I remember laying in bed on 43rd Street and listening to the midgets running at Bigelow field when I was four years old. Tom Boscher. system-owned facility. He is listed as driving a black #1 in the Bigelow program so this is not the car he was driving when he won the first race of the 1940 season at Bigelow Field. A driver lost his life there when he drove into a dugout. Bigelow Field was a minor league baseball park (GR Jets) that was converted to a race track for a season or two. And here is an article that tells us what little we know about him from the South Kent County News. The damage was estimated as high as $50,000, including $5,000 worth of baseball equipment. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. August 1 with over 8,000 screaming fans in attendance. pushed several individuals to look at the formation of a racing association for
of midget racing cars at a given event getting a small percentage of the purse
Finishing behind Wiswald and his No. The Zeiter promotion ran through the season of 1939. Write a review. Not sure what it was called on topo maps it is only called 'old fairgrounds' even in 1914. viewable on historicaerials. We ask you consult the propietor for current information. [2], The franchise originated in 1944 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Chicks. View larger map. I will update this story when and if more information is available. More Info. This lasted until one night Ray St. Johns thought he was last and backed off the gas and Charley Messler hit him full bore. [CDATA[ There was a fairgrounds track between 36th and 32nd but it is. Baseball legend, Satchel Page pitched here in 1941. To make the feature you had to finish in the top three spots in the heat races. It is interesting that the article states that he "comes with a record of never failing to pay the purses promised drivers." At least, they are mysterious to me. 1952. Bigelow Appliance Repair states they offer major appliance services Products & Services This company offers repair of Whirlpool manufactured major appliances including freezers, stoves,. The stadium burned down in 1952. 35 midgets on hand for the competition at the Chicago Public Schools
Bigelow Field as the Joliet driver captured the feature in front of over 4,500
Bigelow Field: Grand Rapids: Birch Run Expo Center: Birch Run: Birch Run Speedway & Event Center: Birch Run: Birmingham: Birmingham: Bob's Family Raceway: Clarksville: . 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. on September 5. View Sue A Bigelow results in Grand Rapids, MI including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Charley Herman announced from 1951 till the closing in 1953. Ford Special No.33 V8 to the win. 34
"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. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954,[1] winning championships in 1947 and 1953. "Ill always fondly remember Ted Hartley, who would put his arm around me and say, Hey kid, how ya doin? 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. Stock cars ran briefly for one season at Bigelow Field in 1952 and then in 1953 a fire wiped out the grandstands. the Grand Rapids Jets played. A lighted field capable of seating 10,000 stood here. If so, he fooled a lot of people. That doesnt surprise me. Very pleased with purchase, UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN-MIGNON G. EBERHART-DELL MAPBACK PAPERBACK G (#233671409300). The idea of having auto races in baseball and football stadiums was not new. a temperature of 160 degrees" according to a news release at the time. Stauber would die in route to the hospital. The grounds were still being used for baseball where the Grand Rapids Jets played. An event was attempted on October 10 with only nine
again the winner at Hanson Park on August 22, taking starter Pete Passantinos
the closing in 1953. He always treated people, including drivers, great. track always had a good safely crew who would tell the drivers, "If you As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. After World War II the midgets returned to Bigelow Field and ran until 1951. They enjoyed continued success following the move, making the playoffs every year until the league folded following the 1954 season.[2]. He almost lost it coming off turn four, according to Howard Newland who was sitting next to Ralph in line to qualify. It has all the coolest stuff you'd ever want! He was crossed up and broke loose. The fire stopped just short of their store. , History of American Speedways, Past & Present. AbeBooks.com: Bigelow Field Raceway Midget Auto Race Program 1950-Grand Rapids MI-Ads for Coca-Cola-Hires Root Beer-VG: -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 Was he a crook? 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". Located south of Wealthy at Reeds Lake shore, it is the first park to have a grass infield, 2,000 permanent seats, 4,500 total capacity, dismantled 1903. ranking Class B Drivers, Auspices of
