Trad Gang
Main Boards => Trad History/Collecting => Topic started by: TRAP on October 13, 2009, 06:54:00 PM
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I peeled off an old deteriorated leather grip today and for a moment I thought I was holding a bow that was originally Custom made for the late Great Bob Marley. :) No such luck. As it turns out the original owner was Bob Morley. Anyone know this cat?
Looks pretty rough doesnt it?
Not To Worry Mon. Everything Gonna Be Alright :bigsmyl:
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/Rastabow001.jpg)
Trap
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Trap - That old cracked bow looks like it has a serious infestation of the rare bow termites. You best send it to me right away before they get into all the bows in your house...
Morley was well known for having those termites in every bow that he owned... Best get it packaged up right away and get it mailed first thing in the morning...
;)
Bob Morley..., it is great to get lucky. Congrads.
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oh yeah I actually do know Morley we used to jam at this club on friday nights.We did a little Jamacian music mon.What do you want to know about him ? for a small fee I will type a personal note up for you about Morley.Morley who the hell was Morley anyhow ? I think Wade nailed this one Morley was a dude with a cracked bow.And now its a Double D & B Morley.....yehaw bd
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Trap - Got that bow packaged up yet???
Fred and Bob Morley, 1954 Wyoming
Does the date sort of go with your bow???
Reportedly Morley was a great cook, probably contacted those bow termites while out gathering firewood...
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/775746f2.jpg)
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If it would have said Bob Marley, I would have used red, yellow and green spray paint to camoflage it and crumbled up the leather grip into a baggie and sold it.
Trap
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Trap - Tell us about the bow...
Is that Doc's workbench it is laying on?
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The leather grip was actually hemp?
C'mon mon what's the deal?
Perhaps Messrs. Phillips and bowdoc have some suggestions on how the bow should be treated?
Whatcha' think Wade?
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Bjorn - Trap and Doc are being awful quiet...
I wasn't going to mention whose printing that it looked like on the bow...
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It does look like His doesn't it?! Amazing stuff!
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I wanted the owner of the bow to know about the thread before I said anymore.
Wade, the workbench is mine. The bow does indeed sort of go with that date. It may have been leaned up against that cabin wall. ;)
Here's more pics of the bow.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/63Pounder004.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/KodiakII002.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/KodiakII003.jpg)
Trap
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Nice work Trap-great background!.........that leather was destined to come off!
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Trap - Glad it is for real. Neat bow.
Boy that grip is shot. Bow looks a little worse for wear, but probably not one that a guy would want to shoot anyway.
Fred is holding his own bow. I have one of those arrows of Fred's, orange feathers, red band, red nock... cool arrows...
Do you want someone to find Morley's bow in a photograph? Morely's bow is not leaning against the cabin wall in the photograph posted above.
Finding the poundage of Morley's bow mentioned in the text would be some great supporting evidence to locate.
A larger version of the photograph I posted is in the Bear ads on the back of "Archery" magazine in the 1950s.
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Wade if you would be willing to look through your photographs that would be wonderful.
I did locate another pic with Morley in it-a bowhunting camp in 1952.
It was in the book by Charlie Kroll-'Fred Bear a bio of an Outdoorsman" p 154.
Whatcha' think Trap should do to the bow?
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Like I said earlier, Trap should pack up the bow and send it to me before those bow termites infest all of this other bows in the house.... :)
If it is his, he should do what ever he wants.
Personally, I usually just leave historically significant things pretty much the way the are when I find them. That's just me, and lots of folks think I am crazier than they are. They may be right when it comes to this.
Takes a wise person to know where that fine line is between restoring an item and destroying its historical significance.
This is a well known photograph. Morley is holding his bow horizontal, so not a good shot of it. Article does not discuss bowmen or bow weight.
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/3c99c2c6.jpg)
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Same as first photograph of Fred and Bob, 1954, but this one is on the back cover of "Archery"...
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/d7fdfbbb.jpg)
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Trap - You are not going to believe this one...
I have read this April 1955 article a few times over the years. This is how the fifth paragraph starts up...
"This year Bob bagged his pronghorn buck near a waterhole at seventy-three yards with his sixty-five pound, forty eight inch bow, using a twenty-two inch broadhead arrow..."
Bob is holding the bow horizontal again so you can not really see much...
The bow leaning against the cabin wall in this photograph is a static (see other photograph for owner)
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/e13a98c8.jpg)
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This just keeps getting better and better!
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Wade, you amaze me.
You are relentless in your research and have a mind like a steel trap. Thank you for adding so much great info about the bow.
As you have probably surmised, the bow belongs to Bjorn. Where it goes from here will be his decision.
