Lolo Sporting Goods - Dying Breed

[Brians356]

Lolo Sporting Goods is on E. Main Street in Lewiston, Idaho - home of Speer Bullets, CCI (nee Cascade Cartridge) and Bitterroot Bullets. Here you once might well have bumped into Vernon, Dick, or Raymond Speer, or Jack O'Connor who lived his later decades in Lewiston (now home of the Jack O'Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center.) I was born, raised, and graduated high school in Lewiston, the "Gateway to Hell's Canyon", where The Palouse region meets The Clearwater Country.

Incidentally, the "sporting goods" at Lolo are only those goods that count - guns, ammo, reloading components, books, and tools. Reminds me of "Fast Eddie" Felson entering mythical Ames Pool Hall in the film "The Hustler":

Eddie: What, no bar?
Cashier: No bar, no pinball machines, no bowling alleys, just pool... nothing else. This is Ames, mister.

If you're in the area, stop in and step back in time at Lolo. "This is Lolo, mister."
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[1K6BRA]

That is a neat article! I would love to of met Jack O Connor. Used to read his books and many articles in outdoor life when I was a young man. Thanks to him I became and still am a pre-64 model 70 guy. I liked a lot of his quotes and descriptions of things. They don't make them like him anymore that is for sure. He was from the "old school" A great influence! Gone now but I have not forgotten.

 

[jetboat]

Don't forget Elmer Kieth!

 

[Brians356]

Vernon Speer was a great man as well. In 1922, at age 21, he designed and constructed his own aircraft engine, put it in an airplane, and flew it. Now that's self-confidence.
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[nmkid]

In the middle 70's I called Nosler bullets and John Nosler himself answered the phone. Turned out he had visited the town where I was living at the time. What a great conversation we had.

 

[Brians356]

Don't forget Elmer Kieth!

Salmon, Idaho rancher. Not so far from Lewiston as the crow flies, but the Lower 48's largest roadless wilderness, and "The River Of No Return" (title of a famous book penned by another Lewiston man, R.G. Bailey) lay between. Not sure Keith ever ventured to Lewiston, but given the presence there of Speer and O'Connor, it seems not unlikely he did.
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[riverwolf1]

Don't forget Elmer Kieth!

Elmer. Was actually from Stanley Idaho, and up until 2 yearsago all of his firearms, trophy mounts,writing desk were all in the Boise Cabela’s I used to spend quite a bit of time looking at all those beautiful firearms he owned. Then the family decided to auction off everything, sad loss for people that loved looking at all things Elmer Keith. I too grew up read Jack O’Conner’s articles, Would have loved to have met him. I have been fortunate enough to meet Patrick McMannus, and Jim Carmichael.

 

[JRS]

Hell's Canyon is a cool area. I attended the Riddle of Steel there 2 times, which was hosted by James Keating.

 

[centerlineseal]

Lolo Sporting Goods! Been there many times, ... bought a few firearms and lots of other hunting needs. A GREAT, old time gunshop! Then down the street for burgers at Effie's, where Charlie Bronson often ate while filming Breakheart Pass on the old railroad tracks and trestles of the Winchester Grade.

Shop is named after Lolo Pass at the summit of the Lochsa River drainage, going into Montana toward Missoula. Great Country!

 

[Brians356]

Elmer. Was actually from Stanley Idaho

Well ... he was born (1899) in Hardin, Missouri, so that's where he's actually "from". He lived in Montana early in the new century, bounced around Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. He lived for some considerable time on a ranch on the N. Fork of the Salmon River, but he and his wife eventually moved into Salmon, which is where author John Taffin found them at home in 1968:

http://www.elmerkeithshoot.org/Keithbiotaffin.html

But anyway this topic is about Lolo in Lewiston, with which Keith had no apparent connection.
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[IdahoSharpshooter]

what brians356 said. I used to drive up on weekends to visit Elmer Keith from my home in Nampa. His son Ted still lives about ten miles from me with his wife and some of his kids.

