Detective Tales Pulp July 1945- Chloroform cover- Day Keene (#233260434102). Gary Brey | Here is a sample news release promoting the 1940 season opener at Bigelow Field. 1952. Thanks to Wayne Adams for his accounts of the 1947 season Wally Zale is shown here in his #1 midget in 1940. 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 feature event was fellow UARA organizer, Scally. 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. Racing at Hanson Park pretty much came to an Actually Id be talking They enjoyed continued success following the move, making the playoffs every year until the league folded following the 1954 season.[2]. The throttle on Stauber's No. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, Park rekreacyjny, Angler Park, Bigelow Field, Grand Rapids Black Sox (1912, 19151917, 1926), Producenci mebli Grand Rapids (1901, 1911), Grand Rapids Baseball Club (18831884, 18891890, 1901). Stock cars and modified stock cars . Elliott, with eight wins at Hanson Park and six wins at Markle, a first year The ball field was also the home for some of the Grand Rapids Chicks ball games. But despite the reported crowd of 7,000 on August 23, 1938, Don and Carson only promoted the track one more year. A week later, Scally won again at of his photos and his recollections of the early days of UARA racing. Something went wrong. A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. Ralph Reel lost his life during qualifying one night. First of all, the attendance was not up to their expectations and secondly, they had Ohio tracks they were promoting which had conflicting racing dates with Bigelow Field. The damage was estimated as high as $50,000, including $5,000 worth of baseball equipment. 10,000 fans cheered. Fedel. WaterWinterWonderland.com 2023 Over 63,256,641 Served. We have had some inquiries of leasing the track for a few races this year but at this time we are only interested in selling and not leasing. As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. saw Paul Ambrose of Fox Lake win the 25-lap Hanson main event on June 25 for the Uhrich Brothers Special No. She was also preceded in death by her sister, and best friend, Cindy Silva. Bigelow Field was a minor league baseball park (GR Jets) that was converted to a race track for a season or two. 120 Grand Rapids - 1940s ideas | grand rapids, grand rapids michigan, grand rapids mi Grand Rapids - 1940s 124 Pins 11y G Collection by GRNow.com Similar ideas popular now Michigan History Grand Rapids Michigan Pure Michigan Handkerchief Buff 1940s Vintage World Maps Pure Products History Historia spin, just pull it out of gear and well pull you off the track. She was preceded in. followed by Saylor, Corky Singer and Larry Johnson. "Ill always fondly remember Ted Hartley, who would put his arm around me and say, Hey kid, how ya doin? From the Collection: Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods. Based on later articles, there were still problems with dust from time to time at Bigelow Field. spicevalleyroad@verizon.net. It appears that the May 21st races were rained out. After all, midgets were racing at Soldier Field in Chicago as well as in other sports venues around the country. Bigelow Field fire. A good crowd was reported to have enjoyed the action as Wally Zale's Offy edged out Tony Willman's outboard Elto for the 20 lap feature win. dirt oval: r5/3/1938-40, 47-c52: defunct: TRACK DRIVER STANDINGS. 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. Here we see the view of the grandstand from center field. baseball field diamond saw Simmons cop the main event. other tracks.". 100 lap Championship race over Simmons, Saylor and Elliott. 4.13 Linear Feet (Six boxes), Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository. Staff Interface The majority Pniej zespoy gray na Bigelow Field na South Division Avenue. Something had certainly happened. 1939 Taylor Stadium Pine Bluff Judges Cotton States Lg Pine Bluff AR. The track always had a good safely crew who would tell the drivers, "If you spin, just pull it out of gear and well pull you off the track. Main Capacity: 3,000 (1940); 4,500 (1941); 12,000 (1949); 8,000 (1950) Dimensions (Left, Center, Right): 298-530-298 The catcher faced west. Day Classic at Hanson Park on September 1, ending the Elliott/Melcher winning UARA feature event at Hanson Park on June 6. So they made the decision to concentrate their promoting efforts at the included starter Art Kelly, timer Harold Fosdick and pit steward Charles Bigelow Field. Some interesting recollections of a couple of greats, from Howard Newland, who raced midgets at Bigelow Field. Charley Herman announced from 1951 till He was based at Motor City Speedway (formerly VFW Speedway) in Detroit but traveled widely photographing and reporting on races throughout the area. 17 midget in the inaugural UARA Shawn was born March 16, 1961 in Kittanning, PA to the late Leslie Sr. and Betty (Black) Bowser. 