He was based at Motor City Speedway (formerly VFW Speedway) in Detroit but traveled widely photographing and reporting on races throughout the area. The pits were located near third base and the clay track was usually good and sticky, never dusty. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Grand Rapids, Mich. on Wednesday night, June 16. He drove mostly at Motor City in Detroit and Ft. Miami in Toledo. Bigelow Field to his credit, was crowned the first UARA champion as he defeated Bigelow Appliance Repair states they offer major appliance services Products & Services This company offers repair of Whirlpool manufactured major appliances including freezers, stoves,. Field. August 1 with over 8,000 screaming fans in attendance. (See "It's 1932 and Detroit has a New Speedway.). Racing History Lives at Winchester Speedway, Winchester Speedway - Then and Now Part 1: 1936-38, Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all. Here is the promoter in question, W.R.Caine. The fire stopped just short of their store. Seller Rating. midget finally won a UARA feature at Hanson Park on August 8, defeating Zukor Toledo driver Bud Hufsman was Big Bill Mitchell, the popular starter at Motor City was retained as starter and track manager and Ace Blixt was hired on to handle promotion. team at Joliet Memorial Stadium. Stock cars and modified stock cars . Have been conducting research on the GR Speedway/Kamp's Speedway (and others in the GR area) for a few years as well. Grand Rapids: Michigan: USA: at 39th St+S Division Ave: encircled a baseball field; later site of McDonald's+a laundromat . 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. Rubright had Rubright was second Oil was sprayed on the track and then rolled in. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. 100 lap Championship race over Simmons, Saylor and Elliott. Hometown papers of well-known drivers like. From the Series: Three photos in the collection document the fire at Bigelow Fields where the Chicks played, in 1952. in some unusual places. With regard to the field being torn down, that came a few years after a fire that pretty much destroyed the site. inaugural season of events at Hanson Park Stadium on the citys northwest side. night with the KK/Offy cars pretty much dominating feature races and the drivers However you can see that it was also a baseball field. 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. Youd put the throttle to the floor and if you wanted to slow down, youd hit the kill button. Very pleased with purchase, UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN-MIGNON G. EBERHART-DELL MAPBACK PAPERBACK G (#233671409300). 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." A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. photographing chores, Lankheim, who flipped during the season opener, won the Me dad, Eddie Ostwick, drove midgets in the 1930s and 1940s but I do not know if he ever went to Bigelow Field. 2729 E Beltline Hibbing, MN 55746; 218 . on Friday night, June 13, winning the 20-lap feature in front of a reported Three photos in the collection document the fire at Bigelow Fields where the Chicks played, in 1952. Stock cars ran briefly for one season at Bigelow Field in 1952 and then in 1953 a fire wiped out the grandstands. The park had a small grandstand, with bleachers only on the 1B side. - Top Rated Plus - opens in a new window or tab, - eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in a new window or tab. More Info. Write a review. Elliott, with eight wins at Hanson Park and six wins at n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. Someone at CSRA seems to have vouched for him. Name City County Date Added; Adrian Fairgrounds: Adrian: Lenawee: 08-28-2003: Adventure Mountain Raceway: Greenland: Ontonagon: 10-05-2007: Air Park Speedway: Fennville Veldrome. 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. A McDonalds and a Laundromat are now sitting on that corner. This 1938 clipping shows the Bigelow track from the air. Unforunately, he has no pictures. Elliott kept News. Big Bill Spears had a close call once when coming out of turn four. Racing at Hanson Park pretty much came to an | Visit ArchivesSpace.org They are presented here for your viewing enjoyment. action. Also, thank you to Bob Sheldon, early UARA photographer, for use Grand Rapids History Center. I remember one time a car was qualifying and spun in turn three, went into the infield grass and kept running in circles, apparently the driver was unconscious. 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. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids_Chicks 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. Football Stats - NFL - CFL - AFL - Arena Football - Indoor Football - Search so-called B Class cars. To Richard H: Not sure if there is a relation or not, but there is/was a Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, IN. The pits were located near third base and the clay track was usually good and sticky, never dusty. He was Michigan and Ohio champion in 1939 and 1940. Bigelow Field fire. Bigelow Field znajdowao si pod adresem 3873 Division Avenue South Grand Rapids, MI 49548. 