"The Phantom of Spirit Lake"

[Drew Hause]

In 1895, Fred Gilbert was an unknown from Spirit Lake, Iowa until winning the Du Pont World's Pigeon Champion and the first "American E. C. Powder Company Trophy Emblematic of the World’s Championship at Inanimate Target Shooting" using a Smith. He was hired by Lefever as a traveling representative, but used the Smith in the 1896 & 1897 GAHs. He went to a Parker after the 1899 GAH



Sporting Life Spirit Lake, Ia., Jan. 8., 1902
"A fine race was witnessed here to-day between Fred Gilbert and John Burmeister, both of this place. It was a friendly match, in which Gilbert tried a new 32-inch Parker gun. He made a fine score, breaking 99 out of 100, losing his tenth target. After the finish of the match he shot at ten more targets and broke them, making a record of 100 straight.
The targets were thrown 55 yards. Gilbert’s load was 3 1/4 drams DuPont smokeless, 1 1/4 oz. No. 7 1/2 Tatham’s chilled shot, in Winchester Leader shells."

He had the High Professional Average at the 1908 and 1909 GAH

[Drew Hause]

Fred Gilbert’s domination at the traps is clearly shown by his yearly averages. His average for all the years between 1897 and 1918 was 94.92 per cent on a total of 145,895 targets. For eight out of the eleven years between 1901 and 1911 he held the high average in either singles or doubles, this despite illnesses in 1906 and 1910.

[Drew Hause]

Gilbert left Smith for Parker right after the 1899 GAH
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3315021.pdf

He then got a new DH Parker with 32" barrels in 1901

Sporting Life Spirit Lake, Ia., Jan. 8., 1902
“A fine race was witnessed here to-day between Fred Gilbert and John Burmeister, both of this place. It was a friendly match, in which Gilbert tried a new 32-inch Parker gun. He made a fine score, breaking 99 out of 100, losing his tenth target. After the finish of the match he shot at ten more targets and broke them, making a record of 100 straight.
The targets were thrown 55 yards. Gilbert’s load was 3 1/4 drams DuPont smokeless, 1 1/4 oz. No. 7 1/2 Tatham’s chilled shot, in Winchester Leader shells.”

[Drew Hause]

Not bad with 1919 shotshells and 54 years old

[Drew Hause]

http://cgi.ebay.com/1915-FRED-GILBER...item19bdc75eb1



The Du Pont Company Plans to Pay Tribute to Fred Gilbert.

