Cooey_final The move in 1929 brought H.W. Cooey Machine and Arms Co. to Cobourg's Tremaine Street factory complex where it took over facilities previously used by the Cobourg Matting & Carpet Co. Limited. The Company survived here during the depression and even prospered. The market for Cooey rifles was expanded reaching as far as Australia, and new models were regularly introduced. The arrival again of war in 1945 required a concentration on military hardware and growth to the point where employment exceeded 300. 1n 1937 one of Herbert's sons, Hubert, was made president of the Company and assumed responsibility for its day to day operations. Following the war he took on the design and development of completely new lines. By 1950 the factory included nine departments: barrel, buffing, bluing, small parts, pressed parts, rifling, wood shop, automatic screw, automatic assembly. One of Hubert's last projects was a semi-automatic rifle. However, in 1958, before being able to complete it, he died very unexpectedly, triggering the eventual sale of the Company. In 1961 it was sold to Olin-Mathieson Ltd. of St. Laurent, Quebec and became a division of Winchester-Western (Canada) Ltd. The Winchester name was now added to the Cooey line of rifles. With new ownership, additions were made to the Tremaine Street facility, including an underground firing range. But in 1970 Winchester moved, and production of the Cobourg Star took over the site. Winchester's new facilities were on Brook Road North where the most up-to-date German equipment allowed for the production of up to 2,000 guns per day. However, higher than anticipated costs combined with lower than anticipated sales, labour strife and a touch of politics led to the plant's closure in 1979. But the Cooey name remains an interesting and important part of Cobourg's industrial history. Design & layout by Quench Design & Communications | Port Hope | www.quenchme.ca Proposed park for Tremaine Street historical industrial area.