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Randy has lots of information about the Elliott brothers, and I thought this might be of interest
http://www.kansascitystories.com/Sports/shooting/shooting.html
The three Elliott brothers opened their new Shooting park at Washington Park on May 4, 1893. The targets were live pigeons. At the grand opening of the Elliot park, three live-bird shoots were held, with different entrance fees for each category: five birds: $5; seven birds: $7; ten birds: $10. The fees were pooled and made up the prize money for the best shooters.
The Elliotts; Robert S., Jim (known as J.A.R.), and Dave, had opened their first shooting park in Kansas City in 1887. Dave went to work for the Winchester company; JAR became known as one of the best live pigeon shooters in the country. The shooting park was left to the management of Robert Sage Elliott, “Uncle Bob.”[1]
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For the grand opening, Uncle Bob devised an elaborate new point system aimed at assuring that the experts didn’t win all the money. The new system, explained the Kansas City Times report, “forces all shooters to compete in a certain class and every contestant has a chance of winning his entrance fee or more by shooting out men in his class.”[2]
About 100 sportsmen came out for the event. Reported the Kansas City Star, “Everybody was delighted with the park, which promises to be the most picturesque and best arranged of any shooting ground in the country.” The highlight was the ten live bird event, which attracted twenty-five entries at $5 (not $10, apparently, as reported in the Kansas City Times), for a purse of $125, less the price of the birds, which reduced the winnings to $62.50. Under the old scoring system, the purse would be divided into four parts of 40, 30, 20, and 10 per cent “for shooters having scored 10, 9, 8, and 7.” Those tying on the scores would then shoot off for the money to which each class was entitled.
Under Elliott’s new system, described by the Star as “like a Chinese puzzle,” the purse was divided into three classes with 45 percent going to one group of ten shooters, 30 percent to a second group of nine, and 25 percent to a third group of eight. These group purses were then to be subdivided into three moneys.
The shooting was good, reported the Star, despite the unfamiliar grounds and “the peculiarities of the flight of the birds,” but Elliot’s new scoring system was “so intricate that it gave rise to innumerable arguments and the shooters who were mixed up in it, together with Mr. Elliott and the scorers, were troubled with a nightmare of mathematical problems…. Mr. Elliott is not dismayed, however, but will continue to work on it until he does get something practical out of it, and as he is still young and full of vigor, he may be successful.”[3]
Shooting was promised every afternoon until the opening of the state tournament later in the month, though it was expected that the old scoring system would be used for the tournament.
At the sixteenth annual three day tournament of the Missouri State Game and Fish Protective Association, nearly four thousand pigeons were “sacrificed,” reported the Times, in an article titled “End of the pigeon killing.” The shoot was a “successful one…. Most of the birds were fast flyers and a stiff wind was blowing nearly all the time across the grounds, with interfered with a good many scores, but the average was up to the mark.”
The tournament began with a “triple rise shoot,” three pigeons released at once. In the ten bird shoot on the second day, only five men paid the $7.50 fee. The clay pigeon, or “mud pie” shoot on the second day, attracted few takers; “Every man seemed completely worn out from the hard work of the week.”
1905 Missouri State Championship at Washington Park
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Although clay targets were widely used, there was no objection to the mass killing of pigeons. A live pigeon shoot was an event at the Olympics in 1900. In 1902, the last live pigeon national championship (Grand American Handicap at Live Birds) was hosted by Robert Elliott at Blue River Park. 1903 was the last year live birds were used in the state shooting competition in Illinois.[4]
[1] From the History of the Kansas City Trapshooters Association: http://www.kctraps.com/history.html
1887: Robert and Jim (J.A.R.) Elliott (Dave arrived shortly thereafter) open a shooting park in Kansas City near the Blue River. In 1889, the traps were moved to 15th & Montgall. In 1893 the club was moved again to Washington Park and was the site of competitions for the “Kansas City Star American Wing Shot Cup Champion at Pigeons”, the Schmelzer Trophy for “100 inanimate targets thrown reversed pull”, the Hazard “Blue Ribbon” Cup, and many other Challenge Cups and Tournaments..
1901: Robert Elliott’s Blue River Park was opened at 7500 Independence Ave., Kansas City, just west of the Blue River. The club sponsored the last Grand American Handicap at Live Birds in 1902
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1902/VOL_39_NO_04/SL3904001.pdf
1921: Robert Elliott’s son, Russell Elliott, and a handful of shooters organized the Kansas City Trap Shooting Association (KCTA). Russell assumed management of the shooting park.
1934: The shooting park moved from the Kansas City location to Elliott’s Shooting Park at 9500 E. 75th St., Raytown. The Elliotts sold the club in 1977.
[2] “Current sporting events.” Kansas City Times, May 3, 1893, p. 2.
[3]“Like a Chinese puzzle.” Kansas City Star, May 3, 1893, p. 3.
[4] Illinois State Trapshooters Association http://illinoistrapshooters.org/history/ista-history\
The R.S. Elliott Arms Co., selling a complete line of sporting goods, was at 1508-10 Grand Ave., 2 blocks from the Schmelzer Arms Co. building at 1214-1218 Grand.
