Timeline of the Grand American

1900 - First Grand American held in Queens, NY. Only 74 competitors.
1910 - Riley Thompson became the first shooter to break all 100 targets in the Grand American Handicap
1916 - John Philip Sousa serves as president of the American Trapshooting Association, a forerunner of the Amateur Trapshooting Association
1916 - Women were allowed to compete in the Grand American for the first time.
1924 - The Grand American makes its permanent home in Vandalia, Ohio
1925 - Annie Oakley shot in her first and last Grand American. She broke 97 out of 100 just one year before her death in 1926
1927 - The Grand American Handicap reaches 1,000 competitors. First All-American team selected
1949 - The "Golden Grand" - the 50th anniversary of the Grand American
1950 - First year electric traps were used
1954 - The Grand American Handicap boasts 2,000 competitors.
1965 - The Grand American Handicap reaches 3,000 competitors.
1966 - Lights were installed for shoot-offs
1969 - ATA Hall of Fame is dedicated
1970 - The Grand American becomes a 10-day event
1976 - ATA Hall of Fame undertakes a Youth Trapshooting Program
1978 - The Grand American Handicap reaches 4,000 compeitors
1980 - First "National Trapshooting Day"
1990 - Leo Harrison III breaks 991 out of 1000 targets to win the High-Over-All. The highest 1000 target score in the Grand history
1999 - The Grand celebrates its 100th Anniversary
2005 - The Grand comes to an end of an era, celebrating its last shoot in Vandalia, OH
2006- The Grand debuts at the World Shooting & Recreational Complex in Sparta, IL

Amateur Trapshooting Association
1105 East Broadway
P.O. Box 519 Sparta, IL 62286
Phone: 618-449-2224
Fax: 866-454-5198
[email protected]

Youth Trapshooting Program
Phone: 618-449-2224
Fax: 866-454-5198
[email protected]

Trapshooting Hall of Fame
PO Box 519 Sparta, IL 62286
Phone: 937-660-5663
Fax: 937-660-5664

Recreational Complex
1 Main Event Lane, Suite 510
Sparta, IL 62286
Phone: 618-295-2700