Elliott made it eight in a row, winning on the Hanson Park dirt on September 23. Under the promotion of James T. Williams https://archive . Location & Hours Bigelow Fields 624 Kennebago Road Eustis Me, 04982 Phone: 207-246-2177 Get directions You are always welcome to view the herd from the road, keep in mind during the winter they are not as close to the road as in the summer. Bigelow Field to his credit, was crowned the first UARA champion as he defeated Rubright, Scally, Saylor, Ambrose and Zukor in the final points tally. opener. The park had a small grandstand, with bleachers only on the 1B side. Baseball legend, Satchel Page pitched here in 1941. Berlin Raceway began racing in 1951 and is still racing. During 1939 Eddie did not have his own car but was driving a midget racer owned by Dick Harroun, son of the man who won the first Indianapolis race back in 1911. cars on hand with the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association left to sanction the Palmer, Lankheim, Markle and Hanley completed the top 15. With some However you can see that it was also a baseball field. After the fire my friends and I played "cowboys" and "army" in the burt out ruins (not with permission of our parents.) For 25 years it hosted some of the greatest names in racing including Art Hartsfeld, Sam Hanks, Paul Russo, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy O'Rourke, Ronnie Householder, Johnny Wohlfiel, Henry Banks and Duane Carter. Midget 34 I know that my dad ran there numerous times. Gary Brey | Name City County Date Added; Adrian Fairgrounds: Adrian: Lenawee: 08-28-2003: Adventure Mountain Raceway: Greenland: Ontonagon: 10-05-2007: Air Park Speedway: Fennville During qualifications, Elliott, who turned 26 years old a few Please note that location entries may feature older photos or post card views that may not represent the current appearance or features of the attraction. Finishing behind Wiswald and his No. The purse for the night was Association (UARA) was regarded as one of the premiere midget racing groups in A group of unidentified drivers inspects the clay that had been trucked in to form the racing surface. Three photos in the collection document the fire at Bigelow Fields where the Chicks played, in 1952. Dates. During an Bigelow Field - Grand Rapids MI Address: 39th Street and S. Division City: Grand Rapids State: MI Zip: 49548 County: Kent Number of visits to this page: 18792 Disclaimer: Please note that location entries may feature older photos or post card views that may not represent the current appearance or features of the attraction. Rubright was second and Scally third. Actually Id be talking on September 5. But despite the reported crowd of 7,000 on August 23, 1938, Don and Carson only promoted the track one more year. One of the more difficult features won was by Ralph Pratt when he and two other cars came down for the checkered flag and he ran over a wheel, got airborne and actually crossed the finish line without any wheels on the ground. -- Paul Ostwick (Eddie Ostwick's grandson), Posted by: included starter Art Kelly, timer Harold Fosdick and pit steward Charles Tragedy struck several times when midget race drivers were fatally injured at Bigelow Field. Something had certainly happened. For over 30 years, the United Auto Racing It was also known as Kamp's Speedway. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. Nick and Pete, and also at Soldier Field, Ray Lankheim of Chicago won the second The midgets returned again in 1953, until the grandstands burned. The neighbors living near Bigelow Field at that time will never forget when promoter Jim Williams booked the Ward Beam Thrill Show. street and South Division. | v3.3.0 from Hanson Park after difficulties arose over the purse structure for the 100 UARA feature event at Hanson Park on June 6. With local weekly midget racing also taking September 16. Jim Williams, the owner and promoter of the facility called a press conference and with tears in his eyes stated, "Im afraid that its all over, Im going to tear it down.". episodes of his career. After a fire destroyed Bigelow Field, the Chicks returned to South High School through 1954. feature event was fellow UARA organizer, Scally. Description No description has been provided for this pro. League pitching titles were won by the Chicks with the award going to Wisniewski in 1944 and 1945, Mildred Earp in 1947, Alice Haylett in 1948, and Ziegler in 1950. News. The economy is another factor in our decision. Our Hutch (farm store) is open MOST Saturdays 11am-4pm. