It All Started with Carpets
Sometime around the turn of the 20th century, dry fly fishing became popular and the need for a rod with backbone presented itself. The bamboo of the day, known as Calcutta from India, just didn’t have the necessary stiffness.
Enter Charles H. Demerest, an importer of bamboo, rattans, ginger, and other exotic products from the east. He also imported a raw bamboo pole, thicker walled than Calcutta, and light colored and unmarked by the burns characteristic in Calcutta. These poles were used as carpet poles. And such became the material of choice for stiffer and stronger bamboo rods–the ideal for the new dry fly angler.
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"I am extremely pleased with the quality and workmanship. I am convinced that one could not buy a better rod anywhere for the price. Keep up the good work.
Raw silk also came to the US on Calcutta poles. Patterson, NJ earned the nickname the “Silk City,” and my grandfather owned several of the mills(Brown’s Mill No. 6 continues in existence as a condo at the base of the falls and can be seen from Route 46). He donated the bamboo poles to local firehouses where several firemen had learned to strip it and make rods in their downtime between fires. I still have two of these rods (with the spare tips being encased in full rounds of cane with threaded metal caps). I live in Portland, OR.