Erie County Sportsmen’s League Game Farm At Howard Falls – Chapter Four

Nestled in the countryside of Erie County, Pennsylvania, Howard Falls holds a rich history that intertwines natural beauty, community, and conservation. One particularly remarkable chapter in its story began in the late 1930s, when the property briefly served as the site of the Erie County Sportsmen’s League Game Farm.

Chapters One to Three Summary: How the Game Farm Began and The Sportsmen’s League Events at Howard Falls

For 6 years, from 1936 through 1941, Dr. John J. Koehler (1898-1948) led the Erie County Sportsmen’s League through a period of remarkable development of the organization. As detailed in Chapters One to Three, the League established its Game Farm at Howard Falls in the late 1930s and quickly transformed the property into a hub for conservation, recreation, and public events. We looked at the League’s rapid growth, the development of the Game Farm itself, and the many ways Howard Falls became tied to Erie County’s sporting culture through bird propagation, hound trials, fundraising events, and public support. By the end of Chapter Two, it was clear that the Game Farm had become something much bigger than a rural experiment, setting the stage for the annual Field Days that would draw thousands to Howard Falls.

In Chapter Three, we detailed how the annual Field Days of 1938, 1939, 1940, and 1941 became featured weekend events each of those years, not only for the members but for the whole family. These weekend events included a carnival atmosphere of entertainment, music, and dancing, and more. Incredibly, 10,000 or more members and guests visited Howard Falls each year to participate in the festivities.

With a burgeoning membership throughout the Erie area, it seemed like the League had found its groove in providing meaningful value to sportsmen and their entire families. Life seemed good.

Chapter Four: When the Field Days Faded

1942: The Year of Change

As the year 1941 drew to a close, Dr. Koehler announced that he would be stepping down as President of the Erie County League. Nonetheless, he would go on to have a continuing role in advocating for Sportsmen’s organizations at the state level.

Sensing the importance of maintaining the successful years of his tenure, he championed a slate of officers to continue the organization’s mission. Having been Secretary and Treasurer of the Erie County Sportsmen’s and instrumental in developing the Game Farm at Howard Falls, on property that he leased to the League, Paul Howard (1898-1983) was a logical choice to become President. Indeed, at the December 1941 member meeting held at Pulakos-on-the-lake, the Koehler-approved slate of officers was elected to lead the organization for 1942, with Howard at the helm.

Pulakos-on-the-Lake, where that December 1941 meeting was held, was itself a relatively new addition to Erie County’s social scene. Opened on July 4, 1925, by Steve Pulakos (1890-1969) the dance hall and tavern along West Lake Road was promoted as one of the most modern and picturesque venues in the region. It quickly became a popular gathering place for dances, dinners, and large social events, offering the kind of established indoor accommodations that the Sportsmen’s League lacked at Howard Falls. In many ways, it foreshadowed the type of facility the League would soon seek closer to Erie. But even as the League looked toward a more centralized and socially oriented future, events unfolding far beyond Erie were about to reshape those plans entirely.

Of course, also in December 1941, the world would witness the Japanese surprise attack on US forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and plunge the United States into full involvement in WW2.

The US involvement in the War would profoundly affect the Sportsmen’s organization in a variety of ways:

• By May 1942, mandatory rationing of gasoline would begin in the Eastern US, with non-essential travel discouraged. Motorists were allocated 3-4 gallons of gas/week, and with vehicles averaging 10-15 mpg, this restricted drivers to staying close to home. This rationing remained in force throughout the War.
• The Selective Service draft required those selected to serve at least one year, but once the US entered the War, this was extended for the duration of the conflict. By the end of the War in 1945, approximately 10 million had been inducted into the US military. With many local men inducted, membership at the League quickly began to decline.
• Domestic ammunition supply for civilians began to plummet as supplies were diverted to military needs. Common caliber shotgun shells vanished from store shelves as hunters hoarded available stock. By 1943, rifle rounds, even 22 caliber bullets, were not to be found. Sportsmen no longer could practice at ranges, and before long, hunting in general dropped off dramatically.

By May 1942, the Sportsmen’s League recognized that holding events at the Game Farm would not be possible for the foreseeable future. Just southeast of Erie, off of Perry Highway, and just north of the present day intersection with Interstate 90, there was a lodge that for many years had been of interest to the League. In 1930, the Erie Tennis and Country Club took over the lease on Hunters’ Lodge, which included a clubhouse and ballroom. There, they built 6 clay tennis courts and had operated the club until the War began, at which point they ended their lease.

Established in 1927 as a riding school on the farm of prominent Erie County Sportsman, A. Hunter Willis (1888-1939), Hunters’ Lodge quickly became one of the region’s most active social and recreational centers. The addition of the ballroom in 1930 further expanded its role, accommodating weddings, reunions, dances, meetings, and large public events. The Erie Times newspaper archive highlights its constant use: between 1930 and 1939, the paper recorded almost 1,500 articles referencing the lodge, reporting on an event or announcing one every other day. By the time of Willis’s death in October 1939, the lodge had become deeply embedded in Erie County’s social life.

