Ernie Root's First Bows, The "King" Longbows

Ernie Root's Kings 

Target King, Field King, and Game King Longbows

by Larry Vienneau 

Root Target King, longbow mid-late 1950s

" All King Line Bows are straight end reflex limbed bows with oriental center shot handles, featuring extremely high stability for smooth accurate shooting" 

Since 2012, I have written 59 posts about Shakespeare and Root Archery. When I began this project, little was known about Ernie Root, his bow designs, the history of Root Archery, or the myths surrounding his relationships with Shakespeare Archery. Despite this, I have managed to pen detailed descriptions of each Root and Shakespeare bow. However, this particular post has been the most challenging to write, as information on Ernie Root's early "KING" bows has been scarce. While I had hoped that new data would emerge with time, the opposite has happened, with many traditional forums archiving their older posts and removing photographs. Fortunately, with the help of Larry Root, Ernie's son, and supportive Root collectors, I believe this is the most reliable source of information on Ernie Root's early bows. According to Larry Root, Ernie named his dog "King" after his King Longbows. 

Ernie Root worked at American Archery before WWII. When he was drafted into the army, he was an equity owner in the company, but he sold his shares back to the company/other owners before heading off to war. After the war, he moved back to Iowa with his wife and returned to American Archery. Eventually, he started making his Root Bows commercially in his basement while still working at American. He later left that company to start Root Archery, a family business in suburban Chicago in the early 1950s. After outgrowing a couple of small spaces, he moved out of the city and eventually settled in Big Rapids, MI.

 

1957 Target King

Ernie Root was an exceptional tournament archer who achieved a remarkable individual score of 836 in 1947, a record that stood unbroken until 1959. During his first major competition in the early 1940s, Root came close to achieving a perfect score. According to a sports article from that time, Root had only been pulling a bowstring for 16 months but had already developed deadly accuracy. His score of 800 was the first ever achieved in that competition and was one of the few scores ever shot in the entire nation. While no one had ever shot a perfect score of 810, the closest anyone had come was 808. Despite having only 13 months of target shooting experience, Root had crafted most of his own equipment, including his bow and arrows.

So, at 22 years old, Ernie Root had only been shooting for 16 months and he was a rising star. He was already making his target equipment!!

 During the mid and late 1950s, the longbow was the staple of every bow manufacturer, but the recurve was becoming an important part of modern archery.  In the mid-1950s most longbows were built with the riser behind the back of the bow similar to the Howard Hill bows. Bear was building both longbows and recurves in this style.

late 1950s Root Target Master with riser forward riser.

mid-late 1950s Bear Alaskan
dual shelf longbow, riser at the back of the bow

Though Fred Bear was a true innovator in bow design, his bows were like many other bows of the period, riser backward. Fred was an avid hunter and most of his bows were designed with the hunter in mind. Ernie Root had a different approach to the longbow. His extensive experience as a tournament archer influenced his designs. A longbow of 66-70 inches is very forgiving. It tends to be very accurate. Bear's bows were shorter while Root's were longer. Root bows were also very innovative because of the riser-forward design. A forward riser and long limbs design help eliminate limb stacking. Root would use the forward riser design in both longbows and recurves.

 

"Sight Window on the King Line are the same width for their entire length, assuring the hunter or target archer the same view at any distance. All Root Bows feature handcrafted arrow shelves with felt hair contact points" from early promo material

pre- 1957 Field King $45.00

• AMO 66 inches and 68 inches
• 5" sight window
• Draw weight? Likely 30#-50#
• Brace 7 ½ ? (based on Target Master)
• Limbs 1 ½
• Riser: Maple, or Exotic Hardwood
• Fiberglass: White, Brown, Light Green, or Dark Green
• Left hand and heavy draw weights were special orders

pre- 1957 Target King $45.00

• AMO 68 inches and 70 inches
• 6" sight window 
• Draw weight? Likely 30#-50# 
• Brace 7 ½ ? (based on Target Master)
• Limbs 1 ½
• Riser: Maple, or Exotic Hardwood
• Fiberglass: White, Brown, Light Green, or Dark Green
• Left hand and heavy draw weights were special orders
• I haven't been able to find any information about the Game King bow. I did come across a post in a traditional archery forum that mentioned it, but it was an old post and the photo was no longer available. However, since there were Field and Target King bows that later became Field and Target Master bows, it's possible that there was also a Game King. Additionally, there is a Game Master bow that exists.

I have just completed my 60th post, which documents all the Root and Shakespeare bow models. However, I intend to update each post as new information and photographs come to light.

During Ernie Root's heyday, I was just a youngster and only recall shooting a Shakespeare bow at summer camp because of the famous playwright's name. It wasn't until the 1990s when I lived in Alaska that I discovered Shakespeare Archery. While on a moose hunt, I stumbled upon a Shakespeare Parabow that had been left behind by a hunter four decades ago. Although it wasn't a Root bow, it sparked my fascination with the brand. Subsequently, I developed a profound appreciation for Ernie Root's bow-making skills, but finding reliable information was challenging. Thus, I believe that documenting his contributions to modern archery is crucial to preserving American Archery's history. 

As time passes, we lose archers, collectors, and designers from the Golden Age of American Archery, eroding knowledge, memories, and stories, which could be lost forever. Therefore, we owe it to future generations to preserve as much knowledge as possible. Through my research, I have gained a wealth of information and forged many friendships, and I hope that my work will foster a deeper appreciation for the vanishing history of American Archery.

Jeff Freeman shared photos of  Target King, Thank you, Jeff!! 

This post is "in Process", I am still looking for examples of these bows, and I am looking for stories or observations about them too. Please contact me through this blog or via email at shakespeare.archer@aol.com

if you have anything to add to this or any of these posts. Thanks in advance!!

copyright (C) Larry Vienneau