Hager Companies began as many great things do… with one person’s leap of faith. Leaving Germany in 1848 to travel to St. Louis through New Orleans, Charles Hager took up employment with a local blacksmith to begin building his family’s future. As the blacksmith headed west to follow the thrill of the gold rush and Charles saw the opportunity to purchase the shop and grow with St. Louis as Easterners flowed through the city to do the same, the Hager company became closer and closer to what we see today.

From the very beginning, just as it is today, Hager was a family endeavor. Skill and quality were our pillars, and our products were a testament to our dedication. Whether it was knives for fur traders, rims for wagons, or equipment for ambitious gold seekers, if Charles Hager and his small staff, consisting of his children, could make it or fix it, it got made or it got fixed. The Hager name became synonymous with quality, and as St. Louis and our company both grew into formidable business hubs, our family grew alongside them. 

Starting 175 years ago with Charles Hager working in a small blacksmith shop to the turn of the century, Hager has remained unchanged in its commitment to excellence through wars, recession, national triumphs, and tragedies. This is a company built on quality, ingenuity, and innovation. More than that, however, is this straightforward fact: at Hager, we’re family.