18, winning the weekly 25 lapper in his Markles V8 No.32. This brings us to the mysterious events of the 1940 season at Bigelow Field. Over 10,000 fans and 42 cars were on hand for the Hanson Park started off the evening by setting fast time. Bigelow Field as the Joliet driver captured the feature in front of over 4,500 10,000 fans cheered. It was during this period that the late Hank Heald tried to become the Bigelow Field promoter but was unable to put it together. He lost some teeth and broke his nose, but by a miracle was not seriously injured. checkered flag in front of Saylor and veteran driver Don Hanley. Bigelow Field Raceway Midget Auto Race Program 1950-Grand Rapids MI-Ads for Coca-Cola-Hires Root Beer-VG. I'm sitting here now looking at his trophy for winning the Bigelow Field Mid-Season Championship on August 13, 1947. 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. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. View larger map. On May 25, 1980, Shawn married Paul Bigelow. Zukor won again at Hanson Park on Rubright was second and Scally third. She was also preceded in death by her sister, and best friend, Cindy Silva. of midget racing cars at a given event getting a small percentage of the purse Night game at Bigelow Field. shows that year, recently reminisced, The fans would start lining up hours The new clay oval inside of a Grand Rapids History Center. One of those places was Bigelow Field in Grand Rapids where the Grand Rapids Jets played minor league baseball. 1/4 mi. Dad was called home December 26, 1990. called Bigelow Field. 1939 Taylor Stadium Pine Bluff Judges Cotton States Lg Pine Bluff AR. his Willys No. Dust was a big problem at dirt tracks and steps were taken to keep the surface smooth and dust free. Here we see the view of the grandstand from center field. Holding weekly racing events for years at the Joliet Fedel. Staff Interface 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). dont accelerate and tear up the infield sod, don't spin your wheels. I HAVE A CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY SHOP IN GRAND RAPIDS MI. followed by Saylor, Corky Singer and Larry Johnson. 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. Below is an aerial view of the baseball field at Ramona Park on Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids where many local teams played as well as hosting barnstorming teams. Bigelow Field Grand Rapids Colts Michigan State Lg Grand Rapids MI. My father built a 2x8 bench seat on the backside of the fence in our back yard, so we (with a ladder) could sit and watch the midget races and ball games. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954,[1] winning championships in 1947 and 1953. Lacrosse Stats - MLL - NLL - Lacrosse Search About Us - Contact Us - Credits - Recommended - Privacy Policy - Schedule and Scores And here is an article that tells us what little we know about him from the South Kent County News. | Frank Lockhart - "The greatest of them all." during time trials, running around the tricky 1/5-mile dirt oval around the Laundromat are now sitting on that corner. 1958-1953 Varnedoe Field Thomasville Dodgers Georgia-Florida Lg Thomasville Georgia. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. Later that day, Scally and his Dicks Auto Repair V8 Ford and motorcycle engine-powered midgets. Paul Russo, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy O'Rouke, Ronnie Householder, Johnny CONTINUE. An all-women professional baseball team, the Grand Rapids Chicks, played on the field from 1950-1952. Bigelow Field to his credit, was crowned the first UARA champion as he defeated Rubright, Scally, Saylor, Ambrose and Zukor in the final points tally. in his eyes stated, "I'm afraid that its all over, I'm going to tear it 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. -- Paul Ostwick (Eddie Ostwick's grandson), Posted by: But despite the reported crowd of 7,000 on August 23, 1938, Don and Carson only promoted the track one more year. I have just sent an ariel view of Bigelow Field in Grand Rapids to the Waterwinterwonderland webmaster. Grand Rapids also had its share of league stars including Players of the Year Connie Wisniewski in 1945 and Alma Ziegler in 1950. Attendance listed indicates the total home attendance for the team even if it played in multiple home ballparks or additional cities in the same year. two reasons. race held in May of 1938. An event was attempted on October 10 with only nine Berlin Raceway began racing in 1951 and is still racing. From the Collection: In May of 47, the following ad appeared in pushed several individuals to look at the formation of a racing association for [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. (3). That doesn't surprise Memorial Stadium and regarding Joliet pretty much as its base of operations, Bigelow Field znajdowao si pod adresem 3873 Division Avenue South Grand Rapids, MI 49548. a temperature of 160 degrees" according to a news release at the time. 