A brief history of the Cordova Trap and Gun Club

By Dick Groff, For The Cordova Times

Prior to establishing the Cordova Trap and Gun Club, a group of local trap shooters built a single-house trap field launching clay birds — targets, over the water from the northwest corner of the boat yard/travel lift located at the north fill.

During these years a crude rifle/pistol range existed at approximately 7.5-mile Copper River Highway, with the impact area against the mountainside on the north side of the highway. A covered shooting platform was built there by volunteers. This range suffered constant vandalism.

Eventually, when the water runoff pattern changed and flooded the range, the site was abandoned.

These events led to the formation of a new club, whose goal was to provide a safe and developed place to shoot on public land. This is the range you know today as the shooting facility on Sheridan Glacier Road located on airport property.

The original trap shooters melded into the new club which then called on the National Rifle Association for assistance in range planning and a financial construction grant to build the present range.

The basic range construction was completed in 1983. As club funds and volunteer help allowed, the following improvements were added: trap machines, an educational building (clubhouse), a garage for the storage of larger equipment, a clay target storage building and a replacement diesel generator.

Advertisement

Another major project undertaken was to complete underground wiring in conduit to distribute power to all trap machines as well as the clubhouse. A farm-type tractor was purchased to mow the brush and grass and to do light blading.

After the initial construction grant, financing has come primarily from membership dues, club shooting events and several range improvement grants provided by Friends of the National Rifle Association.

Advertisement