Toxophilite Index

Next Page

When I made the phone call, I was warmly received by the receptionist who was eager to accommodate our desire for a tour. Two days later, Wayne and I arrived at the factory and we were met by Lacey McMillin who would be our tour guide. Lacey, a 25 year employee with Martin Archery, was obviously very familiar with the operation, giving us interesting information and answering our questions about bow production and history. Unfortunately, Mr. Hatfield was out of town attending the Longbow Safari in Big Valley, Alberta, Canada.

As we toured and observed the operation in full progress, we learned that Gail Martin had purchased the plant in 1976. At that time Martin was the largest bowstring maker in the country in addition to the making and selling of thousands of arrows. This facility had previously been the home factory of Damon Howatt. Mr. Howatt had become interested in archery in the late 1930’s and by the early 1940’s, he had formed Yakima’s first archery club and was beginning to make bows for himself, family, and friends. It was not long until Mr. Howatt and his wife Edna were making bows and arrows full time, and they saw the business grow steadily.

By the late 1940’s, Damon Howatt’s success required a newer and larger factory where he and his hired help were producing 5-6000 bows and 30,000 arrows annually. Recurves of the 1950’s and 1960’s were the most popular bows with Fred Bear and Ben Pearson capturing the majority of the market. However, the Damon Howatt Company produced a complete line of their own bows and arrows which were mass produced and were offered at a price the average archer could afford. Many of today’s archers and hunters regard the Damon Howatt bows to be superior to the more popular Bear and Pearson bows.

The following is from page 32 of “The National Bowhunter” Magazine November 1957

The All Round Bow
Mamba 62” Hunter
$45.00
Accuracy-Durability-Smoothness-Stability
Damon Howatt, Route 8, Yakima, Washington
Phone 28463

The following is from page 3 of “The Archer’s” Magazine July 1958

Howatt’s “Mamba Hunter”
A durable 62” bow, weights to 70 lbs.
$45.00
Howatt’s “Hi-Speed”
A 58” bow in weights to 70 lbs.
$49.50

In 1954, Mr. and Mrs. Howatt met Larry Hatfield and they became friends and shooting companions. It was during this time that they enjoyed target shooting and archery golf, roaming the sagebrush every Sunday during the Spring and early Summer in the countryside near Yakima. Larry’s love of archery resulted in his going to work as a bowyer for Mr. Howatt in 1961. This was where Mr. Hatfield began to attain his knowledge of bows, their designs, and what it takes to make a high quality bow at affordable prices.

The bow-making business required Mr. and Mrs. Howatt’s full time, and in 1961 they decided to sell the company and retire to a life of bowhunting and leisure, something he and his wife had been unable to do for the past few years. Six months later at the age of 57, Mr. Howatt was killed in a car accident in Ellensburg, Washington, while on his way to a fishing trip.