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. 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 . Oil was sprayed on the track and then rolled in. One of those places was Bigelow Field in Grand Rapids where the Grand Rapids Jets played minor league baseball. Capacity: 3,000 (1940); 4,500 (1941); 12,000 (1949); 8,000 (1950) Dimensions (Left, Center, Right): 298-530-298 The catcher faced west. 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." 4.13 Linear Feet (Six boxes), Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository. Title: Bigelow Field Raceway Midget Auto Race -Grand Rapids MI -Sanctioned by Great Lakes Racing Association -Tri-fold scorecard format -Scored in pencil -Ads for Coca-Cola-Mission Orange Soda-Hires Root Beer -Historic Mid-West race program -Rare - GRADE: VG. Other Sports Stats - World TeamTennis Stats - World TeamTennis Search There was two more weeks of racing on June 4 and then June 18, 1940 and then nothing. of these cars taken away large portions of the posted purse. 1952. Built in 1931 by local businessman and baseball enthusiast Clarence Bigelow III, Bigelow Field was also the site of a variety of other civic activities. Something had certainly happened. 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. Based upon what I have learned, the track was located on the SE corner of 36th & Eastern. Rubright, Scally, Saylor, Ambrose and Zukor in the final points tally. 1943-2009 PayPal Me: https://www.paypal.me/michigandermanPlease check out my Zazzle store! Football Stats - NFL - CFL - AFL - Arena Football - Indoor Football - Search Main Markle, a first year See feature on Jimmy on this site. his Willys No. The action looks great as the drivers round home heading for first base. On August 6, Elliott captured his second win at during time trials, running around the tricky 1/5-mile dirt oval around the 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. Bigelow Field Location: Grand Rapids, MI 39th Street (3B) & S. Division (1B). Based on later articles, there were still problems with dust from time to time at Bigelow Field. night with the KK/Offy cars pretty much dominating feature races and the drivers during the semi feature. dirt oval: r5/3/1938-40, 47-c52: defunct: TRACK DRIVER STANDINGS. Paul | Willys-powered midget apparently stuck with Stauber shooting off the first turn 1947 with over 60 different drivers competing with an average purse payout of 1936 High School Park Jeanerette Blues Evangeline League Jeanerette Louisiana. Ambrose drove the Nelsen Hirschberg Hank Heald was the announcer before moving on to the Grand Rapids Speedrome when it was built in 1950. me. 40 cars in the pits and over 9,000 fans, Zukor bested Lankheim. UARA feature event at Hanson Park on June 6. If and when the track sells we will make that announcement. Grand Rapids History Center. 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. Thanks to Wayne Adams for his accounts of the 1947 season He drove mostly at Motor City in Detroit and Ft. Miami in Toledo. Wally Zale lost a rear wheel in that event but repaired his car only to go out again with mechanical problems while dueling with Tony Willman in the Australian pursuit. 1939. Bigelow Field as the Joliet driver captured the feature in front of over 4,500 Posted by: That pretty much two reasons. 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. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. Elliott won his sixth straight on Tuesday night, September 9 with 6,000 November 28, 2007 at 09:30 AM. Bigelow Field was a minor league baseball park (GR Jets) that was converted to a race track for a season or two. Night game at Bigelow Field. he ads and stories had been placed for the May 14th opener. and receive 10% of the purse.. 17 midget in the inaugural UARA The Great Lakes Racing Association was sanctioning the races. But despite the reported crowd of 7,000 on August 23, 1938, Don and Carson only promoted the track one more year. "It looked to me like Ralph got angry at himself when he almost lost it and just kept his foot down on it and when he approached turn three the tail of his car made contact with the wall, pulled the front end to the right and he just shot straight forward through the hay bales and into the ball team dugout. perhaps a track such as Motor City Speedway or the Chicago Amphitheater or the Nutley (I have heard recently from Jimmy's family that his real name was Jimmy Prock but he went by Brock for some reason during his racing career. The stadium burned down in 1952. Grand Haven River Road Track raced jalopies from 1946 to 1948. . June 04, 2011 at 03:12 PM. I'm sitting here now looking at his trophy for winning the Bigelow Field Mid-Season Championship on August 13, 1947. Chicagos Coliseum on Wabash Ave., beginning in January of 1948, and looked 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. 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. The new clay oval inside of a This site was just mailed to me. Great article Al! UARA split away The Zeiter promotion ran through the season of More Info. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954,[1] winning championships in 1947 and 1953. rough and dusty oval. If you spin, dont accelerate and tear up the infield sod, dont spin your wheels.". Uhrich Brothers Special No. On May 25, 1980, Shawn married Paul Bigelow. Bigelow Field znajdowao si pod adresem 3873 Division Avenue South Grand Rapids, MI 49548. To Richard H: Not sure if there is a relation or not, but there is/was a Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, IN. Al (Ace) Blixt was a significant part of the Bigelow Field story for a little while in one of the strangest, and (for me) mysterious 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. Charlene Jean Bigelow, age 82, a long-time resident of Grand Rapids passed away suddenly on Saturday, April 15, 2017 while in residence at Whispering Way. Elliott was The picture was scanned from a National Auto Racing News dated September 8, 1938, and is not very good quality. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. 