In 1950, John M. Olin, leader of Winchester Ammunition and chairman of the Board of the Olin Corporation, fulfilled a dream. His goal: To establish a quality hunting dog kennel and training facility as well as a hunting preserve to promote the sport of duck and upland game hunting, shooting and development, game management and conservation.

The chosen site was a 650-acre tract 12 miles north of East Alton, Ill., home of Winchester Ammunition and Olin headquarters. The farm landscape was gently rolling hills, hardwood forest and fertile cropland.

The kennels were built in 1950, followed two years later by a hunting preserve. The selected breeds were English setters, English springer spaniels and Labrador retrievers.

Olin's passion for Labradors began in the 1940s, when W. Averell Harriman, Secretary of State under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, introduced Olin to the black dogs. The devotion and dedication of Harriman and Olin to Labradors not only promoted the breed to American sportsman, but advanced field trial competition and selective breeding.

Olin's search in naming his farm/preserve resulted in a corporate contest, ending when an employee submitted the title "Nilo," Olin spelled backwards. The boss loved the name, the lucky employee received a bonus, and to further fuel Olin's fire, someone suggested that Nilo was also "lion spelled sideways."

Olin was an industrialist, philanthropist and conservation leader, as well as a highly competitive sportsman. He assembled the best staff possible to manage Nilo Farms and promote Winchester Ammunition. T. W. "Cotton" Pershall was hired to oversee the farm and wear the title of head trainer. The remaining Nilo staff was carefully selected -- with a requirement of dedication and loyalty to the task. A home was constructed on the grounds for Pershall, and an existing farmhouse was renovated to become the clubhouse.

Other structures were designed and built for equipment, workshops and storage. The state-of-the-art kennels and trophy room added character and class to Olin's realization of his dream. The duties of head trainer and preserve manager were soon divided, when Leo George joined the staff as manager to allow Pershall to dedicate more to dog training.

A Shooting Star
Nilo's fame and popularity quickly spread throughout the outdoor community. Olin staff writer John Madson wrote documents on small-game research, conservation and hunting.

Revered outdoor writer, Nash Buckingham, became a frequent guest to hunt, shoot and write, exposing the shooting public to new innovations in Winchester Ammunition.

Buckingham's "stamp of approval" helped convince Olin to begin mass production of the Winchester Super X high-density plastic hull shotgun shell loaded with Lubaloy shot.

The shells became the choice of America's waterfowlers. Legendary exhibition shooter, Herb Parson, was employed to entertain guests at Nilo, displaying his skill and uncanny ability to break clay targets shooting a Model 12 Winchester.

Future Hall of Fame baseball players loved coming to Nilo, among them, St. Louis Cardinals Stan "The Man" Musial, Enos Slaughter, Red Schoendienst and Ted Williams.

Manager Whitey Herzog and broadcaster Mike Shannon joined them to polish their shooting skills. TV star Arthur Godfrey had the cameras rolling on a visit and writers from major hunting and shooting magazines begged for the Nilo assignment. Hollywood cowboys Robert Stack, Rod Taylor and Roy Rogers' sidekick "Gabby" Hayes were on the guest list. It was rumored that Mr. Olin's favorite cowboy, John Wayne, spent time at the farm and Olin mansion.

World's Most Famous Lab
Of all the stars and celebrities who graced the grounds of Nilo, no one could have imagined a black dog would be the one to make Nilo Farms legendary and known worldwide. The dog's name was King Buck. Mr. Olin had seen the rookie Labrador retriever compete in field trial competition and recognized his potential. He purchased the dog for a record price of $6,500 in 1951. Many people thought Olin was crazy, but little did anyone know Buck would become the Babe Ruth of the dog world.