Did any of you ever meet his gunsmith, Don Mihaljovic (spelling?)? He had a place on the east side of the road about five miles south of Salmon.

 

[riverwolf1]

This is a great history lesson, especially since it ties Idaho to some of the best firearms industry folks that contributed to our shooting heritage.

 

[Brians356]

In addition to Speer and CCI, Seekins Precision is based in Lewiston. Nightforce Optics is in Orofino, ID, about 40 miles up the Clearwater River.
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[riverwolf1]

Don‘t forget action maker BAT Machine in Rathdrum, ID.

 

[Brians356]

Don‘t forget action maker BAT Machine in Rathdrum, ID.

If I intended to open this up to the entire state of Idaho, sure. Kind of dilutes the emphasis on the Lewiston area, however. Idaho is a big state, and nearly all its raging growth is in the southern portion, around Boise in particular. Rathdrum is in the greater Spokane/Coeur d'Alene economic zone.
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[perry42]

Great post! History as to guns and ledgends in Idaho or the great northwest is always interesting to an easterner like me.

perry42

 

[Brians356]

Great post! History as to guns and ledgends in Idaho or the great northwest is always interesting to an easterner like me.

Read about "Buckskin Billy", the "Last of the Mountain Men". Some of my tribe ran boat trips on the Salmon River:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvan_Ambrose_Hart
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[riverwolf1]

I have seen stories about this guy on Outdoor Idaho!he was quite a character.

 

[Brians356]

I have seen stories about this guy on Outdoor Idaho!he was quite a character.

Unfortunately that is a poor article about him. Here's a somewhat better one, but the book "The Last Of The Mountain Men" (Harold Peterson, 1969) is really the reference to read.

https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/sylvan-ambrose-hart-1906-1980.831/

The most pertinent aspect of Billy in this context is that he made his own firearms almost completely from scratch, using tools he made himself and blacksmithing techniques. He had studied metallurgy at the U. of Idaho, and strove to be as self-sufficient as possible. He had a friend who every few months brought him what supplies he required from the outside world via pack animals down a trail into the deep Salmon River canyon, otherwise only barely accessible by boat.

A more literary work, "River Of No Return" (Robert G. Bailey, 1947) is "An unmatched history of Central Idaho and Eastern Washington, with much on early settlement and the customs, myths, legends and wars of the Nez Perce Indians." You may have heard of Chief Joseph and the desperate running battles fought in N. Central Idaho and NE Montana of the Nez Perce War of 1877.

This part of Idaho is most famous for its association with Lewis and Clark's voyage, and Sacajawea, so of course much has been written about that.

Another fascinating historical reference for this region is "Vigilante Days And Ways" (Nathaniel Pitt Langford, 1912), about the unbelievably harsh and violent gold rush days of the 1860s in N. Central Idaho.
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[Will Henry]

Many years ago, I lived and worked in Jullietta; about twenty miles from Lewiston. Every payday weekend, Saturday morning would find us driving to Lewiston where a visit to Lolo Sporting Goods was always on the itinerary. Next, it would be down the street to Fred Warren's sports. Then it was up to the Orchards to visit extended family before picking up groceries and maybe a box of bullets at Buttery's supermarket. Bought a new Weaver scope and a powder measure at Payless drugs on one spending spree. That was the same day we blew eighty bucks on a new washing machine. I still have a box of Hornady 6mm bullets from Buttery's. They cost me $3.17. A Thousand primers (CCI's, of course) cost me $5.70 at Lolo. For a while we had a niece working at CCI and I and the other men in the family were in hog heaven; taking advantage of discounts available to her. Unfortunately, she chose romance over her family and left the job to get married to some interloping SOB from Clarkston.
Lolo Sporting Goods is not quite the same but it's still there and I like to drop in whenever I'm in Lewiston. My wife and I still have family there and visit when we can. WH