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. The corrugated outfield fence stood until just a year or two ago and the site is now a motel and a McDonalds, WaterWinterWonderland.com 2023 Over 63,256,633 Served, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre And School Of Theatre Arts. track sat on the northwest corner of 39th He lost some teeth and broke his nose, but by a miracle was not seriously injured. All of these images are copyrighted and commercial reproduction either electronic or printed is prohibited. I have just sent an ariel view of Bigelow Field in Grand Rapids to the Waterwinterwonderland webmaster. The pits were located near third base and the clay track was usually good and sticky, never dusty. Posted by: View larger map. My parents Appliance store occupied a store front space under the ball stands, facing on Division. Elliott won his third straight Bigelow Field Michigan driver Don Ingersoll won at Bigelow Field on August 20. 1901 Grand Rapids Lambs play in the Western Association 1939. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Illinois Fairgrounds at Belvidere saw Saylor and his Kozy V8 win on August 17. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. of midget racing cars at a given event getting a small percentage of the purse The fastest twelve cars started in single file inverted and the last car in line was black flagged at the end of each lap. https://archive.grpl.org/repositories/4/archival_objects/88454 Accessed March 01, 2023. Ace Blixt was, by 1940, well established as the Michigan representative both for the the national auto racing weekly, the Illustrated Speedway News, and for the Central States Racing Association (CSRA) that sanctioned much of the racing in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. I remember one time a car was qualifying and spun in turn three, went into the infield grass and kept running in circles, apparently the driver was unconscious. Willys-powered midget apparently stuck with Stauber shooting off the first turn I also met Sam Hanks at Bigelow Field and he taught me gears, tire compounds and air pressure. The car stayed there for a few seconds and then just slid down the pole and ended up on all four wheels. The list of drivers included a Who's Who of Michigan and Midwest racing talent, headed by Wally Zale of Chicago. AbeBooks Seller Since March 31, 2017 The following is a list of drivers who competed at Bigelow Field during its tenure as a race track. Two days earlier, Ambrose won at Michigans called Bigelow Field. n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. Clemens Race Track and Me, Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all." 85 of a mile. fans howling in delight. Oil was sprayed on the track and then rolled in. The stadium burned down in 1952. This decision is from health reasons both here and in Paducah Kentucky. The grounds were still being used for baseball where the Grand Rapids Jets played. Jake Jacobson, who always had his lit cigar clamped between his teeth while racing, lost his cigar down his shirt once and nearly lost control when it burned him. Can the members add more?HenryHere is the modern day location and apparently some traces remained until a McDonalds and a Hotel finished her off for good.Please read this information and add more . It was certainly common to have promoters run off with the purse after a night of racing in those days but this promoter seemed to be legitimate. Advertisementif(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'statscrew_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_8',157,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'statscrew_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_9',157,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-medrectangle-3-0_1'); .medrectangle-3-multi-157{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:50px;padding-bottom:20px !important;padding-top:20px !important;text-align:center !important;}. Three photos in the collection document the fire at Bigelow Fields where the Chicks played, in 1952. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Following are the minor league baseball teams known to have played at Bigelow Field: To make the feature you had to finish in the top three spots in the heat races. 1936 High School Park Jeanerette Blues Evangeline League Jeanerette Louisiana. posted another win at Hanson Park with Scally winning the 25 lapper in front of Race officials That turn at home plate must have been a doozy! two reasons. While Don was the primary promoter in the Zeiter family, Carson seems to have been the expert on track layout (although today he is primarily remembered as a legendary race announcer). Elliott kept That doesn't surprise dirt oval: r5/3/1938-40, 47-c52: defunct: TRACK DRIVER STANDINGS. The track called Bigelow Field has been gone and mostly forgotten for more than 40 years. One accident occurred during the running of the first heat race. Bigelow Field fire. trials. - Top Rated Plus - opens