined travel, camping and outdoor living for decades.
It’ also fun to trace the growth of the Coleman company through the eyes of enthusiastic collectors. Enjoy.
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