If you know anything about the world of archery, you’re probably familiar with the Easton name. But did you know that it’s the longest standing archery company in the United States, and that it has been family-owned the entire time? This year the Easton family celebrates their 100th anniversary as an American outdoor icon.
Doug Easton began in 1922 with excellent crafting skills and a dream. He made his own arrows out of cedar and pine, and created his own bows. His skill and attention to detail quickly made Easton archery’s reputation as the finest in the country. By 1929, Doug Easton moved his dream to Los Angeles, where he opened Easton’s Archery Shop—and the legend just grew from there. Soon, Easton’s standards would become the world’s.
Easton’s contributions to the world of wooden arrows were many, but he’s best known for designing the first screw-in point system. By 1949 Easton had realized that modern metallurgy could make a better arrow, and began production of the world’s first aluminum arrow, the 24SRT-X.
The small family shop moved and grew. Over time, Doug and team created the venerable XX75 and X7s. Son Jim came to work for his dad in 1960, and his engineering mind expanded the company to new altitudes with products such as ski poles, aluminum baseball bats, aluminum-carbon hockey sticks, road and mountain bike frames and more.
Doug Easton’s legacy lives on with his son, Jim, and his grandson, Greg Easton, who continue helping to pioneer virtually every major advancement in arrow technology to this day. Under their leadership, the introduction and evolution of aluminum-carbon (AC) hybrids would be the next innovation to sweep the Olympic podiums. Today, the small-diameter carbon and FMJ revolution has redefined bowhunting success around the world.
From all of us here at NRA Family, happy 100th!