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. Australian Football Stats - Australian Football Search Shawn was born March 16, 1961 in Kittanning, PA to the late Leslie Sr. and Betty (Black) Bowser. Pniej zespoy gray na Bigelow Field na South Division Avenue. Don and Carson Zeiter then quit promoting midgets at Bigelow Field for two reasons. A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. The ads and stories had been placed for the May 14th opener. before the gates opened. | Visit ArchivesSpace.org "Ill always fondly remember Ted Hartley, who would put his arm around me and say, Hey kid, how ya doin? 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. If anyone has information on any of the aforementioned UARA midget race cars, please contact me. forward to even a bigger outdoor season in the spring. First of all, the attendance was not up to their expectations and When he did, King grabbed his helmet and climbed the fence and disappeared into the night. My father built a 2x8 bench seat on the backside of the fence in our back yard, so we (with a ladder) could sit and watch the midget races and ball games. Illustrated Speedway News: National This 1938 clipping shows the Bigelow track from the air. ", Everything seemed to be going fine as opening day arrived. Grand Rapids had its share of league stars including Players of the Year Connie Wisniewski in 1945[3] and Alma Ziegler in 1950. The financial and equipment losses hurt the Chicks for the rest of the season. All were midgets with Ford V8-60 engines. crowd of around 8,000 fans. I'm certain there are many more folks with memories of tracks that have become motels and McDonalds as Bigelow Field became. Starting to get on a roll, Elliott was the on Friday night, June 13, winning the 20-lap feature in front of a reported He almost lost it coming off turn four, according to Howard Newland who was sitting next to Ralph in line to qualify. 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 . 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. Bob Muhlke of Evanston, Illinois, clicked wheels with Carl Forberg, causing him to flip with the car rolling over once. Everything seemed to be going fine as opening day arrived. (photo by Ace). | Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all." But despite the reported crowd of 7,000 on August 23, 1938, Don and Carson only promoted the track one more year. He was rushed to the hospital but was soon released. Dates. A nearly 90 degree turn at home plate certainly must have made for some exciting action when the midgets came roaring down to get the starter's flag. others. With Ed Kirschner handling the One of those places was Bigelow Field in Grand They finally opened up the outside pit gate with the bomber using the city street to gather sufficient speed to complete the stunt. Holding weekly racing events for years at the Joliet Wohlfiel, Henry Banks, and Duane Carter, you would probably be thinking of 34 Grand Rapids History Center. first outdoor season in the record books, UARA planned indoor competition at Lankheim, in his No. 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. A week later, Scally won again at The car stayed there for a few seconds and then just slid down the pole and ended up on all four wheels. and Marty Wiswald, along with car owner Wally Novak, formed UARA. Scally posted On the Fourth of July, UARA visited the newly Restauracja szybkiej obsugi zajmuje dzi cz terenu. lap Championship event. - Top Rated Plus - opens in a new window or tab, - eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in a new window or tab. Big Bill Spears had a close call once when coming out of turn four. Bigelow Field. News. Wayne Adams, who announced most of the UARA Here is the promoter in question, W.R.Caine. ), 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. of midget racing cars at a given event getting a small percentage of the purse from Hanson Park after difficulties arose over the purse structure for the 100 From the Collection: If so, he fooled a lot of people. Palmer, Lankheim, Markle and Hanley completed the top 15. Bigelow Field fire. A+ fast, secure ship, exactly as described, perfect communication & seller, thanks! Great site! The I also met Sam Hanks at Bigelow Field and he taught me gears, tire compounds and air pressure. Sometimes a guy would try to get his outboard slowed down and get his plugs fouled. Tragedy struck during the evening when 32-year old Frank Stauber Managed to talk with a farmer who owned & operated the land in the area, and he remembers the fence by the tracks, planes overhead, and primarily motorcycle racing there-but cars at times as well. This lasted until one night Ray St. Johns thought he was last and backed off the gas and Charley Messler hit him full bore. The pits were located near third base and the clay track was usually good and sticky, never dusty. Rubright came home second with Simmons third. Bigelow Field fire. Jim Williams, the owner and promoter of the facility called a press conference and with tears It was also known as Kamp's Speedway. View cart for details. The majority Staff Interface That would have been from 1945 to 1954. 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. 20-lap chase ahead of Scally, Wiswald and soon-to-be winning car owner, Leo The Grand Rapids Stadium raced midgets and stock cars on occasion from 1951 to 1959. Also, thank you to Bob Sheldon, early UARA photographer, for use Me dad, Eddie Ostwick, drove midgets in the 1930s and 1940s but I do not know if he ever went to Bigelow Field. Hanson Park, capturing the 50-lap Championship race in front of 10,000 fans. Extend Academy Student Certificate. shows that year, recently reminisced, The fans would start lining up hours These chairs were part of the Bigelow Field, which was located at 3871 Division Ave. South, then Wyoming Township. September 16. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"igxyY7CEoZ3TSgU5rvCLqbDB5At9mC5j4ATdnNWfEhU-1800-0"}; The Zeiter promotion ran through the season of 1939. 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