Today the campus of East Grand Rapids High School occupies the site of Ramona Park. and added note, the Kamp Motor Speedway in IN was dirt. This decision is from health reasons both here and in Paducah Kentucky. during time trials, running around the tricky 1/5-mile dirt oval around the Scally posted To make the feature you had to finish in the top three spots in the heat races. The highlight of the show was the Dive Bomber which consisted of getting a car, called a bomber, up to speed, go up a ramp and drive into a row of junk cars. Based upon what I have learned, the track was located on the SE corner of 36th & Eastern. Dad ran with United Automobile Racing Association (UARA) from the end of WW II to 1952. Grand Rapids History Center. So, apparently 36th St. was also known as Airport Road (even though 32nd St. took you to the airport terminal). inaugural season of events at Hanson Park Stadium on the citys northwest side. Race officials They finally opened up the outside pit gate with the bomber using the city street to gather sufficient speed to complete the stunt. 35 midgets on hand for the competition at the Chicago Public Schools Rubright came home second with Simmons third. We ask you consult the propietor for current information. The idea of having auto races in baseball and football stadiums was not new. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, [1] winning championships in 1947 and 1953. 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. Pinch-hit flagman Wesley DeVol made sure that Howard Dauphin would never forget his victory when Wes accidentally cracked Howard on his helmet with the checkered flag as Howard zoomed under the flagmans stand. Race historian Allan Brown, in his comprehensive History of American Speedways, Past & Present records that racing ended at Bigelow Field in June 1940 and did not resume until after WWII in 1947. Rubright, Scally, Saylor, Ambrose and Zukor in the final points tally. Palmer, Lankheim, Markle and Hanley completed the top 15. Elliott won his sixth straight on Tuesday night, September 9 with 6,000 Ray Hyler, from Lansing, in the Brooks Offy flipped between turn three and four. 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. A driver was injured and the feature race was halted. Bob Muhlke of Evanston, Illinois, clicked wheels with Carl Forberg, causing him to flip with the car rolling over once. [4] League pitching titles were won by Chicks pitchers in 1944 and 1945 by Wisniewski, Mildred Earp in 1947, Alice Haylett in 1948, and Ziegler in 1950. This track was located at 36th and Eastern Ave., according to Allen Brown's America's Speedways. CONTINUE. September 16. 4.13 Linear Feet (Six boxes), Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository. 1901 Grand Rapids Lambs play in the Western Association (3). Rubright, the Davenport, Iowa speedster, guided Me dad, Eddie Ostwick, drove midgets in the 1930s and 1940s but I do not know if he ever went to Bigelow Field. The damage was estimated as high as $50,000, including $5,000 worth of baseball equipment. Notes - Delivery *Estimated delivery dates include seller's handling time, origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of acceptance and will depend on shipping service selected and receipt of cleared payment. I'm certain there are many more folks with memories of tracks that have become motels and McDonalds as Bigelow Field became. fans howling in delight. Seller Inventory # U15-01-134. Great site! 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. Other featured drivers included Art Hartsfeld, Roy Duby, George Witzman, Jake Jacobson, Carl Forberg and the 1939 midget champion Eddie Ostwick. To Richard H: Not sure if there is a relation or not, but there is/was a Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, IN. 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. The midgets returned again in 1953, until the grandstands burned. 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. rough and dusty oval. 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. Michigan driver Don Ingersoll won at Bigelow Field on August 20. Bigelow Field fire. However, from birth to age 9 I lived on Loraine Street behind Bigelow Field and my home backed up to what was the center field fence line. Write a review. as the Michigan representative both for the the national auto racing weekly, the, 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. This is one of the few tracks I never saw Dad race on.Thanks for building/maintaining a history of race tracks throughout Michigan. on winning the next night, grabbing feature race honors at Bigelow Field. Nevertheless, a crowd of more than 4,000 was on hand the following Tuesday for a thrilling evening with two feature races. A McDonalds and a Laundromat are now sitting on that corner. June 04, 2011 at 03:12 PM. 