Hunters’ Lodge also occupied 11 acres of land, and with its existing clubhouse, the League saw it as an ideal location to better accommodate the wives and children of sportsmen, while still supporting field events and potentially serving as a new home for the Game Farm relocated from Howard Falls. Thus, in June 1942, the League obtained a 30-day option to purchase Hunters’ Lodge for $10,000, and fundraising began in earnest to raise those monies. By August, the League made a down payment on the purchase of the property, and plans were made for a 5-day carnival to be held near the airport to raise additional funds for the Lodge.

Even though the League had arranged bus transportation from Erie to the carnival, the weather did not cooperate, and the event was poorly attended. Nonetheless, they continued to consider Hunters’ Lodge, and in September, the first full League meeting was held there; and in October, the League held its Field Day there, moving it from Howard Falls due to the travel restrictions faced by the general public. Unlike previous years, the Field Day did not include any family events or entertainment.

By December, gas rationing had curtailed most participation at League meetings by members from outside of Erie, and general attendance at these meetings was also reported to be sharply down. If 1942 was an indication of how the War was going to adversely affect the League, 1943 was about to bring even more challenges.

1943: The Year of Uncertainty

The annual election of officers for the Erie County Sportsmen’s League was a somewhat contentious affair. Unrest had been brewing for some time, and various factions within the League differed on the primary initiatives and who was best suited to lead the organization. In the final count, Freeman Mounsey (1890-1971) was elected President for 1943, replacing Paul Howard.

By April, Mounsey had resigned, citing continued friction within the organization as the cause, and was replaced by Fred ‘Red’ Giesler (1906-1996). The League continued to explore the acquisition of Hunters’ Lodge, and the May member meeting was held there. At that May meeting, it was announced that The Game Farm at Howard Falls had halted operation. Feed for the pheasants was increasingly hard to acquire, and gas rationing prevented volunteers from visiting the operations. Unable to continue their efforts to acquire Hunters’ Lodge, the League abandoned that initiative, and the owners of Hunters’ Lodge put the property on the market again.

Through the rest of 1943, rival factions continued to vie for control, and by December, Freeman Mounsey was back as President, having replaced Red Giesler. Uncertain and unsettled times ruled at the League.

1944: The Game Farm Experiment Ends

That most recent tenure of Mounsy, announced in December of 1943, would be short-lived indeed, for in March 1944 it was reported that Red Giesler was once again at the helm as President of the League. With his acceptance, he vowed to return the League to an ‘active’ organization.

The League abandoned its efforts to acquire Hunters’ Lodge. With neither the Erie Tennis Club nor the Sportsmen’s League interested in leasing the facility, its contents were liquidated at auction in June 1944. Arthur F. Shultz (1895-1975), the furniture magnate of Erie, acquired the property; by 1946, Hunters’ Lodge began being called “Shultz’s Farm”, and in 1949, he established his residence there from Erie. The 1950 census shows the family settled there on Willis Road.

In the early 1970s, the Lodge building had been converted to 4 apartments, and on Sunday, February 18, 1973, a fire destroyed the structure. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but Hunters’ Lodge was no more.

In 1945, Giesler’s tenure as President continued, and in June 1945, it was reported that 500 ring-necked pheasant chicks were being raised at diverse locations in Edinboro, Albion, and various Erie locations. No longer was the Game Farm at Howard Falls used by Erie County Sportsmen’s League.

Paul Howard continued to remain active in the League throughout the leadership changes and, by 1948, was again serving as Treasurer of the organization.

Epilogue
by Dennis D Howard

My first recollections of Howard Falls were from visits to my grandparents, Levi and Mattie (Hinds) Howard, who lived directly across the road from the Game Farm location. My parents, Roy and Edith (Hogan) Howard, and I visited nearly every Sunday afternoon and all major holidays. By the mid-1950s, I was 10 years old and frequently explored the property.

My grandfather used a few of the metal brooders to raise his chickens and turkeys. At some point, they had been relocated to directly behind his barn. My grandmother had repurposed two of the small buildings at the old Game Farm, now keeping her laying hens there. It was my job to gather the eggs for her each day when I was visiting.
Along the road, the League had built a long frame building, more like a shed, that was now empty and falling into disrepair. We eventually tore it down and burned the rotting wood. Nothing remains of it.

In 1968, Paul Howard sold the 20 acres that had comprised the grounds of the Game Farm to me, and we built our current residence on the property. Behind our home still remains the wire netting that housed the many ring-necked pheasants over the years. After the Game Farm was abandoned, the coops eventually disintegrated. To this day, the netting and heavy grape wire make that section of the property difficult to mow.
Nonetheless, we are proud of the history of the property, and the Game Farm was just one chapter of an ongoing story, now nearly 200 years running with 7 generations of Howard family calling Howard Falls “Home.”