Leroy Smith bow

Content Description

Bow made of yew wood. 6' 1/2" by 2" total. 4 1/2" hand grip of leather and plastic tips on the ends of the bow. The wood was gathered by Dr. John Francis Dobbs, a former Pacific University president in Forest Grove, Oregon, who also spent time making bows. The bow was made by Leroy Smith. According to a handwritten letter with the old Pacific Museum records, the bow was made as "a copy of a 'Barnes bow'. Capt. Barnes sent most of his bows to England during the time in the '80s and '90s when English Society took up archery as a fashionable sport. Oral tradition has it that he asked-and got-$200 for his finest exports." Friend S. Barnes was a local jeweler in Forest Grove, Oregon, who spent his spare time making bows and arrows and leading the archery club at Pacific University. His bows and arrows were famous around the world.

Acquisition Type

Gift

Restrictions Apply

No