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Don Sprague Cinch Traps legacy is the continued use of a trap design he created. Refined through more than a century of American manufacturing, and backed by the company’s focus on practical pest control, quality, and a lifetime warranty.
Don Sprague Cinch Traps Legacy: The Heritage of Cinch Traps: A Century of Pest Control
Cinch Traps began in Oregon in 1909, when the company introduced a practical mechanical approach to mole and gopher control. That starting point still matters today. The traps are handcrafted in Oregon from American galvanized steel, with the same focus on dependable construction that shaped the original design. For a closer look at the company’s history, visit the story behind Cinch Traps.
Tried-and-True Since 1909 is not a slogan detached from the product. It describes a manufacturing tradition that has continued for 116 years, through changing tools, markets, and pest-control challenges. Cinch Traps remains an American-made product, manufactured in Oregon rather than treated as a disposable seasonal item. The company says it has been handcrafting its traps there for over a century, following the design principles established by Don Sprague.
Handmade in Oregon from American steel
Material choice is part of that heritage. Cinch Traps are manufactured in the USA from American steel, and the Oregon production process keeps attention on the finished trap’s fit, strength, and function. Galvanized steel also supports the practical demands of outdoor use, where a trap must hold up in soil and changing weather. This is a straightforward approach: build a mechanical tool carefully, use durable materials, and make its operation easy to understand.
That consistency is why the company has served homeowners, farmers, and professional trappers across generations. The product is familiar, but the standard is not casual. Each trap represents a long-running commitment to making a tool that can be set, checked, and reused as part of a responsible control plan.
A warranty that reflects the standard
Cinch Traps LLC maintains a lifetime warranty on its traps. A warranty that lasts for the life of the product signals confidence in the construction and gives customers a clear point of support after purchase. It also reinforces the difference between a purpose-built trap and a short-term substitute.
Authenticity is marked directly on the product: If it’s not stamped CINCH, then it’s not the original. That stamp connects today’s trap to the Oregon-made design that began in 1909 and helps customers identify the genuine product when comparing options.
Cinch Traps’ heritage rests on 116 years of continuous operation, handcrafting in Oregon from American galvanized steel, and a lifetime warranty that backs the original design.
Who Was Don Sprague? Founder and Innovator
Don Sprague built his work around practical problem-solving, careful craftsmanship, and a willingness to make useful things in an original way. His company story began in 1981, when Don Sprague Sales started as a farm distribution business selling horse feeders, hay racks, and related equipment. That background gave Don a close understanding of the tools farmers and property owners needed to work efficiently.
Explore how Cinch Traps work and see how Don’s design principles remain part of the product today.
From farm distribution to Garden Gallery Iron Works
Don Sprague Sales eventually evolved into Garden Gallery Iron Works in Hubbard, Oregon. The business became known for iron trellises, arbors, plant stands, and other pieces that combined utility with visual appeal. Don was remembered as a creative and innovative craftsman, someone who could look at a practical need and imagine a more distinctive solution.
His work was not limited to ordinary garden structures. Garden Gallery created “The World’s Largest & Smallest Hanging Baskets,” along with the Petunia Tree at Woodburn Premium Outlets. The Petunia Tree stood 15 feet tall and held 300 individual pots of petunias. Those projects show the range of Don’s work: durable construction, horticultural function, and a sense of scale that made people stop and look. The history of his company and creative work is documented by Plant Something Oregon.
The Cinch Trap became his best-known design
Among Don’s many projects, the Cinch Trap became his most recognizable product. It was sold nationally and gave homeowners, farmers, and professional users a mechanical way to address mole and gopher damage. The design was not built around unnecessary complexity. It focused on a clear mechanism, repeatable placement, and a durable trap that could be used in real working conditions.
Cinch’s own history explains that the company continues handcrafting its traps in Oregon using the same basic design Don developed. That continuity matters because the product’s identity is tied to the original engineering, not simply to a name on a package. It also connects the present-day trap to the practical, hands-on approach that shaped Don’s businesses.
A legacy carried forward by family and community
Don was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2018, yet the people who knew him continued to describe him as hard-working and kind-hearted. The NNBA recognized those qualities in its 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award announcement, noting that customers could count on him. His wife Eileen, three daughters, and sister Carol continue to carry his family legacy forward.
For readers researching the Don Sprague Cinch Traps legacy, the central point is straightforward: his influence lives in both the product and the way the business serves people. The trap reflects his original focus on useful design, while the company preserves the craftsmanship and personal responsibility associated with his name.
