John is correct. After the Du Pont World's Pigeon Champion in 1895 one enthusiastic sportswriter proclaimed Fred Gilbert the “The Wizard of Spirit Lake” and it stuck.
He was still referred to as such in the Sporting Life December 19, 1914 announcement "The Du Pont Company Plans to Pay Tribute to Fred Gilbert"
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”.

BTW Dr. W.F. Carver was “The Evil Spirit of the Plains”

Fred Gilbert
 

Here are a couple examples of DuPont`s tribute. Shotshell crate insert and Gilbert Trophy...

Trap3

Dick Baldwin was still working for Remington when I started. We became good friends through our mutual love for the history of the company and trapshooting. He had a bulldog mentality when it came to finding historical memorabilia. He would search high and low and come up with creative avenues to get the 'mother lode'. He was the perfect person to head up the ATA Hall of Fame Museum and added countless treasures to the museum during his tenure. He had a fascinating memory of the past legends in Trapshooting and had met many of them as a youth.

Scott Hanes

I became acquainted with Dick during my days of researching Fred Kimble. He was a Kimble fan and I provided him with pictures of my Kimble paintings and Kimble score card and he used them on the Trapshooter's Hall of Fame web site. I believe I recall Dick's wife buying one of my Kimble books as a Christmas gift for him. He was a wonderful gentleman and I really enjoyed our brief friendship. But it was cut short with Dick's untimely death. His book, "The Road to Yesterday," is a must read for anyone interested in the history of trap shooting.

Dick gave me a large collection of Parker Brothers and Remington literature, only because he knew I was a researcher who was very interested in it. The things he gave me are a valuable treasure trove that he accumulated over years with "The Company". He was very interested in getting it into the hands of someone who would appreciate it and share it with others who would also appreciate it. I obtained more items from his daughter in the years that followed his death. He was a great guy and a great shooter. I was lucky to have known him.

Looks like two Parker SBT's in the circa 1912 gun cabinet? Or is that another maker? Or is the picture from a later year?

Congrats Mills on a beautiful and historic SBT! Were you aware of the Gilbert attribution prior to the purchase, or was this added bonus bestowed by "The Wizard of Harrisburg" via a factory letter?

I like that title:rolleyes::cool:

I was pleasantly surprised by The Wizard of Harrisburg

Stories
 

Congratulations Mills on your new gun. You inspired some great stories and accounts of our national shooting history. Wonderful reading.