GRAND RAPIDS Outpatient Therapy, Psychiatry & Business Office. Grand Rapids, MI 49544. Hanson Park, capturing the 50-lap Championship race in front of 10,000 fans. Zeiter came to Grand Rapids and laid out a one-fifth dirt track for midgets at Bigelow Field with the first fans. PayPal Me: https://www.paypal.me/michigandermanPlease check out my Zazzle store! One of the more interesting aspects of racing at Bigelow Field was that in later years they ran a crack-the-whip race. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954,[1] winning championships in 1947 and 1953. - Top Rated Plus - opens in a new window or tab, - eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in a new window or tab. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. streak for the time being. 5 V8 before 5,538 fans. 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 He was Mr. Nice Guy! | Send Feedback or Report a Problem, Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection (Collection 160). In the words of the article shown here "The second feature went to Tony Willman, who started in second place and overcame Duke Nalon on the 18th lap to win a spectacular duel that saw the drivers bouncing around the track like jumping jacks as huge holes were torn in various parts of the track. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Following are the minor league baseball teams known to have played at Bigelow Field: 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. Price: US $54.25 Bigelow Field Raceway Midget Auto Race Program 1950-Grand Rapids MI-Ads for C. Sign in to check outCheck out as guest Adding to your cart Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. 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. Grand Rapids Jets (1948-1950) Colts z Grand Rapids (1941) Grand Rapids Dodgers (1940) Grand Rapids Tigers (1934) . Staff Interface Bigelow was the only one that was available to come out within a week and was on par with the best pricing. dont accelerate and tear up the infield sod, don't spin your wheels. Jim Williams, the owner and promoter of the facility called a press conference and with tears They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, [1] winning championships in 1947 and 1953. The friendship part of the racing has been what has kept us going. Copyright 1995-2023 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Maybe there is someone among our readers who knows more. two reasons. Tom. 4.13 Linear Feet (Six boxes), Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository. 1943-2009 We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 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.. Elliott, out of Joliet,
As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Association sanctioning the event on October 1. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. Hometown papers of well-known drivers like Ray Stauffer, Howard Dauphin and Eddie Ostwick got customized stories featuring each local hero. Bigelow Field raced midgets from 1938 until 1952. Please feel free to download these images for your own personal use. Restauracja szybkiej obsugi zajmuje dzi cz terenu. 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. Something went wrong. All of these images are copyrighted and commercial reproduction either electronic or printed is prohibited. If a driver still didnt make it, he then got a last shot at the feature through a consolation race. From the Collection: This brings us to the mysterious events of the 1940 season at Bigelow Field. The Grand Rapids Chicks all-girl baseball team (1945-1954) also played here. Stock cars and modified stock cars . Paul | The track called Bigelow Field has been gone and mostly forgotten for more than 40 years. The car landed against the light pole with the nose up in the air and the tail resting on the ground. Later that day, Scally and his Dicks Auto Repair V8
Oil was sprayed on the track and then rolled in. Name City County Date Added; Adrian Fairgrounds: Adrian: Lenawee: 08-28-2003: Adventure Mountain Raceway: Greenland: Ontonagon: 10-05-2007: Air Park Speedway: Fennville From the Series: Three photos in the collection document the fire at Bigelow Fields where the Chicks played, in 1952. It was a matter of economics. Under the promotion of James T. Williams
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. 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. Ben Zukor guided his Reichenbach Brothers-built
The fire stopped just short of their store. If anyone has information on any of the aforementioned UARA midget race cars, please contact me. Grand Rapids Motor Speedway - Grand Rapids MI Address: City: Grand Rapids State: MI Zip: County: Kent Number of visits to this page: 12986 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. started off the evening by setting fast time. Grand Rapids History Center. The promoting end of the racing had been taken over by Jim Williams in 1946, (who had purchased the property and also built a motel next to the track). Bigelow Field Location: Grand Rapids, MI 39th Street (3B) & S. Division (1B). The surface at Bigelow Field was treated before Bigelow Field Grand Rapids Colts Michigan State Lg Grand Rapids MI. street and South Division. The throttle on Stauber's No. For over 30 years, the United Auto Racing
before the gates opened. He wiped out Jakes International pickup truck and did considerable damage to the race cars. Holding weekly racing events for years at the Joliet
https://archive . Bigelow Field fire. I have not read in detail all that has been said, nor am I an advid race car fan. Elliott out dueled Boscher in a 25 lapper at
Night game at Bigelow Field. Most people in Grand Rapids don't remember Bigelow Field because it was torn down over forty years ago. Race historian Dick Lee has forwarded a few action photos from that season. team at Joliet Memorial Stadium. Twitter 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. Bigelow Field. the feature winner. With local weekly midget racing also taking
UARA feature event at Hanson Park on June 6. He drove mostly at Motor City in Detroit and Ft. Miami in Toledo. We ask you consult the propietor for current information. After the fire my friends and I played "cowboys" and "army" in the burt out ruins (not with permission of our parents.) end on September 30 with Rubright, wheeling the Bob Lockard Willys, winning the
Former site of Bigelow Field (1937-1952). 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). Here is info I found. The stadium burned down in 1952. Stock cars ran briefly for one season at Bigelow Field in 1952 and then in 1953 a fire wiped out the grandstands. Staff Interface win of the campaign, winning the Mid Season Title race at Bigelow Field in his
UARA and Bigelow Field parted ways with the Great Lakes Racing