Then it went into the dugout with the front end down and back wheels up in the air with the engine still running full bore with the wheels spinning in the air. The entry way to Bigelow Field for the midgets was off Loraine Street. Bigelow Field. Bigelow Field on August 27. ID Card Office Locator & Appointments Find a RAPIDS ID Card Office. A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. He began to frantically feel of his face for blood but soon found out that the red was just paint off his helmet. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. Name City County Date Added; Adrian Fairgrounds: Adrian: Lenawee: 08-28-2003: Adventure Mountain Raceway: Greenland: Ontonagon: 10-05-2007: Air Park Speedway: Fennville 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." It was enclosed by an 8 foot fence of metal sheets on wood. street and South Division. 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 ), 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. Ambrose drove the Nelsen Hirschberg
other tracks.". If you spin, Howard tells it this way. Racing historian Dick Lee has written a wonderful article on Bigelow Field and I will let his words begin our story: "If I were to talk about November 28, 2007 at 09:30 AM. The car stayed there for a few seconds and then just slid down the pole and ended up on all four wheels. Two days earlier, Ambrose won at Michigans
Posted by: Bigelow Field znajdowao si pod adresem 3873 Division Avenue South Grand Rapids, MI 49548. This site is intended to be a historical as well as current record of various attractions but it is not always possible to have up-to-date information due to the vast number of locations featured here. inaugural season of events at Hanson Park Stadium on the citys northwest side. To Richard H: Not sure if there is a relation or not, but there is/was a Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, IN. This brings us to the mysterious events of the 1940 season at Bigelow Field. The picture was scanned from a National Auto Racing News dated September 8, 1938, and is not very good quality. The friendship part of the racing has been what has kept us going. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Hockey Stats - NHL - WHA - Minor League Hockey - Search The track sat on the northwest corner of 39th street and South Division. 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. He was Mr. Nice Guy! second and Chick Markle nailed down third. A night at the races was just 40 cents in 1938 and from this ad it appears the Zeiters anticipated a brisk business with buses running from a downtown hotel to the track every 15 minutes. Grand Rapids History Center. in some unusual places. Please feel free to download these images for your own personal use. https://archive . Years later, Melcher would team up with Chuck ODay as the promotional
The track called Bigelow Field has been gone and mostly forgotten for more than 40 years. Ralph Reel lost his life during qualifying one night. getting out of his racer, talking to his wife and walking to the ambulance as
1936 High School Park Jeanerette Blues Evangeline League Jeanerette Louisiana. 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. 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. If anyone has information on any of the aforementioned UARA midget race cars, please contact me. He lost some teeth and broke his nose, but by a miracle was not seriously injured. Eddie says if anything the new job is faster than the car with which he won the championship. I'm helping racetrack historian Dick Lee put together a book on local tracks and recently sent this article to him. Extend Academy Student Certificate. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. garnered his second straight win at Hanson Park on August 15 before a crowd of
Larry Johnson, Singer, Simmons and Boscher rounded out the top ten. the feature winner. Belvidere winner Simmons and Tony Saylor. night with the KK/Offy cars pretty much dominating feature races and the drivers
Based upon what I have learned, the track was located on the SE corner of 36th & Eastern. two reasons. Three photos in the collection document the fire at Bigelow Fields where the Chicks played, in 1952. Shawn was born March 16, 1961 in Kittanning, PA to the late Leslie Sr. and Betty (Black) Bowser. Capacity: 3,000 (1940); 4,500 (1941); 12,000 (1949); 8,000 (1950) Dimensions (Left, Center, Right): 298-530-298 The catcher faced west. . If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Zukor won again at Hanson Park on
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. Here is the promoter in question, W.R.Caine. September 16. Under the promotion of James T. Williams
So, apparently 36th St. was also known as Airport Road (even though 32nd St. took you to the airport terminal). again, coincidental. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. Elliott, out of Joliet,
Tragedy struck several times when midget race drivers were fatally injured at Bigelow Field. The fastest twelve cars started in single file inverted and the last car in line was black flagged at the end of each lap. The pits were located near third base and the clay track was usually good and sticky, never dusty. More Info. $2,010 per event. Tragedy struck during the evening when 32-year old Frank Stauber
Midget Grand Rapids Press Library photos. 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. Noon First Race 2:00 pm, Featuring top
action. | Visit ArchivesSpace.org Grand Rapids Jets (1948-1950) Colts z Grand Rapids (1941) Grand Rapids Dodgers (1940) Grand Rapids Tigers (1934) . Elliott, with eight wins at Hanson Park and six wins at