I was honestly just joking around when I started the thread because of the Morley/Marley name similarity. Hope I havent ruined the historical significance by removing the grip. I suppose we wouldnt have known what it was if the bow had been pristine and the grip intact.
Trap
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The bow with the grip intact was a whole different story from what it has become with the grip off! Too cool! Nice find Trap and Wade!
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Trap - Glad to help. I'm afraid the old steel trap is getting a little rusty lately...
For years it seemed that almost everyone thought all of this information was worthless. It's nice to be able to put it to some good use.
As I'm certain you both know, Morley was from California and a good pal of Nubbie Pate's.
Yes, with Bjorn on the track, it did smell a bit like yesterday's diapers to me with Bjorn in California.
I know there is at least one more article that I have not found yet this evening. Not sure that it has much other than a photograph or two of Morley with the group of bowmen.
Can't say that it looks promising to find a better photograph of the bow.
At this point, its all great therapy for me.
Removing the grip and discovering Morley's name was pure genius (or lucky) molesting the bow any further would be considered incompetence by some.
I'm personally pleased you guys have unearthed such a treasure. If you are going to build a display for the bow, I'll help you document the bow and Morley in any way I can. I have a neat little item that Fred gave each of the bowmen on that 1954 hunt. If there is a display, I'll donate one to go with the bow and the display.
Lot's of really great stuff behind Fred's Wyoming hunts that is not known by many today. Someday in the near future, I hope it gets published.
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Wade, thanks for the flattery, and I did discover that Morley was from CA back when this was a different place. I have written to the owner of the pawn shop where the bow came from-but that is likely a dead end.
We/I was thinking about a display case for the bow and the pics all together under one glass. It is not often that we come across a 56" compass that is 63@24, has Fred's printing on it (maybe) and articles to go along with it, describing the man's friendship with one of the very greats of trad archery. Anything you can uncover would be wonderful!
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Bjorn - Hugh Rich was also on that 1954 Wyoming hunt with Fred, Bob and Nubbie. I have a letter and Photograph that Hugh sent to me about that hunt. I got the letter probably 10 years before Hugh died. I'll send you a copy of Hugh's letter, it has a lot of important information in it that is not printed any where else. A copy of Hugh's letter belongs with Bob's bow.
Will also send first generation copies of the stuff I've posted plus the entire articles. Have a couple of other items that I will also send along.
Will look for the missing article and send that when I locate it.
I can't tell you how pleased I am that you are Preserving Bob's bow rather than cobbling it up.
I hope you are planing on making a large display!
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What a find this is turning out to be! Yes, we will make the display as big as it needs to be to embrace the story.
I trust Trap will decide to show it at his earliest opportunity this winter.
Wouldn't it be awesome to find a 22" arrow that BM might have shot?
Can we get you to do an 'expert opinion' on Fred's writing on the bow?
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Bjorn - This is a photograph of Hugh with his 1954 antelope on that hunt with Fred, Bob and Nubbie. I sent it to Hugh, he signed it with a note and sent it back...
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/0477a1ed.jpg)
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And to think, I could have sanded away all of that history in about 10 minutes.
The crack likely saved the writing because I knew I needed to get that crack LTed or filled somehow before I went any further. Figured I'd have a little fun with it first.
I spoke with Bjorn earlier about the fact that I sanded a " RUSH for _____ _____ " from under the grip area when I refinnished my 55 Kodiak. I don't remember the name and I have no pics of the writing. I assumed it was a special order but didnt think about it being anything special now and it probably wasnt but,......
Live and learn
Good Night you crazy collectors
Trap
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Another shot of the usual suspects from 1954...
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/4f8d4c05.jpg)
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Trap - It is even scarier to think that someone may have just used a band saw to cut out the compass and trashed the bow... It scares me when I think of what might have happened to that bow in someone else's hands...
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Well, I guess tomorrow I will be busy all day tearing all the original leather grips off my Kodiaks looking for clues as to who the original owners were... :scared:
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dang it Wade I had him going I was bouts to offer him a deal he could not refuse.Bob was a short sawed off guy and I bet thats his bow for sure.But more importently I have been looking for the guy that beat me out on that bow week before last.Now I know..............bd
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So Wade, got any idea what part of Wyoming that is?
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What a find!!!
Fascinating to say the least.
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Charlie - Fred's group hunted near Gillette, Wyoming. They hunted at least 4 years in a row there. I've hunted in Wyoming since the 1970s as it borders our state on the west and isn't that far. Years ago, I looked up the place on a map, but never followed up and actually went to the site. I could just kick myself now. Always thought there was next year.