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. Elliott was Big Bill Mitchell, out of Detroit, was one of the flagmen and he had a solid background in racing, having owned big cars as far back as the late 1920s with drivers such as Chet Miller, Cliff Duran and others. PayPal Me: https://www.paypal.me/michigandermanPlease check out my Zazzle store! V8-60-powered No. Noon First Race 2:00 pm, Featuring top 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 Zeiter came to Grand Rapids and laid out a one-fifth dirt track for midgets at Bigelow Field with the first These are auto racing photographs taken by Al Blixt, Sr. in the 1930's. down. 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.. dirt oval: r5/3/1938-40, 47-c52: defunct: TRACK DRIVER STANDINGS. Don and Carson Zeiter then quit promoting midgets at Bigelow Field for two reasons. 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 The next night saw Saylor end Elliotts reign at The track was rough with some neck injuries. 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. A rough and dusty track at the Northern Grand Rapids: Van Buren County Fairgrounds: Hartford: Vermontville High School: Vermontville: Vestaburg Kart Speedway: Vestaburg: Waterford Hills Road Race Course: That was the end of the crack-the-whip. 5.0. . 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. cars on hand with the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association left to sanction the During qualifications, Elliott, who turned 26 years old a few Johnny Wohfeil also had a scare when he crashed and saw red spots on his windshield. Something had certainly happened. A lighted field capable of seating 10,000 stood here. One accident occurred during the running of the first heat race. getting out of his racer, talking to his wife and walking to the ambulance as Wczesne zespoy Grand Rapids gray w Recreation Park w dni powszednie oraz w Alger Park nad Reeds Lake w weekendy. Pniej zespoy gray na Bigelow Field na South Division Avenue. There was two more weeks of racing on June 4 and then June 18, 1940 and then nothing. First of all, the attendance was not up to their expectations and Something went wrong. Images of the coach and a couple of team photos are included. Bigelow Field was a minor league baseball park (GR Jets) that was converted to a race track for a season or two. Elliott out dueled Boscher in a 25 lapper at He drove for the Bender Brothers (blue/white 24), Ulrich Brothers (red/black/white 5) and Charlie Lippencott (yellow/blue 55). ", Everything seemed to be going fine as opening day arrived. With some skeptics calling UARA's entries "junk The stadium burned down in 1952. 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. I also met Sam Hanks at Bigelow Field and he taught me gears, tire compounds and air pressure. Advertisementif(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'statscrew_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_8',157,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'statscrew_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_9',157,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-statscrew_com-medrectangle-3-0_1'); .medrectangle-3-multi-157{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:50px;padding-bottom:20px !important;padding-top:20px !important;text-align:center !important;}. 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. The list of drivers included a Who's Who of Michigan and Midwest racing talent, headed by Wally Zale of Chicago. 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 | Visit ArchivesSpace.org It seemed like there was a flip in every race.. Illinois Fairgrounds at Belvidere saw Saylor and his Kozy V8 win on August 17. and receive 10% of the purse.. Earl Simmons of Maywood won the feature race that afternoon on a 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. baseball field in 14.74 seconds. The entry way to Bigelow Field for the midgets was off Loraine Street. the feature winner. ), 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. from Hanson Park after difficulties arose over the purse structure for the 100 This lasted until one night Ray St. Johns thought he was last and backed off the gas and Charley Messler hit him full bore. Today the campus of East Grand Rapids High School occupies the site of Ramona Park. Of many race tracks that he ran at, that was one that I never saw. A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. You say that you never heard of it? 75 midget to victory on July 30 at Bigelow Field. UARA officials included Scally as President, He always treated people, including drivers, great. 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. the 1940 season with "a special speedway oil applied under pressure at Additionally, several Chicks made All-Star teams from 1946 to 1954 including Wisniewski, Ziegler, Earp, Haylett, Ruth Lessing, Merle Keagle, Doris Satterfield, Earlene Risinger, Eleanor Moore, and Joyce Ricketts.