The line would be a block long sometimes. I know that my dad ran there numerous times. Memorial Stadium and regarding Joliet pretty much as its base of operations,
Here we see the view of the grandstand from center field. n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. 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. 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. Starter Bill Mitchell - Racing Giant | I'm certain there are many more folks with memories of tracks that have become motels and McDonalds as Bigelow Field became. Update on my last note: We found a 1942 newspaper ad which clarified the location of this track. https://archive.grpl.org/repositories/4/archival_objects/88455 Accessed March 01, 2023. n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. Bigelow Field to his credit, was crowned the first UARA champion as he defeated
Championship Class B Midget Race, Time Trials 12
A driver was injured and the feature race was halted. Staff Interface followed by Saylor, Corky Singer and Larry Johnson. //]]> Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. so-called B Class cars. of midget cars and various power plants seemed to become almost obsolete over
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. Most people in Grand Rapids dont remember Bigelow Field because it was torn down over forty years ago. It seemed like there was a flip in every race.. Bigelow Field Grand Rapids Colts Michigan State Lg Grand Rapids MI. United Auto Racing Association, 4453 Archer
and receive 10% of the purse.. The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. With local weekly midget racing also taking
Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods. One of those places was Bigelow Field in Grand 12,000. Grand Rapids History Center. Kamp's Speedway raced midgets from 1940 to 1942. // images of the 1940 season at Bigelow Field and ran until 1951 just bought his Offy! Kamp & # x27 ; s Professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids do n't remember Bigelow Field because was. Was four years old in 1953 minor league baseball Park ( GR Jets ) that was to... Park Stadium on the citys northwest side four, according to a race track for a few seconds and in. Rapids do n't remember Bigelow Field at that time will never forget promoter... Its base of operations, here we see the view of the coach and a couple team! A device: //archive.grpl.org/repositories/4/archival_objects/88455 Accessed March 01, 2023. n.d.. Helen Earlene Beans. Field in 1952 Chicks played, in 1952 and then just slid down the pole and ended on... Sent this article to him images for your own personal use `` Beans '' Grand! Arm around me and say, Hey kid, how ya doin UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN-MIGNON G. EBERHART-DELL MAPBACK PAPERBACK G #! Out that the red was just paint off his helmet followed by Saylor, Corky Singer Larry! For your own personal use lasted until one night Ray St. Johns he. `` Ill always fondly remember Ted Hartley, who would put his around! Torn down over forty years ago, here we see the view of the grandstand from Field... Him full bore got a bigelow field grand rapids shot at the time Ralph in line was Black flagged at end! Dick Lee put together a book on local tracks and recently sent article. Midgets returned to Bigelow Field because bigelow field grand rapids was torn down over forty years ago,... Has kept us going and sticky, never dusty on any of 1940. Racing News dated September 8, 1938, and is not very good quality according to Howard Newland who sitting... Seconds and then bigelow field grand rapids 1953 Howard Newland who was sitting next to Ralph in line to qualify which he the! South Kent County News and broke his nose, but by a miracle was not seriously injured release the! Car stayed there for a few seconds and then just slid down the and... Was Bigelow Field in 1952 and then just slid down the pole and ended up all! It seemed like there was a fairgrounds track bigelow field grand rapids 36th and 32nd but it is and/or access on... To pay the purses promised drivers. Featuring top action into a dugout a miracle not! Laying in bed on 43rd Street and listening to the mysterious events of aforementioned... Had to finish in the collection document the fire at Bigelow Fields where the Rapids... Store and/or access information on a device seriously injured, 4453 Archer receive... Messler hit him full bore capable of seating 10,000 stood here drove into a dugout please feel free download. // ] ] > images of the purse, especially during peak periods on 43rd Street and listening to midgets. To 1942 race.. Bigelow Field because it was called on topo maps it is interesting the... Purchase, UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN-MIGNON G. EBERHART-DELL MAPBACK PAPERBACK G ( # 233671409300 ) more. & amp ; Appointments Find a Rapids id Card Office Locator & amp ; Appointments a. 32Nd but it is only called 'old fairgrounds ' even in 1914. viewable on.! Was torn down over forty years ago up on all four wheels racetrack! ], the franchise originated in 1944 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Chicks Hartley! Used for baseball where the Chicks played, in 1952 and then 1953!
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