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http://www.kansascitystories.com/Sports/shooting/shooting.html
The three Elliott brothers opened their new Shooting park at Washington Park on May 4, 1893. The targets were live pigeons. At the grand opening of the Elliot park, three live-bird shoots were held, with different entrance fees for each category: five birds: $5; seven birds: $7; ten birds: $10. The fees were pooled and made up the prize money for the best shooters.
The Elliotts; Robert S., Jim (known as J.A.R.), and Dave, had opened their first shooting park in Kansas City in 1887. Dave went to work for the Winchester company; JAR became known as one of the best live pigeon shooters in the country. The shooting park was left to the management of Robert Sage Elliott, “Uncle Bob.”[1]
For the grand opening, Uncle Bob devised an elaborate new point system aimed at assuring that the experts didn’t win all the money. The new system, explained the Kansas City Times report, “forces all shooters to compete in a certain class and every contestant has a chance of winning his entrance fee or more by shooting out men in his class.”[2]
About 100 sportsmen came out for the event. Reported the Kansas City Star, “Everybody was delighted with the park, which promises to be the most picturesque and best arranged of any shooting ground in the country.” The highlight was the ten live bird event, which attracted twenty-five entries at $5 (not $10, apparently, as reported in the Kansas City Times), for a purse of $125, less the price of the birds, which reduced the winnings to $62.50. Under the old scoring system, the purse would be divided into four parts of 40, 30, 20, and 10 per cent “for shooters having scored 10, 9, 8, and 7.” Those tying on the scores would then shoot off for the money to which each class was entitled.
Under Elliott’s new system, described by the Star as “like a Chinese puzzle,” the purse was divided into three classes with 45 percent going to one group of ten shooters, 30 percent to a second group of nine, and 25 percent to a third group of eight. These group purses were then to be subdivided into three moneys.
The shooting was good, reported the Star, despite the unfamiliar grounds and “the peculiarities of the flight of the birds,” but Elliot’s new scoring system was “so intricate that it gave rise to innumerable arguments and the shooters who were mixed up in it, together with Mr. Elliott and the scorers, were troubled with a nightmare of mathematical problems…. Mr. Elliott is not dismayed, however, but will continue to work on it until he does get something practical out of it, and as he is still young and full of vigor, he may be successful.”[3]
Shooting was promised every afternoon until the opening of the state tournament later in the month, though it was expected that the old scoring system would be used for the tournament.
At the sixteenth annual three day tournament of the Missouri State Game and Fish Protective Association, nearly four thousand pigeons were “sacrificed,” reported the Times, in an article titled “End of the pigeon killing.” The shoot was a “successful one…. Most of the birds were fast flyers and a stiff wind was blowing nearly all the time across the grounds, with interfered with a good many scores, but the average was up to the mark.”
The tournament began with a “triple rise shoot,” three pigeons released at once. In the ten bird shoot on the second day, only five men paid the $7.50 fee. The clay pigeon, or “mud pie” shoot on the second day, attracted few takers; “Every man seemed completely worn out from the hard work of the week.”
1905 Missouri State Championship at Washington Park
Although clay targets were widely used, there was no objection to the mass killing of pigeons. A live pigeon shoot was an event at the Olympics in 1900. In 1902, the last live pigeon national championship (Grand American Handicap at Live Birds) was hosted by Robert Elliott at Blue River Park. 1903 was the last year live birds were used in the state shooting competition in Illinois.[4]
[1] From the History of the Kansas City Trapshooters Association: http://www.kctraps.com/history.html
1887: Robert and Jim (J.A.R.) Elliott (Dave arrived shortly thereafter) open a shooting park in Kansas City near the Blue River. In 1889, the traps were moved to 15th & Montgall. In 1893 the club was moved again to Washington Park and was the site of competitions for the “Kansas City Star American Wing Shot Cup Champion at Pigeons”, the Schmelzer Trophy for “100 inanimate targets thrown reversed pull”, the Hazard “Blue Ribbon” Cup, and many other Challenge Cups and Tournaments..
1901: Robert Elliott’s Blue River Park was opened at 7500 Independence Ave., Kansas City, just west of the Blue River. The club sponsored the last Grand American Handicap at Live Birds in 1902
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1902/VOL_39_NO_04/SL3904001.pdf
1921: Robert Elliott’s son, Russell Elliott, and a handful of shooters organized the Kansas City Trap Shooting Association (KCTA). Russell assumed management of the shooting park.
1934: The shooting park moved from the Kansas City location to Elliott’s Shooting Park at 9500 E. 75th St., Raytown. The Elliotts sold the club in 1977.
[2] “Current sporting events.” Kansas City Times, May 3, 1893, p. 2.
[3]“Like a Chinese puzzle.” Kansas City Star, May 3, 1893, p. 3.
[4] Illinois State Trapshooters Association http://illinoistrapshooters.org/history/ista-history\
The R.S. Elliott Arms Co., selling a complete line of sporting goods, was at 1508-10 Grand Ave., 2 blocks from the Schmelzer Arms Co. building at 1214-1218 Grand.