Make an Appointment. 1939-1938 516 South Pokegama Ave Grand Rapids, MN 55744; 218-327-2001; HIBBING Outpatient Therapy, Psychiatry Office & Outpatient Substance Use Services. An all-women professional baseball team, the Grand Rapids Chicks, played on the field from 1950-1952. From the Collection: Ballparks used in 1942 Negro League Season 1942 Season ParkID Ballpark Name City State AKR01 League Park Akron OH ALT02 Cricket Field Altoona PA ATL04 Ponce de Leon Park Atlanta GA BAL10 Terrapin Park Baltimore MD BAL14 Bugle Field Baltimore MD BEL01 Belleville Athletic Field Belleville IL BEL02 Belmar Memorial Field Belmar NJ BIR01 Rickwood Field Birmingham AL BOG01 Bogalusa LA BOS07 Fenway . "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. BIGELOW, Shawnee D. Coopersville, MI Age 60, passed away unexpectedly April 1, 2021. Pulling the brake with both hands, Stauber ran
Me dad, Eddie Ostwick, drove midgets in the 1930s and 1940s but I do not know if he ever went to Bigelow Field. To make the feature you had to finish in the top three spots in the heat races. Great site! Not all accidents ended up badly. The service tech called to give me notice 15 minutes before he . Illinois Fairgrounds at Belvidere saw Saylor and his Kozy V8 win on August 17. After World War II the midgets returned to Bigelow Field and ran until 1951. 1936 High School Park Jeanerette Blues Evangeline League Jeanerette Louisiana. fairgrounds on October 5 with Ambrose winning the 12-lap main. midget driver from Chicago, grabbed his first career win at Hanson Park on June
Grand Rapids History Center. included starter Art Kelly, timer Harold Fosdick and pit steward Charles
Grand Rapids History Center. 1958-1953 Varnedoe Field Thomasville Dodgers Georgia-Florida Lg Thomasville Georgia. June 04, 2011 at 03:12 PM. constructed large quarter mile clay oval at the Northern Illinois Fairgrounds in
winner again at Hanson Park on August 29 with Saylor winning the 50 lap Labor
The pits were located near third base and the clay track was usually good and sticky, never dusty. Earlier Boscher had set a new qualifying mark
Bigelow Field fire. Something had certainly happened. Restauracja szybkiej obsugi zajmuje dzi cz terenu. 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. The economy is another factor in our decision. At least, they are mysterious to me. Baseball legend, Satchel Page pitched here in 1941. IM THE GRANDSON OF LATE GREAT ROBERT "KING OF THE DIRT" KNIGHT. Toledo driver Bud Hufsman was
Scally posted
Something had certainly happened. That turn at home plate must have been a doozy! In all, 37 UARA-sanctioned dates took place in
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. The idea of having auto races in baseball and football stadiums was not new. the Grand Rapids Jets played. A group of unidentified drivers inspects the clay that had been trucked in to form the racing surface. Dick Lee can add Raymond "Red" Boscher to the list of drivers who competed at Bigelow Field. So, now to the mystery. AbeBooks Seller Since March 31, 2017 Clemens Race Track and Me, Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all." 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. Elliott was
With its
This track was located at 36th and Eastern Ave., according to Allen Brown's America's Speedways. The majority
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. action. View larger map. Hank Heald was the announcer before moving on to the Grand Rapids Ave. Chicago. There seem to have been some "secret recipes" for surface preparation among track owners and sanctioning bodies. in his columns and race reports which appeared in Illustrated Speedway
again, coincidental. 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 . 18, winning the weekly 25 lapper in his Markles V8 No.32. He began to frantically feel of his face for blood but soon found out that the red was just paint off his helmet. Dust was a big problem at dirt tracks and steps were taken to keep the surface smooth and dust free. 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". If you spin, Manage Settings 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. Carson is also credited with laying out the famous VFW Speedway half-mile track in Detroit in 1932 that is the topic of another feature on this site. 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. He was rushed to the hospital but was soon released. | Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all." UARA visited the half-mile dirt oval at the Sandwich
Grand Rapids Press Library photos. 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. Grand Rapids: Van Buren County Fairgrounds: Hartford: Vermontville High School: Vermontville: Vestaburg Kart Speedway: Vestaburg: Waterford Hills Road Race Course: The Zeiter promotion ran through the season of 1939. Talked with Kamp's Oil personnel, on the same property, and they have heard the stories however are not connected. Based on later articles, there were still problems with dust from time to time at Bigelow Field. Association (UARA) was regarded as one of the premiere midget racing groups in
They finally opened up the outside pit gate with the bomber using the city street to gather sufficient speed to complete the stunt. on Friday night, June 13, winning the 20-lap feature in front of a reported
Johnny Wohfeil also had a scare when he crashed and saw red spots on his windshield. (3). midget finally won a UARA feature at Hanson Park on August 8, defeating Zukor
and receive 10% of the purse.. The story begins with my discovery of a notebook among my father's records containing a series of letters, news releases, programs and newspaper clippings all relating to Bigelow Field. [2], The franchise originated in 1944 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Chicks. 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. 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.". Football Stats - NFL - CFL - AFL - Arena Football - Indoor Football - Search Dad ran with United Automobile Racing Association (UARA) from the end of WW II to 1952. Race officials
The midgets ran time trials but because they had so many cars they ran elimination races. 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 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. ", November 25, 2007 in Other Michigan Speedways | Permalink. The next night saw Saylor end Elliotts reign at
All were midgets with Ford V8-60 engines. //]]> All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, "Kunkel played final role as director's adviser", All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website Grand Rapids Chicks seasons, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website Manager/Player profile search results, Michigan History Magazine Grand Rapids Chicks article, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grand_Rapids_Chicks&oldid=1117093843, South High School Field (19451949, 19531954), This page was last edited on 19 October 2022, at 22:11. trials. Posted by: UARA actually had its roots in the City of Chicago, holding the majority of its
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