Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Carol Jenkner

August 2, 2022

 

            Baseball in Larned Kansas has a long history. It likely came to the area with the soldiers at Fort Larned, but became part of the town’s tradition in 1873 when Henry Booth arrived to create a new county, Pawnee, and a new town, Larned. He later formed a team that traveled with him as he campaigned for state office. He used his baseball team to help him attract crowds and raise money. In 1882 there was an account of a ball and banquet given in honor of the visiting Kinsley Stars. Tickets were one dollar each for the dance and the dinner. Presumably, the baseball game itself was played earlier in the day.

            There were several ball fields around Larned. In 1887, there was a field “near Bright’s Grove.” Just after 1900 a field was established at the city park known as Island Park as well as a field at Moffat Park where the old standpipe once stood. There was also a ball field at Edwards Park at the site of the fair grounds. Peter Schnack and F.D. Lowrey also bequeathed land or money for city parks with baseball fields. Moffat Park survives to this day.

            Today’s Moffat Field is about the fourth or fifth oldest stadium in use in the state of Kansas. The wooden stadium in Rossville is one of the few left standing in the United States and the only one left in Kansas. It was built in 1924. Nearby Kinsley also has a stadium of some note. The first wooden stadium was built in 1904, but blew down later that year; the replacement wooden stadium burned in 1931. The current stadium, built in 1934, still stands and is noted as a historic baseball stadium. Larned’s ball field was built in 1937 and once hosted football, baseball and a number of other events until the football field was moved to the high school and the tennis courts were added.

            Other notable stadiums are at Hays, Garden City, Junction City, El Dorado and Chanute. Wichita sadly has torn the historic Lawrence Dumont Stadium down.