I’d forgotten all about it until just now, but sometime in the early 1980s I ran into a fellow not far from Gillette who told me the "Bear Gulch Wyoming" cabin was gone. Remembering back now, guess that is when I sort of lost interest in going to the site.
Come spring, I’m just going to have to head west and locate that old cabin site and find out what is still there.
Any one else interested in riding along? It is about 11 or 12 hours from my place. Can’t promise you anything but a sore rear end.
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Doc - Yes, I was asleep at the switch when Morley's bow went off. Have been unconscious a lot lately.
You are correct, Morley was a short sawed off guy, 56", 63#@24" fits him to a T. He was a carpenter by trade but a cowboy at heart and wore that tall white hat that made him look like a bigger guy.
Like you, I'd bet it's Morley's bow too. The greatest thing about the bow is that it was saved by someone who will take care of it now.
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Wade ripping the leather off a few of your bows is a pretty good idea. You likely have several 56" bows in the same age group..............'54-whatever, that are similar specs to this one, and may well have 'Bob Morley' inscribed in that well recognized lettering. Worth a look? We could all do a massive 'rip along' right here on TradGang? :biglaugh:
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Bjorn - "Rip Along" is great idea. We can all take turns...
Let's see Trap went first
If I go second, which of these 56" 1954s would be the best candidate to rip the grip off...
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/a36fa665.jpg)
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Nice; but Bob already had one of those-let's go to the next year?
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gee's I don't believe I let a bunch of bow collecters talk me into cutting the grips off every bow in my collection thinking I would find the holy grail of bows with Fred's name hand writen under the grip.But no no I did'nt find nothing not one thing.What the heck was I thinking anydamnway Fred was lefthanded.bowdoc strikes again (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/pics011.jpg)
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BD, quite a pile of grips there!!!!
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:biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
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Did you check for Fred's signature under the tongue of the Left Chuck Taylor?
Trap
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OK I'am going to go for it one more time and see if maybe just maybe I'll get lucky.Here goes another factory leather grip down the tube.
Hey Trap that is a pair of Fred's old All Stars there like size 15EEE so I wear them over the top of my own.
Now lets get back to cutting those grips off all our bows.bd (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/591.jpg)
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holy b-geez-is did I ever hit the big time.I knew if I just kept cutting I would strike gold.Check out whom this custom Kodiak was built for in 1959.yaheeeeeeeeew what a hit that was..bd (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii175/bowdocsarchery/592.jpg)
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And just look at that handwriting too!!
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WOW!!!! You found it!!!! Outstanding!!!!! That's where I left it????? Thank you so much for locating my old "factory repaired" 59 Kodiak.
Wade and I have had joint custody of this great bow for many years. I felt really bad about misplacing it and Wade was threatening to make me buy out his half.
You know my address. Thanks Doc, You're the man.
Trap
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Doc - I just read your post and laughed for 2 minutes. You crack me up. I don't know what we would do for entertainment without you around to stir the barrel once in a while.
Also love your pile of old leather grips.
Several years ago, I had a pile probably 5 times that size... but none of them were original, they were all my own grips that I made and screwed up so ripped them off and started over again and again and again...
Never claimed to be a fast learner.
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I have found 5 records of 'Bob Morley' born in the US between 1895 and 1905, and who also lived in California at any time. Trying to narrow this down; anybody know a middle initial, or birthplace maybe?
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holy crap you guy's crack me up.What would I do without you guy's to kick around a little during the day.I used 17 cow hides praticing and I still ai'nt got it right.bd
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Bjorn - I'm certain you know that Morley lived in Barstow at the time he was involved in archery. Have no idea where he was born.
Doc - Your 17 cowhides is well beyond the 4 I've used. Hard to find thin leather with consistent thickness. I've always had lots of scrap pieces.
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Thanks Wade, yes I did know that and I suspect he was involved with the Desert Archers along with Nubbie and perhaps even HH?
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Nubbie Pate and Desert Bowhunters, what a trip that had to be to go to one of Nubbie's "Tin Can Shoots". The Wilhelm boys sort of rounded out that whole crew of characters.
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Anybody know if Edwin Pate got the nickname 'Nubbie'
because he only had one leg?
BTW he excelled at football, hockey and obviously archery and hunting. His 'limitation' never held him back.
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TTT for Mitch. A fun thread.
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Cool thread . That's an awesome bow too
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Trap
Thank you I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Very cool.
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I find this stuff fascinating...
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Just now re-read the entire text of this thread, which brought back some good memories from 2009.
Had forgotten how much fun we were having about the time this thread originated.