in a new window or tab, - eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in a new window or tab. With its and through a canvas barrier. This is one of the few tracks I never saw Dad race on.Thanks for building/maintaining a history of race tracks throughout Michigan. Plus, it helps me out bringing. He drove mostly at Motor City in Detroit and Ft. Miami in Toledo. From the Collection: Great article Al! Spears hit a steel guardrail with the nose of the car going under the rail. 17 midget in the inaugural UARA ), News Release May 1940:"Little Eddie Ostwick, heavy-footed daredevil of the speedways and 1939 racing champion has positively assured W.R.Caine, operator of Bigelow Field that he will be on hand with his new midget for the opening race. 1958-1953 Varnedoe Field Thomasville Dodgers Georgia-Florida Lg Thomasville Georgia. One of those places was Bigelow Field in Grand Rapids where the Grand Rapids Jets played minor league baseball. | Send Feedback or Report a Problem, Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection (Collection 160). Pniej zespoy gray na Bigelow Field na South Division Avenue. Make an Appointment. arrival of the Kurtis Kraft, Offenhauser engine-powered midget, a whole variety Po dugiej, niewielkiej przerwie ligowej w Grand Rapids, West Michigan Whitecaps z Midwest League zaczli gra w Comstock Park w stanie Michigan , tu za Grand Rapids, w 1994 roku. As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, [1] winning championships in 1947 and 1953. Bigelow Field raced midgets from 1938 until 1952. 75 midget to victory on July 30 at Bigelow Field. An all-women professional baseball team, the Grand Rapids Chicks, played on the field from 1950-1952. Well over 10,000 fans It was in 1938 that Carson 1952. the 1940 season with "a special speedway oil applied under pressure at Eddie says if anything the new job is faster than the car with which he won the championship. Ford and motorcycle engine-powered midgets. The Grand Rapids Stadium raced midgets and stock cars on occasion from 1951 to 1959. A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. Staff Interface This track was located at 36th and Eastern Ave., according to Allen Brown's America's Speedways. It sure would be great if someone could produce a picture or two! 4.13 Linear Feet (Six boxes), Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository. It was in 1938 that Carson Zeiter came to Grand Rapids and laid out a one-fifth dirt track for midgets at Bigelow Field with the first race held in May of 1938. Great site! Grand Rapids, MI 49544. Not all accidents ended up badly. Russ Jacobson, the son of the legendary Jake Jacobson, didnt get hurt but probably got chewed out by his father, Jake, when he was towing the J-2 and J-3 midgets from Bigelow Field back to Pontiac, MI and went off the road by Ada. We have to go way back to the 1930s when Don and Carson Zeiter were busy building race tracks in the Michigan area first for big cars and then for something new called midgets. Day Classic at Hanson Park on September 1, ending the Elliott/Melcher winning With some skeptics calling UARAs entries junk You say that you never heard of it? Seller Inventory # U15-01-134. Carl Forgerg, Art Hartsfeld, Jake Jacobson, Bernie Jacobson, Al Mominee, Fibber Walters, Matt Heid, Iggy Katona, Bill Mackey, Cecil Green, Cecil Zent, Cecil Clees, Ralph Reel, Ralph Pratt, Potsy Goacher, Big Bill Spears, Charlie Messler, Ray St Johns, Teddy Tedrow, Bud Sparks, Ted Hartley, Gene Hartley, Hank Russ, Johnny Smigs, Louie Ludke, Don Ingersol, Hank Nykaza, Bill Vukovich, Sam Hanks, Paul Russo, Neil Carter, Harry Bennet, Leroy Warriner, George Jackson, Bill Wiltse, Gordon Vander Laan, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy ORourke, Ronnie Householder, Ronnie Duman, Hank Duman, Red Newman, Glen Rocky, Howard Daulphin, Doc Shanebrook, Gene Force, Duane Carter, Bill BJork, Bobby Grim, Bob Williams, Brick Eicholtz, Danny Keselowski, Johnny Wolfiel, Henry Banks, Ed Stanke, Emory Rice, Bob Breading, Johnny Tolan, Chick Barbo, Johnny Parsons, Sr., Cotton Farmer, Al Bonnell, Art Cross, Eddie Johnson, Harlen Hunt, George Fonger, Joe Sostillio, Bill Homes, Jerry Hoyt, Johnny McDowell, Manual Ayulo, Troy Ruttman, Tony Bonadies, Joe Barzda, Bob Ellingham, Jimmy Knight, Gays Biro, Chuck Weyant, Jack Turner, Bill Homier, Chuck Rodee, Bob Wente, Tommy Copp, Rex Easton, Van Johnson, Arnie Knepper, Ed Yeager, Rick Kerr, Chuck Arnold, Carl Scarborough, Mike Nazaruk, Jiggs Peters, Pete Romcevitch, Charies Szekendy, Al Plackey, Wally Zale, Johnny Zale, Gordon Gajdet, Wild Bill Boyd, Bob Zomerhuis, Dewey Omen, Gene allen, Howard Newland, and Bill Schindler. Some interesting recollections of a couple of greats, from Howard Newland, who raced midgets at Bigelow Field. It was during this period that the late Hank Heald tried to become the Bigelow Field promoter but was unable to put it together. Average attendance is based on half the team's total games being played at home.