Cole Agee, Engraver

Cole Agee in Company photo
Circa 1947, Staff of P.O. Ackley & Co. Gun Makers.  P.O. is second from the right, third from right is Ward Koozer, forth from right is Cole Agee.

It’s not documented when Cole Agee came to work with P.O. Ackley & Co. in Tinidad, Colorado. It was probably in the time frame of 1946 and 47 as Cole appears in company photos that are presumably from those years.

Ward Koozer contracted polio which left him in a wheel chair.  He appears in a company photo at this same location in a wheel chair with Cole Agee next to him.  It is known that Koozer left the company in 1947.

In Jink Howard’s book, Cole Agee, Texas Engraver he documents Agee at a Ft.Worth address in 1951. So while I cannot give exact dates, I can say that Agee was working with P.O. Ackley Inc. for at least two years.

I never located any details on what happened between Cole Agee and P.O. Ackley, however there is a

Agee in Trinidad, CO
Staff photo, likely the year after the photo at the start of this post. Note Ward Koozer in wheel chair. Cole Agee is kneeling next to him.

letter in the Jink Howard book mentioned below that states that Ackley considered Agee to be “all kinds of a crook”. Obviously, P.O. and Agee did not part on the best of terms.

Agee was a well known engraver during his lifetime.  He did work for many well known people including John Wayne.

Cole Agee is probably best know for his “Cattle Brand” engraving, a style which Agee initiated and later taught to Weldon Bledsoe.  Mr. Agee died in 1955.

 

 

 

 

Cole Agee Work
Gun engraved by Cole Agee, sold on rockislandauctions.com  for $20,700 in 2012

 

Cole Agee book
Jink Howard, compiled a great pictorial and historical book about Cole Agee’s work.
Far right is Cole Agee engraving in the downtown shop in Trinidad
Cole Agee directly behind P.O. Ackley appears to be discussing a job.

 

4 thoughts on “Cole Agee, Engraver

  1. I bought a Colt SAA engraved by Cole. It is magnificent with Ivory grips. It is part of the 300 guns to be shipped to Mexico, some of which never made it. I wish it could talk.

    1. Sounds very cool. I don’t suppose you would be willing to share a picture?

  2. I am very interested in this book! My grandpa Koozer is in a couple of photos. I would like to know how much my grandpa Koozer is mentioned in this book. Thank you!

    1. Ward Koozer, your Grandfather is mentioned several times in the book as he partnered with P.O. for several years. Make sure you look at Ackley Allies on this web site, there is some info about your grandfather and even some recordings of him. I have more stored, it you would like a copy let me know.
      I would certainly be interested in anything you wanted to add to the history!

      I had correspondence with Arville Koozer during the research for the book, I think he would be your Great Uncle. Would be glad to share the letters, if I can locate them?

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