Rural Missouri - December 2021 - 32
RM | OUTDOORS
Dr. Greg Renner, left, and Randy Crawford are members of the Missouri Decoy Collectors Group. They preserve the history of Jefferson City's factory-made
decoys including those manufactured by Gundelfi nger (the canvasback drake held by Greg) and Hays (the shoveler drake held by Randy).
All their ducks in aROW
Collectors preserve Jefferson City's decoy dynasty
by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
I
t sounds like the beginning of a joke: a semiretired
surgeon and a consultant walk into a room. One is an
antique collector, the other is a third-generation waterfowl
hunter from Iowa, and where they meet in the
middle is a fascination for historic duck decoys. For Dr.
Greg Renner and Randy Crawford, members of the North
American Decoy Collectors Association and Missouri Decoy
Collectors Group, the camaraderie is good fun, but their
work sometimes is serious business.
" Meeting Greg, it was like kindred spirits, " Randy says
with a laugh. " It's nice to meet someone who doesn't glaze
over when you talk decoys. "
For a specifi c study group within their organizations,
the work is uncovering and preserving the history of
32 RURAL MISSOURI | DECEMBER 2021
factory-made wooden duck decoys made in Jefferson City.
Their reign was brief - lasting from the end of one world
war to the end of the next - but is still celebrated today in
the hearts of collectors. For Greg, Randy and like-minded
others, it's important to correct the misinformation that
has accumulated over time within collector circles.
The capital city's decoy dynasty wasn't born from local
heritage as you'd fi nd elsewhere in Missouri. Instead
it evolved from what had initially been the J.S. Sullivan
Saddle Tree Co. Originally, it was set up within the Missouri
State Penitentiary using prison labor.
James M. Hays came to Jefferson City in 1890 to work
with his brother-in-law, John Sullivan, eventually taking
over the saddle tree business in 1911. Hays was involved
with multiple other businesses, including lumber, milling,
gravel, real estate, shoe manufacturing, auditing, banking,
Rural Missouri - December 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - December 2021
Contents
Rural Missouri - December 2021 - Cover1
Rural Missouri - December 2021 - Cover2
Rural Missouri - December 2021 - Contents
Rural Missouri - December 2021 - 4
Rural Missouri - December 2021 - 5
Rural Missouri - December 2021 - 6
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Rural Missouri - December 2021 - Cover3
Rural Missouri - December 2021 - Cover4
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