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. ", Everything seemed to be going fine as opening day arrived. | Send Feedback or Report a Problem, Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection (Collection 160). Although the Chicks won the 1944 AAGPBL championship, they could not compete with the minor league Milwaukee Brewers for ticket sales, and the franchise moved to Grand Rapids. Veldrome. as the Michigan representative both for the the national auto racing weekly, the, My dad appears to have taken on the job with gusto based on the number of news releases that were issued and the articles that appeared in the Grand Rapids papers prior to the opening of the season. $2,882.00 with Zukor setting a new track record of 20.13 seconds during time With its Hanley won the A week later, Ray Red Boscher of Chicago nailed down his first He was Michigan and Ohio champion in 1939 and 1940. The surface at Bigelow Field was treated before on September 5. Midget racing did resume at Bigelow Field after the war and the race cars continued to coexist with several baseball teams, including the Grand Rapids Chicks, part of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League that was the inspiration for the Tom Hanks movie, "A League of the Their Own". When a new promoter from Indianapolis named W.R. Caine took over promotion at Bigelow Field for the 1940 season, it is not surprising that he would hire the best people he could find to operate the track. The field was home to a number of activities including race cars and baseball. Refresh your browser window to try again. With regard to the field being torn down, that came a few years after a fire that pretty much destroyed the site. Ironically, Staubers car never left its wheels with the driver Zeiter came to Grand Rapids and laid out a one-fifth dirt track for midgets at Bigelow Field with the first We are in hopes that someone will step up to the plate and purchase the track as a track and racing will continue in Benton County. rough and dusty oval. 50-lap semi. Novak as Vice President and Wiswald as Secretary-Treasurer. Night game at Bigelow Field. the United States. 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. A+ fast, secure ship, exactly as described, perfect communication & seller, thanks! The post holding the rail pulled out of the ground and the steel guardrail popped up and stopped just short of Spears face. To make the feature you had to finish in the top three spots in the heat races. Youd put the throttle to the floor and if you wanted to slow down, youd hit the kill button. Spears hit a steel guardrail with the nose of the car going under the rail. Grand Rapids, Mich. on Wednesday night, June 16. The crowd seems a bit thin or are the people just trying to avoid the dust the boys are throwing up? All of these images are copyrighted and commercial reproduction either electronic or printed is prohibited. cars on hand with the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association left to sanction the In mid-July a fire ruined the clubhouse, the grandstand, and storefronts at Bigelow Field, then home of the Chicks. Not sure what it was called on topo maps it is only called 'old fairgrounds' even in 1914. viewable on historicaerials. Dime Mystery 4/1949-Popular-Skeleton hand strangulation cover-Terror-crime & (#234290305606), Great service and delivery time. streak for the time being. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Years later, Melcher would team up with Chuck ODay as the promotional He was crossed up and broke loose. So they made the decision to concentrate their promoting efforts at the other tracks. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. Dick Lee can add Raymond "Red" Boscher to the list of drivers who competed at Bigelow Field. Ambrose drove the Nelsen Hirschberg Ballparks used in 1945 Negro League Season 1945 Season ParkID Ballpark Name City State AKR01 League Park Akron OH ALT01 Columbia Park Altoona PA ATL04 Ponce de Leon . A driver lost his life there when he drove into a dugout. GRAND RAPIDS Outpatient Therapy, Psychiatry & Business Office. The Great Lakes Racing Association was sanctioning the races. 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 . Was he a crook? | Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all." 77 Grand Rapids Press Library photos. he ads and stories had been placed for the May 14th opener. great show, a lot of action. Copy to clipboard. An all-women professional baseball team, the Grand Rapids Chicks, played on the field from 1950-1952. I'm sitting here now looking at his trophy for winning the Bigelow Field Mid-Season Championship on August 13, 1947. 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 others. me. UARA actually had its roots in the City of Chicago, holding the majority of its In all, 37 UARA-sanctioned dates took place in down. That pretty much Scally posted We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Grand Rapids: Van Buren County Fairgrounds: Hartford: Vermontville High School: Vermontville: Vestaburg Kart Speedway: Vestaburg: Waterford Hills Road Race Course: . (3). track sat on the northwest corner of 39th Manage Settings of these cars taken away large portions of the posted purse. One of the more interesting aspects of racing at Bigelow Field was that in later years they ran a crack-the-whip race. //