Dealer Information Needed- Russell Sporting Goods Co.

[George M. Purtill]

I received Chuck's letter on a gun I own which, since the gun is a 241000 vintage, is based solely on an IBM card. The gun was shipped/ordered/sold to Russell Sporting Goods in 1938.
Has anyone seen this name before or have a gun that went there?
Thanks in advance.

[Rick Losey]

did it mention a location

a bing search shows current businesses of the name in Savanna GA and in Alberta Canada

no telling how many there could have been in 1938

[George M. Purtill]

Chuck says it has no address at all. No city, state, province, nada.

[Rick Losey]

the only other thing I can think of is to search around where the gun came to you from- if it was not from a national dealer who could have sourced it from any place

if it was a private sale or a local gun shop- maybe it did not travel far in its life- searching old city directories for that area may locate them

[Bill Murphy]

Omaha, Nebraska. Parker Brothers did business with them in the thirties.

[Rick Losey]

what a knowledge base this group has

[George M. Purtill]

Omaha, Nebraska. Parker Brothers did business with them in the thirties.

Thanks Bill
I knew that you or Dave Noreen would have that kind of information.

[Eric Estes]

This may be the old store front in the background?
http://durhammuseum.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15426dc/id/20382/rec/11
Another view from a few years earlier?
http://durhammuseum.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15426coll1/id/11493/rec/8

[George M. Purtill]

Raymond Russell died at age 45 on November 22, 1953. He was president of RSG, the largest sporting goods retailer in Nebraska. It was started in 1876. He left wife Margaret, son Rusty and daughter Babs.
His brother, another officer, had died a year earlier. I imagine the store wound down thereafter.

[Dave Noreen]

the largest sporting goods retailer in Nebraska

Pretty bold. I'd have thought the Collins Gun Company (J.S. Collins, Frank S. Parmelee) held sway in the 1880s and 90s.

[George M. Purtill]

Dave my typo in copying obit- Omaha Nebraska's biggest sporting goods retailer.