The following 1925 Hunter Arms cabinet card talks about Frank Hughes setting a World Record at double targets with an L.C. Smith at the historic Lincoln Park Traps ("LPT") in Chicago, IL.
Hughes was no ordinary LPT member. At the 1924 Olympics in Paris, Hughes won a gold medal in the team trap and a bronze medal in the individual trap competitions.
In 1920, he was the fifth-ranked amateur shooter in the nation, according to the American Trapshooting Association, hitting 6,522 out of 6,755 targets for 96.55 percent. In 1921, he was again No. 5, at 97.48 percent. In 1924 and '25, he was No. 1 with 98.30 and 97.57 percent, respectively.
Hughes won four South Dakota state trapshooting titles: 16-yard in 1919 and '21, doubles in 1923 and high all-around in 1923. In 1977, he was among six people in the first class inducted into the South Dakota Trapshooting Association Hall of Fame.
LPT also has an interesting history. It was originally formed by the upper class of Chicago society, but eventually it became a public club, open to all. There was much controversy over the years about the amount of lead shot that was being deposited in Lake Michigan at Diversey Harbor, as the LPT shooters smashed clay targets over the water in its heyday. Eventually, the Chicago Park District terminated the "dollar a year" lease agreement with LPT, which spelled the end of the club and effectively ended any controversy and pressure due to the environmental concerns.
Hopefully some will find this history interesting, along with some of the associated memorabilia that lets us take a step back in time.
Bob
Frank Hughes