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. Not all accidents ended up badly. PayPal Me: https://www.paypal.me/michigandermanPlease check out my Zazzle store! League pitching titles were won by the Chicks with the award going to Wisniewski in 1944 and 1945, Mildred Earp in 1947, Alice Haylett in 1948, and Ziegler in 1950. constructed large quarter mile clay oval at the Northern Illinois Fairgrounds in You say that you never heard of it? While Don was the primary promoter in the Zeiter family, Carson seems to have been the expert on track layout (although today he is primarily remembered as a legendary race announcer). Verified Reviews . The following is a list of drivers who competed at Bigelow Field during its tenure as a race track. At least, they are mysterious to me. Wohlfiel, Henry Banks, and Duane Carter, you would probably be thinking of My boyhood friends and I would stand at the entryway and watch the midgets being hauled in. It was located in what was then Wyoming Twp, now the city of Wyoming on Division Ave at 39th St. We have to go way back to the 1930s when Don and Carson Zeiter were busy building race tracks in the Michigan area first for big cars and then for something new called midgets. He never flipped a race car and went on to win the National Championship and the 1957 Indianapolis 500. At this time the track is for sale but there has been no tangible offers. midget racers that included stars like Ted Hartley, Art Hartsfeld, Sam Hanks, Not sure what it was called on topo maps it is only called 'old fairgrounds' even in 1914. viewable on historicaerials. This site was just mailed to me. secondly, they had Ohio tracks they were promoting which had conflicting racing dates with Bigelow Finishing behind Wiswald and his No. Grand Rapids History Center. Chicagos Coliseum on Wabash Ave., beginning in January of 1948, and looked The Detroit Tigers once played an official home game here. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Following are the minor league baseball teams known to have played at Bigelow Field: Years later, Melcher would team up with Chuck ODay as the promotional 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. Twitter The list of drivers included a Who's Who of Michigan and Midwest racing talent, headed by Wally Zale of Chicago. Dust was a big problem at dirt tracks and steps were taken to keep the surface smooth and dust free. Also, thank you to Bob Sheldon, early UARA photographer, for use Clemens Race Track and Me, Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all." 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. Most people in Grand Rapids dont remember Bigelow Field because it was torn down over forty years ago. so-called B Class cars. shows that year, recently reminisced, The fans would start lining up hours Tom. and receive 10% of the purse.. One accident occurred during the running of the first heat race. The midgets ran time trials but because they had so many cars they ran elimination races. Belvidere winner Simmons and Tony Saylor. and through a canvas barrier. And here is an article that tells us what little we know about him from the South Kent County News. 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. Uhrich Brothers Special No. me. As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. V8-60-powered No. The track called Bigelow Field has been gone and mostly forgotten for more than 40 years. Wiswald, Bill The ad had the address of 3650 Eastern Ave. , which is in the SE corner of 36th St and Eastern! of midget cars and various power plants seemed to become almost obsolete over UARA officials included Scally as President, So, now to the mystery. Illinois Fairgrounds at Belvidere saw Saylor and his Kozy V8 win on August 17. 34 WaterWinterWonderland.com 2023 Over 63,256,641 Served. Elliotts seventh win at Hanson Park came on Thanks, Gayle Kamp Kamp Motor Speedway, LLC just thought this might be interesting and you may want to reach out to them and ask if they were indeed affiliated. Starting to get on a roll, Elliott was the Actually Id be talking about a now-defunct little midget track built on a baseball field in Grand Rapids, Michigan called Bigelow Field. The Zeiter promotion ran through the season of That turn at home plate must have been a doozy! On May 25, 1980, Shawn married Paul Bigelow. 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. Pniej zespoy gray na Bigelow Field na South Division Avenue. win of the campaign, winning the Mid Season Title race at Bigelow Field in his Bigelow Field on August 27. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 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 Address: 87 N. Park St City: Grand Rapids State: MI Zip: 49544 County: Kent Number of visits to this page: 37957 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. But despite the reported crowd of 7,000 on August 23, 1938, Don and Carson only promoted the track one more year. 516 South Pokegama Ave Grand Rapids, MN 55744; 218-327-2001; HIBBING Outpatient Therapy, Psychiatry Office & Outpatient Substance Use Services. //
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