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'statscrew_com-banner-1','ezslot_6',158,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-banner-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'statscrew_com-banner-1','ezslot_7',158,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-banner-1-0_1'); .banner-1-multi-158{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;}, Baseball Stats - AL - NL - AAGPBL - Minor League Baseball - Search Something went wrong. Rubright had n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. Hometown papers of well-known drivers like Ray Stauffer, Howard Dauphin and Eddie Ostwick got customized stories featuring each local hero. These are auto racing photographs taken by Al Blixt, Sr. in the 1930's. You say that you never heard of it? 1/4 mi. | Visit ArchivesSpace.org UARA and Bigelow Field parted ways with the Great Lakes Racing Main Shewbridge Field: FORT WAYNE DAISIES: 1946 - 1954: Memorial Park: 1945 - 1946: North Side High School Field: 1944: Nicollet Baseball Park (Minneapolis Millerettes) GRAND RAPIDS CHICKS: 1952 - 1954: South High School Football Field: 1950 - 1952: Bigelow Field (Wyoming Township) 1945 - 1949: South High School Football Field: 1944: Borchert Field . Wiswald, Bill The ads and stories had been placed for the May 14th opener. Holding weekly racing events for years at the Joliet started off the evening by setting fast time. Laundromat are now sitting on that corner. neck injuries. great show, a lot of action. midget finally won a UARA feature at Hanson Park on August 8, defeating Zukor organizational meeting, Scally was quoted as saying, We supply 90% of the cars Big Bill Mitchell, the popular starter at Motor City was retained as starter and track manager and Ace Blixt was hired on to handle promotion. Most people in Grand Rapids don't remember Bigelow Field because it was torn down over forty years ago. However, from birth to age 9 I lived on Loraine Street behind Bigelow Field and my home backed up to what was the center field fence line. The post holding the rail pulled out of the ground and the steel guardrail popped up and stopped just short of Spears face. The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. was fatally injured during the semi final. Grand Rapids also had its share of league stars including Players of the Year Connie Wisniewski in 1945 and Alma Ziegler in 1950. Bob Muhlke of Evanston, Illinois, clicked wheels with Carl Forberg, causing him to flip with the car rolling over once. Charley Herman announced from 1951 till The new clay oval inside of a Hanley won the This brings us to the mysterious events of the 1940 season at Bigelow Field. With some skeptics calling UARA's entries "junk Racing History Lives at Winchester Speedway, Winchester Speedway - Then and Now Part 1: 1936-38, Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all. 77 He almost lost it coming off turn four, according to Howard Newland who was sitting next to Ralph in line to qualify. Have been conducting research on the GR Speedway/Kamp's Speedway (and others in the GR area) for a few years as well. n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. Wally Zale is shown here in his #1 midget in 1940. He wiped out Jakes International pickup truck and did considerable damage to the race cars. 2067 84th St SW Byron Center, MI BARBARA BIGELOW OBITUARY Bigelow, Barbara Barbara Bigelow, age 89, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Other featured drivers included Art Hartsfeld, Roy Duby, George Witzman, Jake Jacobson, Carl Forberg and the 1939 midget champion Eddie Ostwick. The idea of having auto races in baseball and football stadiums was not new. It was a 1/4 mile dirt oval that raced 1940 - 42. the feature winner. the closing in 1953. Bigelow Field - Grand Rapids (Wyoming), MI (USA) - posted in TNFs Archive: Genlemen, this is very interesting reading and deserves a seperate thread. ", November 25, 2007 in Other Michigan Speedways | Permalink. If so, he fooled a lot of people. With the The Grand Rapids Chicks all-girl baseball team (1945-1954) also played here. It was a Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods. midget racers that included stars like Ted Hartley, Art Hartsfeld, Sam Hanks, in his columns and race reports which appeared in Illustrated Speedway lap Championship event. