DUBUQUE SHOOTING SOCIETY

The original "shooting park."Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

DUBUQUE SHOOTING SOCIETY. Iowa's oldest existing club. Originally known as the Schuetzen Gesellschaft, the Society was founded in 1856. (1) The club's one hundred-sixty yard range at 30th and Jackson STREETS was the scene of frequent intercity and interstate shooting competition. (2) The area was known as "the sharpshooters' grounds." All of the charter members were of German descent, and none were native-born Dubuque residents. Among the charter members were men influential in BREWERIES, businesses, factories, RAILROADS and trades. Membership has not been a birthright, but many of the current members can trace their family names through generations of Society members. The Society was formally incorporated on June 28, 1865. (3)

In 1886 plans were made to start the MINNESOTA AND NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD. The mainline would cut through the Society's property. (4) This led to the membership of the Society beginning a search for new property. In January 1887, a committee appointed to select a new site reported favorably about purchasing the home of Mathias HAM and the grounds surrounding it. It was "the only available piece of property in the city." (5)

On July 11, 1887, members of the Society formed into lines. With many of the members shouldering huge target rifles, the men marched north on Couler (now Central) Avenue preceded by a band. When the columns neared 30th Street, the men climbed into horse-drawn carriages for the ride to their new twenty-three acre park at the same location it held in 2015. (6)

This natural amphitheater proved ideal for shooting and maintaining privacy. The park fronted the old Sageville Road, presently Highway 52 North and had once been the location of the county poorhouse farm. Purchased by the Society for $3800, the area was landscaped and planted in trees at the additional cost of $3,100. A meeting hall was constructed for $1000. Carriage sheds, target house, and shooting room with eight targets linked to electric bells cost another $1100.

Papers were filed to reincorporate on May 17, 1890. It was at this time that the name became the Dubuque Shooting Society.

Eventually three clubs formed within the Society. The first came after WORLD WAR I. Called the 330 Club, named for the time its members met for practice shooting and a social hour, members were employees of the DUBUQUE BREWING AND MALTING COMPANY. These men met after work on every other Thursday afternoon. (7) The second club was formed in the late 1920s. (8) This was called the 660 Club. This name signified the dinner time--6:00 p.m. plus 60 minutes--that they met on alternative Thursdays. (9) In 1949 the third club to be formed was the 990. The number had no significance other than being a multiple of the original 330. They met every second Monday at 5:00 p.m. While each of the three clubs had its rules and procedures, all operated under the Society by-laws. The three clubs met together twice annually, at the annual meeting in February and at a picnic in July. There are a total of two hundred members. New members are only accepted when there is a vacancy and only with the sponsorship of a current member. Each new member must purchase one share of the society's two hundred shares of stock, at a price of $200. (10)

The Society has often shared its facilities with the community for such events as receptions, reunions, and political events. (11) Three hundred guests have been accommodated at one time. Today invitations to meetings and special events from club members are considered cherished honors. In 1991 members of the Dubuque Police Department used the shooting range for training on new semi-automatic pistols. (12)

New facilities constructed around 2010.

In 1978 plans were drawn to route a divided, four-lane highway through southern portion of the Society's twenty-two acre property. (13) Society members at the time expressed their fear such an intrusion would mean the end to the clubs and park. (14) On June 14, 1978, the Dubuque City Council halted the highway plans as it affected the Society. (15) Eventually the northwest arterial was constructed west of Dubuque to meet with Highway 151 near the John Deere Road miles north of the shooting park.

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Source:

1. Tigges, John L. and Shaffer, James L. Then and Now: Dubuque, Iowa. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing Company, 2000, p. 17

2. Ibid

3. Kirchen, Rich. "Camaraderie 'Hallowed' to Society, Telegraph Herald, Dec. 16, 1985, p. 5. Onliner: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jcdFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4781,2117145&dq=dubuque+brewing+and+malting+company&hl=en

4. Tigges, John L. and Shaffer, James L.

5. "Looking for a Shooting Park," Daily Herald, January 27, 1887

6. Ibid.

7. Kirchen, Rich.

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

10.

11. Local News in Brief, Dubuque Daily Herald, Aug. 3, 1890, p. 9. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JulkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LHcNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2677,4879510&dq=dubuque+shooting+society&hl=en

12. Bagarsian, Tom. "Police Training at Shooting Park," Telegraph Herald, Apr. 8, 1991, p. 12. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oGtFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VrwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5248,1397704&dq=dubuque+shooting+society&hl=en

13. Bulkley, John. "Shooting Club Takes Aim At Highway," May 4, 1978, p. 10. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kcJBAAAAIBAJ&sjid=B6oMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4629,523183&dq=dubuque+shooting+society&hl=en

14. Ibid.

15. "Two Routes for Northwest Arterial Endorsed," Telegraph Herald, June 8, 1978, p. 7. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zNhBAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D6oMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6890,966713&dq=dubuque+shooting+society&hl=en

Ellsworth, Ted. "The Dubuque Shooting Society," Dubuque Folklore II, American Trust and Savings Bank, p. 57-64