Kansas City, Missouri, State Shoot, Washington Park is the caption on this 1906 postcard, put out by a Portland, Me., company, but printed in color in Germany. All the trapshooting clubs of Missouri gathered for this annual state event held in old Washington park, an amusement area located on ground that now is Mount Washington cemetery. The card shows the facilities of Elliott's shooting park founded in 1887 by Robert S. Elliott, who also was the founder of the Elliott Arms Company, 1416 Grand avenue. (Elliott's brother, J. A. R. Elliott earlier had operated a shooting park on the site of the present Northeast junior high school). Robert Elliott's home was located at the old shooting ground at Washington park and here his son (later his partner), Russ Elliott, was born. Russ Elliott was national trapshooting champion in 1941. Live pigeons were used as targets in the early days, being tossed into the air by a handler. The pigeon, though quiet appearing on the ground was a fast and elusive bird, twisting and turning in flight and making a difficult target for marksmen. Birds shot were sold for food to hotels, clubs and stores. Sometime in the 1920s the use of live targets was abandoned because birds often were maimed. In parts of Mexico and Europe live birds still are used. Clay pigeons came into use and were called Bob Whites because the saucer-like target imitated the flight of quail. Behind the fence in the picture, observers as well as waiting competitors, guns in hand, watch the contestants. The large tent in the background was the source of food, refreshment and shelter. Elliott's Shooting park moved from the Washington park site to one at the Blue river and Fifteenth street and still later to Raytown, where it continues in operation. New electrically operated traps now are used. A clubhouse built in 1934 has walls lined with pictures of champion trapshooters who had their first training at Elliott's. One such champion, Lela Hall Frank, former Missourian who now lives in Indio, Calif. will be in Kansas City tomorrow on the way to Columbia, Mo., where she will be inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. She will be the guest of Christine Elliott Heath, widow of Russ Elliott, owner of the shooting park. Kansas City Star, November 8, 1969.
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