Competition Heats Up at the West Seattle Grounds
Local marksmen test their aim in the season's first medal shoot, while a friendly wager between rival club presidents turns sour for one.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The first medal shoot of the season, given by the Seattle Rod and Gun Club at the West Seattle grounds yesterday afternoon, drew out a large and enthusiastic crowd. The medal contests were at thirty targets. J. N. Hardy won the medal in Class A with a score of 26, while W. S. Moreton won in Class B with a score of 22. Kuppe successfully defended the Churchill challenge cup against Moreton in the most interesting contest of the series. President Treat of the Haw Hill Club was so highly elated at his good shooting that he challenged Secretary Charles of the Rod and Gun Club to a bird race for the price of birds and supper. The match resulted in the dignified president being defeated, much to his surprise and disgust.
“President Treat of the Haw Hill Club was so highly elated at his good shooting that he challenged Secretary Charles... to a bird race... the match resulted in the dignified president being defeated, much to his surprise and disgust.”
While gun clubs were common social outlets for Seattle’s elite in the 1890s, the location of the West Seattle grounds reminds us of how the peninsula has shifted from an expansive space for private recreation to one of the city's densest residential neighborhoods. The competitive spirit of the era's 'gentleman sportsman' lives on in the city's modern obsession with recreational leagues and public sports.
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