Clatskanie Rifle & Pistol Club
( A “very” brief history 2011)
The first outdoor shooting range has been trace back to the 1930’s,
The club was located below the Johnson Place just passed the Conyers Creek Bridge on the Clatskanie Heights Road. There were 5 shooting benches at 50 and 100 hundred yards.
In 1948 the club leased property on Hall Road from the city just passed the Murray Hill Crematory. The club house was for indoor small bore shooting, with rifle and shotgun shooting ranges with ranges of 25, 50, and 100 yards. The membership raised money for the club by hosting turkey and ham shot gun shoots open to the public for watching and shooting. The fees for the shooters over the years were based on how much the ham or turkey cost at the time. Freda Foster (secretary and treasurer for 26 years) took care of the sign up sheets, fees for the different type of shoots and sale of food. The ladies of the club ran the kitchen. Those manning the trap equipment got coffee, pop, and hot dogs free. In 1963 or 1964 the trap equipment had to be moved. By that time due to a lack of funds and interest to install the electric trap equipment those shoots ended.
Since the beginning the club has held sighting days for the public before hunting season with members on hand to help sight in the rifles for the public. If asked the members end up shooting the rifles for those attending, which meant many sore and bruised shoulders by the end of the day.
The club has had an indoor small bore team since 1935 when the Columbia-Willamette League was formed. The 4 stage matches were first held in the basement of the IOOF building that still stands on Nehalem St. in down town Clatskanie. In 1948 the matches moved to club house on Hall Rd. The small bore team is still actively shooting today. The small bore shoots in Clatskanie are known all over the state for their wonderful pot lucks after the shoots.
The muzzleloader shoots started at our club in the 1970’s. It has hosted 3 week-end long rendezvous at the “old” range. For those shoots many arrived in period attire. At one of the rendezvous a buck-skin wedding was held with the bride and groom dressed in buck-skins. The wedding rings were made of deer antlers.
The Oktoberfest muzzle loader shoot started in 2007. The grand trophycalled a Koenigscheibe ( The King’s Target) Trophy. The first one was made by Fred Humphrey and won by Arnold Cork. The shooter winning the “Koenigscheibe” traditionally makes the trophy for the following year. The feasts after the shooting ends are truly wonderful.
Several pistol shooters started shooting at Lone Oaks Gun Club in Washington. With Peter Brewer spear heading them, several pistol shoots were at the Evanson rock pit. Then they moved to Pete’s home place off Hwy 47 until the new range on Conyers Creek could be put to use.
Due to the many hours of work and planning by Pete, club officers and members the present land was purchased. With the land cleared, brims built, parking lots, the footings for the present building were poured.
Currently the facility is being used not only by members and the public but by several law enforcements agencies in Columbia County. The National Guard also does some of it’s training here.
With Pete’s passing a dedicated effort by all has brought the Peter Brewer Education Center to its present point. There are simply to many hard working members to name them all here who have made this vision come true. People who enjoy the many shooting events the club can offer. Members of the community that do not shoot who have worked with the club, who appreciate having a safe place for all to participate.
To have such a faculty in our area maintained by the club members, opened to the public is truly a fitting tribute to the shooting ethics, training principals, and safety classes in Pete’s memory and to the reputation of the club.
Aileen Cork
Club Historian