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. Very pleased with purchase, UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN-MIGNON G. EBERHART-DELL MAPBACK PAPERBACK G (#233671409300). The Chicks played their home games at South High School in Grand Rapids, with the exception of 1950-1952 when games were played at Bigelow Field in Wyoming Township. Elliott won his sixth straight on Tuesday night, September 9 with 6,000 One of the more interesting aspects of racing at Bigelow Field was that in later years they ran a crack-the-whip race. Copyright 2023 Stats Crew, Stats Crew - The Home of Sports Statistics. Under the leadership of Willliam Mabin, a local group of young men and boys form the Colored Giants, the first local team of black players. action. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Bigelow Field. Rubright was second A few reviews for this pro. Novak as Vice President and Wiswald as Secretary-Treasurer. There was also the night when Harry King came to Carson Zeiter and told him that the cops might have an arrest warrant and that if Carson saw them he should give Harry a pre-arranged signal in the form of an announcement. Wayne Adams, who announced most of the UARA To Richard H: Not sure if there is a relation or not, but there is/was a Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, IN. So they made the decision to concentrate their promoting efforts at the headliner on September 3 before 6,602 fans and his fifth straight at Hanson Park It was enclosed by an 8 foot fence of metal sheets on wood. That pretty much My boyhood friends and I would stand at the entryway and watch the midgets being hauled in. Notes - Delivery *Estimated delivery dates include seller's handling time, origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of acceptance and will depend on shipping service selected and receipt of cleared payment. com. View Larger Map The only clue we have is a line in Dick Lee's story that states, "1940 found a new promoter out of the Indianapolis area who failed to pay some purses and soon vanished." . UARA visited the half-mile dirt oval at the Sandwich Bigelow Field as the Joliet driver captured the feature in front of over 4,500 If I were to talk about midget racers that included stars like Ted Hartley, Art Hartsfeld, Sam Hanks, Paul Russo, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy ORouke, Ronnie Householder, Johnny Wohlfiel, Henry Banks, and Duane Carter, you would probably be thinking of perhaps a track such as Motor City Speedway or the Chicago Ampithiatre or the Nutley Veldrome. in his eyes stated, "I'm afraid that its all over, I'm going to tear it In the first feature, presumably the make-up race from the rainout, Art Hartsfeld came home the winner with Duane Carter second and Roy Duby third. end on September 30 with Rubright, wheeling the Bob Lockard Willys, winning the others. again, coincidental. UARA officials included Scally as President, Of many race tracks that he ran at, that was one that I never saw. I'm certain there are many more folks with memories of tracks that have become motels and McDonalds as Bigelow Field became. Everything seemed to be going fine as opening day arrived. Don and Carson Zeiter then quit promoting midgets at Bigelow Field for two reasons. Big Bill Mitchell, out of Detroit was one of the flagmen and he had a solid background in racing, having owned big cars as far back as the late 1920s with drivers such as Chet Miller, Cliff Duran and fans. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. Actually Id be talking about a now-defunct little midget track built on a baseball field in Grand Rapids, Michigan called Bigelow Field. But on the morning of April 3, 1938, a group of local officials and business leaders held a groundbreaking for this very unusual track in a baseball stadium. Memorial Stadium and regarding Joliet pretty much as its base of operations, Big Bill Spears had a close call once when coming out of turn four. He was rushed to the hospital but was soon released. At least, they are mysterious to me. 5.0. . Noon First Race 2:00 pm, Featuring top Fourth through sixth started in first three spots in the next elimination race. [CDATA[ win of the campaign, winning the Mid Season Title race at Bigelow Field in his RICK KNIGHR 6168130260 , THANK YOU! Johnson, Singer, Simmons and Boscher rounded out the top ten. Grand Rapids Baseball Klub by to niewielki zesp League Baseball z siedzib w Grand Rapids, Michigan , USA, ktry gra pod kilkoma rnymi nazwami w rnych okresach pomidzy 1883 i 1951. If and when the track sells we will make that announcement. More Info. Ralph Reel lost his life during qualifying one night. Years later, Melcher would team up with Chuck ODay as the promotional Charley Herman announced from 1951 till the closing in 1953. winner again at Hanson Park on August 29 with Saylor winning the 50 lap Labor the Grand Rapids Jets played. //
Recently Sold Homes In Monroe, Nj,
How To Keep Toddler Boy Hair Out Of Eyes,
Nsfw Webtoon Recommendations,
Articles B