Short years, or what information on the Club the Constitution actually contained, may some day be discovered. From the general attitude of the members in 1893, we can only assume that the Club had achieved its finest hour.

The Gun Club, as small as it was, had, over the years, enjoyed the spirit of competition and had fostered some very dedicated participating members, evidenced by their willingness to attend club functions, no matter where or when. Considering all of the Club's organized shoots, since its beginning in 1884, Bill Hobkirk, the Club's acknowledged sharpshooter, had amazingly missed attending only three. The only time that Doctor Ernest Blanchard had not been present was during illness, and Francis Arnaud, Rowan FitzGerald, Arthur Peters, Francis Haszard, Fred Hyndman, and Louis Henry Davies all attended over 75% of the total Club events. John Longworth did not join the Club until mid-1888, but from that time forward he missed only one shoot...These men were the foundations of the club that brought clay target shooting to this province, and their dedication in attending is more real when you consider that in the 1880's a trip of three or four miles was quite a chore when horses and bad roads were involved.

Over half of the Club's many shooting days were spent at either Falconwood or Arthur Peters' home on Admiral Street. The others were held at various members' homesteads. It had been the initial, struggling era in the shooting of artificial birds. Both the Ligowski Clay Pigeon and the elusive bat substitute had provided a great incentive to get together and enjoy the common bond they had with the love of shotguns. They provided a formidable challenge that only whet their appetites to do more.

In the mid-nineties, smokeless powder made its first appearance on the market, but was still limited

--58--

aetna riers