It generally comes as a surprise to even those who are familiar with E. D. Etnyre & Co. that its incredible story had very humble beginnings—it all began when a light bulb went off in the mind of Edward Daniel Etnyre more than one hundred twenty-five years ago on a farm in Oregon, Illinois. Inspired by a common frustration—how to more efficiently provide water for livestock—E. D. and a friend began to tinker with a simple hog trough and hose. The result was an ingenious watering system, a product welcomed by farmers far and wide. That, in turn, led to other inventions by this resourceful young man, notably the motorized Etnyre Patent Sprinkler, designed to spray water to eliminate clouds of dust created by new-fangled vehicles on dirt roads.
