Our history starts back in 1965. Which I don’t have a lot of information, just bits and pieces gathered over the years from past members and F.O.I. (Freedom of Information) request on the KDFWR (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources) On March 23, 1967 Caldwell County Sportsman Club entered in a Contract of Tenancy for the use of Jones Keeney Wildlife Management Area (now known as Jones-Keeney WMA) located on highway 62 East between Princeton, KY and Dawson Springs, KY. This was signed by then then President Dillard E. Martin Commissioner Marion Clark and 4 witnesses, William E. Martin, Arnold L. Mitchell, J. A. Cursey, and J.V. Cox. The spelling of names cane be off the copy of the Contract are light of the Now the official address to the range located on Jones-Keeney WMA is 15182 Dawson Road, Dawson Springs, KY 42408.
There use to be a club house located to the right side of the range across the creek. This use to be the caretakers house for when they raised the whitetail deer that is now very prevalent in Western KY. They was raised in the hills in a high fence area, and the now foot print of the range use to be the show pen for the whitetail deer. There use to be barns and out building over there too, the only thing standing today of bygone era is a cinder block well house. Over the years the house and building became in disrepair and the US Fire Marshals stepped in and controlled burned the house and buildings.
April 24, 1973 Caldwell County Sportsman Club (CCSC) put out 50 acres of food plots through out Jones-Keeney WMA. They also agreed to tear down a barn and clean up the debris and the barn materials my have been utilized by the club to construct the shelter or their rifle range. This was signed by then then President R.E. Peters, Secretary Otis Millikon, and Commissioner Arnold L. Mitchell.
The first building put up after that is the building that is known as the pistol shed. There was a pavilion in front of it, they used the building to score targets of all types. They use to have Steel Silhouettes they shot, and P.P.C. Jerry Padgett was president at the time with Charlie Story and others.
Lots of matches were held on the now closed rifle and pistol range. .22 matches, and high power matches. Trap use to shot out there a lot and Ellen Dunning was an elite in her trap class.
Around early 2000 I became involved in the CCSC, when Tim Beavers became President. We use to go to a lot of pistol shoots together all over the country. Mostly shot I.D.P.A (International Defensive Pistol Association) This was the time Kentucky became a conceal carry Commonwealth and time was a certified instructor, years later Commonwealth of Kentucky went to Constitutional Carry where you don’t have to have a license to carry conceal any more. We shot bowling pins out at the range and was a big draw at the time. I drew up the then new CCSC Logo and Scott Grammer traced the design that was printed out full size with a Dot Matrix Printer and painted it and installed it out by the road. I left the CCSC after going through a divorce.
Staying away until 2020 and I had a club that was using the range on a Saturday. I ran on the promise the range would be kept clean and mowed and to make it worth becoming a member of the CCSC. I was elected in December of 2020 to take the helm January 1, 2021. I was out at the range almost every other day and talked to the people that came from all over to shoot at Jones-Keeney WMA Range. First thing I did was install a dumpster and started the task of cleaning up all the debris around the range especially the tree and creek where the past people emptied the burn barrels. We made it where the members of CCSC could get the combo to the yellow gate to park next to the pavilion, gave membership discounts at events and was in the process of building a target shed just for members from everything they needed to shoot at the range besides their firearms and ammo, and they got sent a birthday card on their birthday. We changed our logo again to include the AR-15. We voted to become a 501(c)3 not for profit club in November 2022 I believe it was now we got our not for profit status with IRS. We started Bowling Pin shoots, Trap and was getting ready to start .22 rim fire matches. There was a lot of growing pains for the elected officers, several changes elected officers happened through first year. They found out it was not just a one day of the month participation it took up several days a month to for fill the duties of the Officers especially the now combined position Secretary-Treasurer. I listen to the people that used the range and tried to accommodate their needs, we had 4 wheel chair bound members that we installed a handicap Port a John and moved it closer to the pavilion. One of the most asked question was why we did not have a archery range since Midway Bow hunters Club quit doing shoots. So we went to the Board to ask if we could and they approved it with By-Law change. At December 31,2021, we had the most paid membership this club has ever had at 201 members. But on December 10, 2021 the Jones-Keeney WMA Range was forever changed from the F4 tornado that took all the trees form behind our back stop and exposed Archery Club Road 700 yards from our shooting benches and made the range unsafe to shoot.
There is more to written over the last 4 years and hopefully the next 3 years so keep checking back on our history as it is still being written.
Sincerely,
President Adam Cruzen
CCSC 2021-2027