Don Sprague’s legacy is preserved through a practical Oregon-made trap, inventive craftsmanship, and a family commitment to building products customers can rely on.
University-Proven and USDA-Approved Performance
Product claims matter most when they can be measured outside a marketing department. Cinch Traps has been ranked #1 in studies conducted by Oregon State University. UC Santa Cruz, the University of Michigan, the University of California, and the University of Nevada. That record gives homeowners, growers, and pest control professionals a stronger basis for choosing a mechanical trap.
The academic results are reinforced by government research. The USDA National Wildlife Research Center evaluated mole traps for both capture efficiency and time efficiency, then reported: “The CINCH Trap was the all around best performer. It ranked highest in both capture efficiency and time efficiency.” Those two measures address practical concerns: whether a trap catches the target animal and how quickly it does so.
Government wildlife-management guidance also recognizes the method. A Maine.gov Integrated Crop and Wildlife Damage Management factsheet lists trapping as the “most effective control method” for moles and names the Cinch mole trap. The factsheet provides useful context for property owners deciding how to address active tunnels without relying on unsupported claims or a one-size-fits-all approach. Trapping still requires correct placement and regular monitoring, but the recommendation gives the method credible public-agency backing.
This combination of university studies, USDA testing, and state guidance gives Cinch Traps a level of independent verification that supports its place in the market:
- Oregon State University trapping studies ranked Cinch #1 in performance.
- USDA National Wildlife Research Center rated it highest in capture and time efficiency.
- Multiple university studies across UC Santa Cruz, University of Michigan, UC, and University of Nevada reached the same conclusion.
This testing pedigree helps Cinch stand apart from competitors. It also connects the product’s current reputation to the Don Sprague Cinch Traps legacy: a design refined through long-term use, then supported by testing and field guidance. Buyers can evaluate the trap on documented performance rather than simply choosing the most familiar name on a shelf.
University studies, USDA research, and Maine wildlife guidance all support Cinch Traps as a credible, effective mechanical option for mole control.
Trusted by Homeowners, Farmers, and Professionals Alike
Cinch Traps serves people with very different properties and pest-control demands, but they share a practical goal: remove moles or gophers with a dependable mechanical trap. Homeowners may be protecting a lawn, raised beds, or a backyard garden. Farmers and ranchers may be limiting damage across fields, pasture, or working grounds. Pest control operators and landscapers need equipment they can use repeatedly for customers. Cinch Traps has served consumers, farmers, and professional trappers for the last century, with products handcrafted in Oregon since 1909.
- Homeowners: A homeowner can focus on the active tunnels and protect the areas that matter most, including lawns, gardens, and planting beds. The goal is a clear, workable solution rather than a complicated treatment program.
- Farmers and agricultural operations: Crop and pasture damage can affect productive ground and require attention across a larger area. Farmers need a trap design that is practical to set, inspect, and reuse as conditions change.
- Professional services: Pest control operators, landscapers, and other commercial users bring their own experience to each property. They need a consistent tool that fits into an established service process and helps them address mole or gopher activity for clients.
This range of users also extends through the distribution network. Nurseries and dealers carry Cinch Traps because customers often want a proven, recognizable solution from a local source. Learn why retail partners choose Cinch when building a practical pest-control selection.
Landscapers face a similar need to protect finished work without turning every damaged lawn into a major project. For crews managing recurring maintenance accounts, the tool has to support straightforward field work and communicate confidence to the property owner. Our guide explains why landscapers trust Cinch design for professional pest-control work.
That broad user base is part of Don Sprague’s lasting contribution. He designed a trap that could serve a homeowner setting one trap in a yard as well as a professional handling pest pressure across multiple properties. The design’s reach comes from solving a specific problem with a tool people can understand and apply.
From backyard gardens to working farms and professional service routes, Cinch Traps carries Don Sprague’s practical design legacy into the hands of homeowners, agricultural users, and pest-control professionals.The NNBA Lifetime Achievement Award: Honoring Don Sprague
In 2024, the National Nursery and Landscape Association (NNBA) presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Don Sprague. Recognizing a vendor whose work and character had earned lasting respect across the nursery and landscape industry. The NNBA gives this award to one deserving individual each year, alternating between a member and a vendor. In 2024, the honor went to Don.
The award reflected the kind of reputation that cannot be built through a product catalog alone. Don was known as a hard-working, kind-hearted man, and customers knew they could count on him. He also had the hands of a creative and innovative craftsman. His ability to design, build, and improve practical tools helped shape the Cinch Traps people still use for mole and gopher control.
