Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Our Past Is Present April 4, 2017

April 4, 2017
            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            It’s baseball season – and with it comes all the anticipation and excitement of players hitting, running, sliding, catching and using their best strategies to score more runs than the other team.  There was more than just the excitement about a new season in 1909.  There was the anticipation from seeing the beginning construction of a local baseball field in Junction City.  The new park was to be situated half way between Junction City and Fort Riley and was directly east of the streetcar line spur.  A grader was put to work to cut off a layer of ground in order to get rid of the weeds and alfalfa.  Then – a second layer was removed and the ground scraped.  The excess dirt was moved to the center of the field, which would be higher than the rest of the grounds.  A ditch was dug around the field for drainage purposes.  The grandstand was built immediately back of home plate with enough seats for 600 people.  Two bleachers on either side of the grandstand would hold another 500 people and a place for parking rigs and automobiles would be on each side of the bleachers.  It was decided to charge a parking fee of 10 cents for automobiles and buggies.  The field was expected to be ready for play by May 15.  Players could then tryout with the first game to be played on that new field on June 1st of 1909.  

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