Nearly 20 years ago there occurred a momentous event in trap shooting circles when the sport was in its infancy, overshadowed by the more popular live-bird shooting the arrival of Fred Gilbert, of Spirit Lake, Ia., in Baltimore, Md., to compete in the matches for the live-bird championship of the world. Arrayed against the then unknown youthful Westerner were the mighty Brewer, the great Macalaster and many other celebrities of the shooting game. Unheralded at the time of his arrival in the Maryland city, in three days Gilbert had vanquished every competitor and won the title "Champion of the World."
With practically no experience at shooting live pigeons or clay targets, almost over night he assumed a leading place in American shooting annals, which, thanks to his early training on the sloughs of his native State shooting ducks, and on the prairies of Iowa and Minnesota shooting prairie chicken, he has held ever since.
IN THE TWENTY YEARS, during which Gilbert has constantly been in the limelight, a host of celebrities have arisen n the shooting game, only to be overshadow ed after a short time by some still greater performance by a more youthful or more expert competitor. Not so with Gilbert. Shooters have come and shooters have gone, but Gilbert goes on forever. Year in and year out, a high standard of excellence has characterized his performances. To the Du Pont Powder Company, with whom he associated himself at the very start of his shooting career, he has always given the very best he had to give and by his personality and happy and likable disposition, he has made Du Pont powders thousands of friends. It seems very fitting and proper that they should, in appreciation of his faithful and meritorious service, take unusual steps to honor him as no man in trap shooting history has EVER BEEN HONORED.
This tribute will take the form of a "Fred Gilbert Du Pont Twentieth Anniversary Celebration." Some time during the month of March Gilbert will be entertained in Wilmington, Del., by the Du Pont Powder Company. On the date appointed there will be a 100-target trap shooting event at the Du Pont Trap Shooting Club, to which will be invited every trap shooter desirous of attending. In the evening of this date a banquet will be arranged in honor of Gilbert, who will be the guest of honor, and to which local trap shooters, members and officials of the Interstate Association and others will be invited. It is not the intention to confine participation in the Fred Gilbert Twentieth Anniversary Shoot solely to those who find it convenient to visit Wilmington on the date the event is staged there. Every club through out -the country, especially those which Gilbert has visited and shot at during THE LAST TWENTY YEARS, are extended a special invitation to assist in making this the greatest celebration ever given in honor of a trap shooter.
In honor of the occasion the Du Pont Powder Company has arranged for a special trophy cup, one side of which portrays in relief Mr. Gilbert in shooting position, while the reverse is engraved "Fred Gilbert Du Pont Twentieth Anniversary Shoot, 1895-1915," and these cups will be sent to all gun clubs which will hold a “Fred Gilbert Shoot" during the week of March. 13th to 20th, both dates inclusive.
Clubs applying for these cups must agree to hold a 100-target event on one day during this period at which 10 or more shooters will compete, and the cup will be awarded permanently on any plan agreeable to the club. Fully 500 clubs are expected to hold "Fred Gilbert Anniversary Shoots" and figuring on the most conservative basis of an average of 15 shooters at each club, it will mean that 7500 shooters THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY will assist in doing honor to a man long known and loved by thousands as "The Wizard Of Spirit Lake."
A record of each shoot and of all contestants will be kept. That trap shooters and gun clubs in general will approve of this move to render fitting tribute to one of the greatest figures in the trap shooting, game goes without saying. Aside from the fact that this affair will give the Du Pont Powder Company an opportunity of publicly expressing their appreciation of the long and faithful services of the dean of their shooting representatives, and his many friends throughout the country one more opportunity of shooting with him "in spirit if not in person," the Fred Gilbert Twentieth Anniversary Shoot should do much for the grand old game of trap shooting.

[Big D]

I don't know where the "DuPont Trap Shooting Club" was located. When I was growing up in Wilmington in the late '50's, I learned my limited skills at the DuPont Club near Newark, Delaware.

[Bindlestiff]

I think this is the same person? Sure look alike.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Hammond

[Drew Hause]

While touring for Winchester & DuPont in 1907, Gilbert (98), W.R. Crosby (100), J. M. Hawkins (99), John Taylor (100), and Lee Barkley (99) set a new World's Record at Columbia, S.C. breaking 496x500 targets. Gilbert and Crosby used Parkers; the other Winchester 1897 Repeaters.

[Drew Hause]

Fred used his Smith in the 1899 GAH then switched to a Parker. Parker Brothers Order Book No. 41 records BH SN 83855 placed into stock in January, 1896 consigned to Fred Gilbert.
http://www.shootingsportsman.com/mag...gilbert-parker

Could someone please confirm the specifications for SN 83855 and thanks!

[Drew Hause]

More about Fred, and other Parker and Smith shooters here http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfg2hmx7_337gqdvwccf

No Parkers, but an amazing picture taken at the Madison Square Garden during the 1901 Sportsmen's Exposition. Note the sign that says "Annie Oakley" and the time of her appearance



R.O. Heikes (Remington Hammerless), Ed Banks (Winchester Repeater), W.R. Crosby (Smith), Jack Fanning (Smith), possibly B. LeRoy (Remington)

They, and Fred, were all together that summer for the 1901 Anglo-American competition, and Heikes and LeRoy switched to Parkers. Scroll down a bit here
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfg2hmx7_309ckt6hmd4