Club History

The beginning — and how we got the name Emerald. Compiled from the River Road Park & Recreation District scrapbook of newspaper clippings and other sources.

The name “Emerald” began on September 17, 1951, when Dorothy Fuller was appointed chairperson of a local committee aiming to form a parks and recreation district in Eugene’s River Road community. After many surveys and public meetings, citizens approved the River Road Park and Recreation District in a special election on September 22, 1952.

In January 1954 the Park District purchased nine and one-half acres and a cottage at 1400 Lake Drive. On February 15, 1954, the property was named “Emerald Park” — a name chosen in a grade-school contest, with a third grader at Howard School winning a $50 defense bond. Emerald Park was dedicated on June 5, 1955.

The Park District sponsored rifle safety classes through the “Emerald Gun Club” beginning in 1962. A gun club organizational meeting was held January 11, 1965, and the Emerald Park Gun Club formed shortly after. Five members searched for a range site and chose the McGowan Creek property owned by Willamette Industries, which offered to donate the land. The transfer to the River Road Park District occurred on May 20, 1966 — the exact location of the current gun club.

The land was an old logging site used informally for shooting and covered in debris. Early members invested enormous time cleaning and developing it. In 1967 the range fee was $1.00 per day. The original “running deer” range project was replaced by additional rifle, pistol, and shotgun ranges.

On July 10, 1973, Emerald Empire Gun Club, Inc. filed with the State of Oregon to become a nonprofit corporation; the original bylaws were written by Arnold Miller and approved by the NRA. In 1977 Willamette Industries deeded an adjoining parcel for expansion of the 200-yard range, and on October 22, 1979 the River Road Park District deeded the range property to the club.

In 1980, two 12-year-old junior shooters, Matt and Will, traveled to the NRA championships at Camp Perry, placing third in expert class and 15th overall, coached by Emmett O’Connor. From 1990–1992 the club hosted a summer biathlon sanctioned by the United States Biathlon Association, drawing fifty to sixty competitors.

On March 23, 1995 the club became a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. In 2001 it purchased 14.6 acres on the hillside behind the range. After a minor 2009 electrical fire, the clubhouse interior was updated, and in May 2012 a major upgrade of the public range began.