Be Part of a Tradition That Hits the Mark—Since 1957
Founded in 1957, Cedar River Bowmen (CRB) is a private, non-profit archery club with deep roots and a proud legacy. Originally started as Boeing Archers in 1953, our club has grown into one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier archery communities.
We offer unmatched facilities, a variety of ranges, and a passionate membership dedicated to promoting archery and bowhunting. Our tradition of excellence is built on decades of hard work, fellowship, and a shared love for the sport.
Whether you’re new to archery or carrying on a family tradition, CRB is the perfect place to learn, grow, and connect. Come experience what generations of archers already know—there’s no place like Cedar River Bowmen!
HISTORY OF BOWNANZA
Bownanza began in 1973 as Cedar River Bowmen’s first major 3D shoot—at a time when 3D archery targets were still in their infancy. Club Life Member Bill Egner, who joined CRB in 1967, played a pivotal role in its inception. A taxidermist based in North Bend, Washington, Bill was returning from a trip to New York when he stopped at a 3D shoot hosted by the Northern Illinois club. There, participants were provided with foam blocks to carve their own animal targets. Inspired by this concept, Bill decided to create CRB’s first 3D targets using full-size taxidermy molds.
Some of those original hand-crafted targets still exist today, including an 11-foot polar bear, a Sasquatch,
black leopard, standing spike elk, two bedded cow elk, walking black bear, walking brown bear, two black bear cubs, coyote, wild boar, raccoon, and standing deer.
Bownanza has become an annual tradition for Cedar River Bowmen Archery club and attendees travel from out of state and even Canada to come participate our largest shoot of the year. Attendance every year reaches up to 300 shooters!
The 11’ polar bear was a regular at Bownanza for 44 years and became a Bownanza icon. It was nearly destroyed and conversation by some members destined it to the fire pit. However, the first year that the polar bear was not at Bownanza, many shooters asked about it. From that, the decision was made to rebuild the icon.
Rebuilt by Galen Mauden (lifetime member), Jim Walker (lifetime member), Jason Coleman, and Gerald Fall.
The rebuilding took much effort but was successful and once again the polar bear sees its rightful place at Bownanza each year.
To ensure Bownanza continues to feature the high-quality courses CRB presented from 2006–2009 and beyond, the Course Captain of the Year award is presented to the course captain whose course is voted best by Bownanza shooters. This award fosters friendly competition among course captains, challenging them to design the most outstanding course each year.
From Boeing to Enumclaw: The Story of CRB
According to CRB records, the club was originally founded in 1953 as Boeing Archers, with practice sessions held in one of Boeing’s hangars. In 1957, the club was renamed Cedar River Bowmen.
In December 1959, CRB merged with the Sammamish Archers and began using the Sammamish Range. However, a legal issue led to the cancellation of that lease. By fall of 1960, CRB secured a lease on 56 acres of land from King County, where they developed a dedicated archery range in Issaquah.
In 1999, King County began requiring fair market value for all its leases, which caused CRB’s lease costs to increase more than 15-fold. This made the Issaquah location unsustainable, prompting CRB to search for a new site.
Although the county eventually reconsidered its lease policy after seeing widespread tenant departures, CRB had already relocated. In 2000, the club moved to its current home in Enumclaw, Washington, where it continues to operate today.