Our Story
In the early 1950s, a basement workshop on MacLean Street, New Glasgow, saw a rather extraordinary man begin to carry out experiments which led to the production of the well known insect repellent Muskol® . A document dated 1 October 1959 from the province of Nova Scotia registered the manufacture and sale of "Muskol® Lures" to Charles H. Coll. This was the starting point for a company which would last until 1982 when the rights to make and market the product were purchased by Schering-Plough Canada Ltd.
Charles Henry Coll was born in Stellarton, Nova Scotia on 19 October 1907 to Henry Edward "Harry" Coll and Elizabeth "Bess" Scott Sutherland.
Charles Coll was an avid outdoorsman and so, while living on MacLean Street in the early 1950s, Charles Coll began creating animal and fish lures. Documents from the Government of Nova Scotia dated 1 October 1959, show that he was registered from that date, to manufacture and sell a product called "Muskol® Lures". A little play-on-words produced the word "Muskol® " – which combined "musk", the scent produced by deer - and "call" meaning entice and "Coll" the surname.
And so began a small, family-owned business whose product name was often passed word-of-mouth among those who entered the forests – on this continent and others. Testimonials to Muskol® came from many areas and people, always saying that it was a superior product and that they wanted more!
In 1977, Charles and his son Harry, were inducted into the Honorary Order of the Kentucky Colonels, an organization that recognizes service and contribution to the global community and supports many kinds of charitable activities. The moniker "Colonel" stuck to Charles Coll and was used on the packaging of Muskol® – to this day, in fact.