NNBA and Garden Gallery hosted the award gathering at Garden Gallery in Hubbard, Oregon. Don’s wife, Eileen, his three daughters, his sister Carol, and NNBA members came together to celebrate his life and contribution. The setting carried special meaning because Garden Gallery was closely connected to Don’s work and creativity. His craftsmanship reached beyond traps into distinctive ironwork and other projects that reflected his ability to turn an idea into something useful and lasting.
For Don, gatherings with friends and family mattered. That personal side of his life was part of what made the recognition meaningful. The award was not only an industry honor. It was also a chance for people who knew him to share memories, stand with his family, and acknowledge the trust he built over years of service.
That combination of practical skill, dependable service, and genuine care helps explain the enduring Don Sprague Cinch Traps legacy. His name remains connected to a product designed to solve a real problem, and to a company that continues to carry his standards forward.
Don Sprague’s 2024 NNBA Lifetime Achievement Award honored both his innovative craftsmanship and the dependable, kind-hearted relationships that defined his legacy.
Don Sprague’s Pest Control Legacy Continues Today
Don Sprague’s approach to pest control still shapes every Cinch Trap made today. The standard is practical: build a trap that works, make it durable, and stand behind it. That commitment began in 1909 and remains visible in the current design, which follows the same core principles Don established. Read about Cinch Traps history to see how that original work became a continuing American manufacturing story.
Each trap is handmade in Oregon from American steel, rather than treated as a disposable product. Cinch Traps also maintains a lifetime warranty on every trap. Those details give customers a clear way to judge the brand’s quality standards: careful construction at the start. Dependable support after the purchase, and responsibility for the product over time.
Traditional craftsmanship with modern capacity
Heritage does not mean standing still. Cinch Traps can produce more than 1 million traps annually, while its Portland, Oregon facility fulfills orders within 24 hours. That combination lets the company preserve hands-on manufacturing and serve the practical needs of homeowners, farmers, landscapers, and professional trappers across the country and in Canada.
- Handmade in Oregon from American steel.
- Lifetime warranty on every trap.
- Orders fulfilled within 24 hours from Portland.
- Flat rate shipping on all trap orders.
Values that guide the customer experience
The legacy is also reflected in the values behind the operation: Quality, Commitment, Integrity, Creativity, and World-class Service. Those principles support a straightforward promise: “We take great pride in helping friends, families and communities near and far in improving the quality of their yard. Garden or property.” It explains why the company continues serving thousands of customers, not simply why its traps remain in production.
The Don Sprague Cinch Traps legacy continues through Oregon-made traps, consistent quality standards, responsive fulfillment, and service built around helping people protect their property.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the history of Cinch Traps and its founder Don Sprague?
Cinch Traps began in Oregon in 1909 as a maker of mechanical mole and gopher traps. Don Sprague was the founder and designer behind the original innovation, and the current design remains functionally similar to the trap he created. The company continues to handcraft its traps in Oregon from American steel. The history of Cinch Traps is rooted in a practical design that has remained useful across generations.
How did Don Sprague contribute to mole and gopher control?
Don Sprague focused on building mechanical traps that could solve a specific pest-control problem without relying on complicated equipment. His design became the foundation for the Cinch mole and gopher traps used by homeowners, farmers, and professional trappers. The company’s continuing production of that design keeps his hands-on approach visible in modern pest control.
Why are Cinch Traps considered an industry standard for mole trapping?
Cinch Traps have earned recognition through field use and independent testing. Studies by Oregon State University, UC Santa Cruz, the University of Michigan, the University of California, and the University of Nevada ranked the traps first, according to the company’s history page. The USDA National Wildlife Research Center also described the Cinch Trap as the best overall performer for capture and time efficiency. That record gives the design credibility beyond tradition alone.
How has Cinch Traps maintained its reputation for more than a century?
The company has kept its focus on a proven mechanical design, Oregon manufacturing, and durable materials rather than constantly replacing what works. Cinch Traps are made from American steel, and the company maintains a lifetime warranty on its traps. Those standards connect Don Sprague’s original work with the expectations of today’s customers.
Ready to Shop Cinch Traps?
Don Sprague’s practical approach to pest control still guides the way Cinch Traps are made and used today. If you want a dependable trap backed by that long-standing standard, take the next step at your own pace.
Shop Cinch Traps online with flat rate shipping.
Cinch Traps carry Don Sprague’s hands-on legacy forward.
