Biography
Ben Pearson was an archer, bowyer (bow maker), and fletcher (arrow maker) from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He is known as the Father of Modern Archery.
In 1926 Ben competed in a statewide contest using a bow built from a Boy Scout manual. He finished next to last. But he didn’t give up! He worked to make his equipment better and he won the Arkansas State Championship the very next year!
Ben traveled all over America to show others how to use his bows and arrows. In 1972 he was among the first inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame.
Ben started a company called Ben Pearson, Incorporated. It was the first company in the United States to mass-produce archery sets and equipment. They used the wood of the bodark (Osage orange) tree to create the bows. This wood was traditionally used by the native tribes in Arkansas to make bows also. At its height in the mid-1960s, Ben Pearson’s company had more than 800 employees. They made 3,000 – 5,000 dozen arrows and 4,000 bows each day. They used 15 to 20 rail carloads of turkey feathers to make all the arrows. In 1988, the company presented Governor Bill Clinton with the six millionth bow and the 200 millionth arrow.
In 1926 Ben competed in a statewide contest using a bow built from a Boy Scout manual. He finished next to last. But he didn’t give up! He worked to make his equipment better and he won the Arkansas State Championship the very next year!
Ben traveled all over America to show others how to use his bows and arrows. In 1972 he was among the first inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame.
Ben started a company called Ben Pearson, Incorporated. It was the first company in the United States to mass-produce archery sets and equipment. They used the wood of the bodark (Osage orange) tree to create the bows. This wood was traditionally used by the native tribes in Arkansas to make bows also. At its height in the mid-1960s, Ben Pearson’s company had more than 800 employees. They made 3,000 – 5,000 dozen arrows and 4,000 bows each day. They used 15 to 20 rail carloads of turkey feathers to make all the arrows. In 1988, the company presented Governor Bill Clinton with the six millionth bow and the 200 millionth arrow.