David Valentine "Smoky" Palmer 1860-1950

PALMER, HAWKINS, RICKABAUGH, RUDD, HOUGHTON, SCHOTKA

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 8/30/2013 at 20:13:35

Death Comes To “Smoky” Palmer at 89
David (Smoky) [David Valentine] Palmer, 89, Wallingford retired barber ex-market hunter, trap shooter, former town marshall of Lake Park and ex-game warden, died of an embolism yesterday [August 11, 1950] afternoon at 1:20 in Holy Family hospital.

Palmer has lived in Wallingford since 1944 when he moved there from High lake after his wife died.

Palmer, the oldest Izaak Walton member in the state, was one of the best known trapshooters in northwest Iowa. He had won 13 medals in state, national and local competitions, this in spite of the fact he never fired a shot gun before he was almost 30 years old. Most of his medals had been won since retirement from game shooting for almost 20 years and when he was almost 60 years of age.

Palmer was born Oct. 4, 1860, in Selma, Ill., and received his education in that town. On Dec. 22, 1882, he was married to Adeline Perry Hawkins of Bloomington, Ill., and the couple lived in Bloomington for about five years before moving to East Lynn where they lived until 1893 when they moved to Lake Park, then moved in 1919 to Wallingford, lived from 1925 to 1944 at High lake, and from 1944 to the time of his death, lived in Wallingford.

During his years in Illinois, Palmer was occupied with his regular occupation of barber, but upon coming to Iowa, he also engaged intermittently in market hunting, shooting prairie chickens, pheasants, ducks and quail and shipping them to Chicago and eastern markets for sale.

The name “Smoky” was given to him by a friend because Palmer insisted on using black powder even after the introduction of smokeless powder. At big trap shoots, Palmer always was wreathed in heavy smoke from the black powder in his shells which he loaded himself.

From the years 1913 through 1930 he was a game warden and for 15 years of the period from 1896 through 1917, was town marshall of Lake Park. He was a member of Wallingford Lutheran church.

Survivors include his four daughters, Hazel (Mrs. Claude Rickabaugh) of LeMars; Zoe (Mrs. Frank Rudd) of Lake Park; Ethereal (Mrs. Frank Schotka) of Silvis, Ill., and Etheal (Mrs. Edward Houghton) of Palmetto, Fla.

Services will be held tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. in Sternborg funeral chapel and at 3 p.m. at Wallingford Lutheran church. In the absence of Rev. C.B. Gunderson, the Rev. Carl Sinning of Lake Park Presbyterian church will officiate at the services. Burial will be at High Lake cemetery. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, August 12, 1950 – includes picture on front page)

“Smoky” Palmer Is Dead at 89
Estherville Enterprise – David (Smoky) Palmer, one of the best known shooters not only in Emmet county but in the state, passed away at the Holy Family hospital last Friday afternoon at the age of eighty-nine. Smoky may have gone but for years he will be remembered. His former home on High Lake was well known and when directions around that lake are given, about the first thing you hear “know where Smoky Palmer’s is?”

Smoky resided on the lake property until his wife passed away in 1944, and then he moved to Wallingford. He was not only well known to the sportsmen but was held in high esteem by all of them. As a trap shooter his ability was well known. Even after he attained old age he was still able to do a good job at the traps.

Mr. Palmer was born on Oct. 4, 1860 in Salem, Ill. He remained there during his boyhood and received his education in the schools there. He married Adeline Hawkins December 22, 1882. They lived in Bloomington, Ill., for several years and later moved to Lake Park in 1893. He was a barber by trade and when in Lake Park he was city marshall.

He began his shooting when game was plentiful and was a hunter for the trade shipping game to Chicago and other markets. He began trap shooting and obtained a reputation in that class. The use of black powder in the shells he loaded himself long after smokeless was used by others gave him his nickname Smoky.

He is survived by four daughters, Mrs. Claude Rickabaugh of LeMars, Mrs. Frank Rudd of Lake Park, Mrs. Edward Houghton of Palmetto, Florida and Mrs. Frank Schotka of Silvis, Ill.

The funeral services were held on Sunday from the Sternborg funeral home at 2:30 and from the Wallingford Lutheran church at 3 p.m., the Rev. C.B. Gunderson officiating. Interment was in the High Lake cemetery. (Emmetsburg Reporter, Emmetsburg, IA, August 29, 1950)

“Smokey” Palmer, Former Skeet King, Dies at Age of 89
David “Smoky” Palmer, the famous trap shooter, and former Lake Park marshal, died at Holy Family Hospital in Estherville on Friday, August 11, at the age of 89.

Palmer, an ex-gram warden had moved to Wallingford in 1919, after serving as a game warden and town marshal in Lake Park. He moved to Lake Park in 1893, along with his family.

“Smoky” was the oldest Isaac Walton League member in the state, and one of the best trapshooters the state has ever seen. He had won 13 medals in state, national and local competition, in spite of the fact that he had never fired a shot gun until after he was thirty years old. Most of his medals had been won after he retired from game shooting for almost 20 years, and when he was almost sixty years of age.

The name “Smoky” was given to him by a friend because Palmer insisted on using black powder even after the introduction of smokeless powder. At big trap shoots, Palmer was always enveloped in a large black cloud of smoke. He continued to load his own shells.

From the years 1916 through 1930 he was a game warden and for fifteen years a marshal in Lake Park.

He is survived by four daughters, one of whom still lives in Lake Park, Mrs. Frank Rudd. (Spirit Lake Beacon, Spirit Lake, IA, August 17, 1950)