Cherokee Tactical Rifle

In 1968, a handful of dedicated and farsighted shooting enthusiasts started the Cherokee Gun Club (CGC). This group of shooters was made up of hunters, shotgunners, pistol shooters, and black powder shooters. They came from all walks of life, but had a common goal: to establish a suitable place to shoot. They leased 21 acres – an old “dug-out” gravel pit atop Buckhorn Mountain – from the Eston Smith family. The range facilities consisted of a 25-yd range and a 100-yd range. Target stands were cardboard boxes that the shooters brought with them, and clay target throwers were of the “hand-thrown” type.

The first officers of CGC were elected in 1969. Although the club members were shooters of all types, the first Board of Directors was mostly black powder shooters. Thus, the misconception arose that CGC was founded as a “black powder club”.

Progress was slow and revenues were meager. The $15 initiation fee and the $6 annual dues provided barely enough to pay the annual property lease. If CGC were to survive, funds for operation and expansion would have to be raised. The concept of a local gun show became a reality. Many volunteer man-hours were spent formulating mailing lists for exhibitors and locating a suitable building. Tickets had to be sold; food and refreshments had to be prepared; security had to be provided, etc. It took most of the Club membership to accomplish this tremendous task, but in March 1969, the first of what was to become a semiannual event began. The first CGC Gun Show was put on at the Gainesville Civic Center on Green Street. It was done with voluntary labor and in conjunction with the Gainesville Parks and Recreation Department. It was considered a great success, and the Club made money.

Over the next five or six years, progress continued to be slow, but thanks to the gun show revenues, some funds were being generated. As a result, CGC was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization on February 25, 1974. Although improvements had been made, the ranges remained basically