EUREKA! - 125 YEARS OF PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION
Innovation is a core value at Johnson Outdoors, and it’s reflected in our entire family of brands including Eureka!. Innovation has been key to Eureka!’s success throughout their 125-year history. That’s right, since 1895 they have been designing and manufacturing innovative tents and camping gear that changed the way people experience the outdoors. Here’s a (brief) history of the impact Eureka! has made.
Humble Beginnings
1895 – It all started in the small Upstate New York city of Binghamton, where our first products were custom tents, wagon covers, horse blankets, awnings, and flags. Early tents were assembled from untreated white army duck and were so durable that we had one hanging up in our headquarters for almost 100 years!
Bigger & Better
1940’s – When WWII broke out, Eureka! expanded into five large factory spaces throughout New York and began manufacturing tents for the armed forces. These tents were used as mess halls, barracks, and even hospitals. After the war, Eureka! began making large party tents for fairs, college commencements, and special events.
On Top of The World
1960’s – The sixties is when Eureka! developed into the leading camping gear brand you know and love today. This is when they started experimenting with materials beyond canvas, creating some of the lightest tents in the outdoor camping industry at the time. The popularity of these new, innovative tents is what drew interest from James W. Whitaker and Berry C. Bishop, who were planning the first ever all-American Everest Expedition.
Eureka! designers took the Draw-Tite tent and began installing heavy-duty brass hooks to attach the tent to the frame, and “zipper-type vents” to reduce and prevent condensation. The result was the first free-standing, quick-set-up tent, dubbed the “Mt. Everest Assault Tent”. These tents were tested at 10,000 ft. on Mt. Rainier, and used in temperatures reaching -20˚ Fahrenheit, and in 60+ mph winds. Norman G. Dyhrenfurth, the expedition's leader, stated that much of the expedition's success was due to "our fine new equipment... [such as our] vastly improved tents, with outside frames, that can be set up in a high wind”.
Into The Outdoors
1970’s – 1980’s – Eureka!’s spirit of innovation and adventure blossomed in the 1970’s and 80’s along with the surge in popularity of camping, backpacking, canoeing, and other outdoor pursuits. This is when Eureka! introduced the Timberline, the first-ever freestanding lightweight backpacking tent, which featured high-tech design and advanced textiles. The Timberline is still in production today and a beloved tent among many backpackers, scouts, and campers.
Eureka! Today
2020 and Beyond – 125 years later and Eureka! is still designing and manufacturing quality tents for everything from car camping to backpacking and alpine expeditions, in addition to screenhouses, camp furniture, and accessories. And by teaming up with fellow Johnson Outdoors brand, Jetboil, Eureka! now offers a complete line of camp cooking products like the Ignite stoves and SPRK series of stoves and grills.
Since Eureka!’s founding 125 years ago, their continual pursuit of innovation excellence has established them as a brand on the leading edge in the camping equipment space. Visit our new Outdoor Adventure Blog to learn more about Eureka! and the rest of our family of brands pursuing excellence in innovation.
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