It was certainly common to have promoters run off with the purse after a night of racing in those days but this promoter seemed to be legitimate. It was enclosed by an 8 foot fence of metal sheets on wood. 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. During an However you can see that it was also a baseball field. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Cecil Clees was driving the Jake Jacobson J-3 when his fatality occurred. Bob Hope performed here in 1946. Markle, a first year Tom Boscher. June 16 1941 Article Lansing State Journal. 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. Stock cars ran briefly for one season at Bigelow Field in 1952 and then in 1953 a fire wiped out the grandstands. Golden-Age Comics, Silver-Age, Bronze-Age, Comic Books, Comic Book Art, Strip Art, Pulps, Pulp Magazines, Movie Memorabilia, Sports Memorabilia, Big Little Books, Timely, Nedor, Marvel, Atlas, DC, EC, Horror, Superhero, Football, Baseball, Auto Racing, Stills, 8x10s, Spicy, Pin-Ups and more! 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. UARA and Bigelow Field parted ways with the Great Lakes Racing place at Blue Islands Raceway Park, under the direction of the Jenin Brothers, Oil was sprayed on the track and then rolled in. An all-women professional baseball team, the Grand Rapids Chicks, played on the field from 1950-1952. Scally posted followed by Saylor, Corky Singer and Larry Johnson. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Memorial Stadium and regarding Joliet pretty much as its base of operations, and Marty Wiswald, along with car owner Wally Novak, formed UARA. View larger map. Seller Inventory # U15-01-134. Nobody was hurt, but both cars were badly tore up. ranking Class B Drivers, Auspices of Also, thank you to Bob Sheldon, early UARA photographer, for use ", Everything seemed to be going fine as opening day arrived. View Sue A Bigelow results in Grand Rapids, MI including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Racing at Hanson Park pretty much came to an street and South Division. other tracks.". 5 V8 before 5,538 fans. Bigelow Field - Grand Rapids MI Address: 39th Street and S. Division City: Grand Rapids State: MI Zip: 49548 County: Kent Number of visits to this page: 18792 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. If and when the track sells we will make that announcement. 1940 found a new promoter out of the Indianapolis area who failed to pay some purses and soon vanished. More Info. Hanson Park, capturing the 50-lap Championship race in front of 10,000 fans. Everything seemed to be going fine as opening day arrived. 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 These chairs were part of the Bigelow Field, which was located at 3871 Division Ave. South, then Wyoming Township. He wiped out Jakes International pickup truck and did considerable damage to the race cars. Uhrich Brothers Special No. Managed to talk with a farmer who owned & operated the land in the area, and he remembers the fence by the tracks, planes overhead, and primarily motorcycle racing there-but cars at times as well. 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. opener. 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. Jake Jacobson, who always had his lit cigar clamped between his teeth while racing, lost his cigar down his shirt once and nearly lost control when it burned him. Larry Bigelow Field Location: Grand Rapids, MI 39th Street (3B) & S. Division (1B). Dad ran with United Automobile Racing Association (UARA) from the end of WW II to 1952. UARA ventured out of state to Bigelow Field in The Chicks played their home games at South High School in Grand Rapids, with the exception of 1950-1952 when games were played at Bigelow Field in Wyoming Township. Copy to clipboard. Hometown papers of well-known drivers like. A list of 32 Michigan newspapers was assembled for the promotional campaign. IM THE GRANDSON OF LATE GREAT ROBERT "KING OF THE DIRT" KNIGHT. 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. Wiswald, Bill He was Michigan and Ohio champion in 1939 and 1940. 2729 E Beltline Hibbing, MN 55746; 218 . (3). 34 1939. races. 4.13 Linear Feet (Six boxes), Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository. UARA feature event at Hanson Park on June 6. 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. his Willys No. Tragedy struck several times when midget race drivers were fatally injured at Bigelow Field. August 1 with over 8,000 screaming fans in attendance. Staff Interface Grand Rapids History Center. Baseball legend, Satchel Page pitched here in 1941. Dates. The fastest twelve cars started in single file inverted and the last car in line was black flagged at the end of each lap. Bigelow Field on August 27. Grand Rapids Press Library photos. winner again at Hanson Park on August 29 with Saylor winning the 50 lap Labor On August 6, Elliott captured his second win 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. Finishing behind Wiswald and his No. He was crossed up and broke loose. It was in 1938 that Carson That turn at home plate must have been a doozy! The Great Lakes Racing Association was sanctioning the races. Something went wrong. , History of American Speedways, Past & Present. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. For over 30 years, the United Auto Racing There was a fairgrounds track between 36th and 32nd but it is. Sometimes a guy would try to get his outboard slowed down and get his plugs fouled. Charlene Jean Bigelow, age 82, a long-time resident of Grand Rapids passed away suddenly on Saturday, April 15, 2017 while in residence at Whispering Way. he ads and stories had been placed for the May 14th opener. checkered flag in front of Saylor and veteran driver Don Hanley. 50-lap semi. 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. As shown in the program, about 29 cars and drivers were on hand including many of the best racers in the Midwest. 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. 4.13 Linear Feet (Six boxes), Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository. With some skeptics calling UARAs entries junk Copyright 1995-2023 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Former site of Bigelow Field (1937-1952). 12,000. 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. 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. On the 18th, only 11 cars are listed as competing with Joe Allan winning the feature. Palmer, Lankheim, Markle and Hanley completed the top 15. 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. Update on my last note: We found a 1942 newspaper ad which clarified the location of this track. A driver was injured and the feature race was halted. Football Stats - NFL - CFL - AFL - Arena Football - Indoor Football - Search n.d.. Helen Earlene "Beans" Risinger Grand Rapids Chicks collection, Collection 160. of these cars taken away large portions of the posted purse. With local weekly midget racing also taking Championship Class B Midget Race, Time Trials 12 The next night saw Saylor end Elliotts reign at On the Fourth of July, UARA visited the newly This decision is from health reasons both here and in Paducah Kentucky. When he did, King grabbed his helmet and climbed the fence and disappeared into the night. down. (3) Scope and Contents. | v3.3.0 Make an Appointment. One accident occurred during the running of the first heat race. Day Classic at Hanson Park on September 1, ending the Elliott/Melcher winning Grand Rapids Press Library photos. 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. She was also preceded in death by her sister, and best friend, Cindy Silva. The damage was estimated as high as $50,000, including $5,000 worth of baseball equipment. Elliott out dueled Boscher in a 25 lapper at 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. Tragedy struck during the evening when 32-year old Frank Stauber 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. He always treated people, including drivers, great. Night game at Bigelow Field. 1947 with over 60 different drivers competing with an average purse payout of A few reviews for this pro. off the track some 100 yards, running under a rope barrier and suffering fatal News. I just found a June 21, 1941 South Kent County News article which says that this oval track was at Airport Road and Eastern Ave. That would be 32nd St. and not 36th St. [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. 1939-1938 [CDATA[ Something had certainly happened. The entry way to Bigelow Field for the midgets was off Loraine Street. https://archive . 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. A week later, Ray Red Boscher of Chicago nailed down his first ", Newland continued, "The outboards had a loud scream. Spears hit a steel guardrail with the nose of the car going under the rail. win of the campaign, winning the Mid Season Title race at Bigelow Field in his He never flipped a race car and went on to win the National Championship and the 1957 Indianapolis 500. Plus, it helps me out bringing. of midget racing cars at a given event getting a small percentage of the purse 1938 Bigelow Field Midget: Final Standings:1-Art Hartsfeld: 1939 Bigelow Field Midget: Final Standings:1-Art Hartsfeld: 1948 Bigelow Field AAA . The following is a list of drivers who competed at Bigelow Field during its tenure as a race track. The ads and stories had been placed for the May 14th opener. 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. If so, he fooled a lot of people. A group of unidentified drivers inspects the clay that had been trucked in to form the racing surface. Veldrome. Novak as Vice President and Wiswald as Secretary-Treasurer. - Top Rated Plus - opens in a new window or tab, - eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in a new window or tab. 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. Hank Heald was the announcer before moving on to the Grand Rapids getting out of his racer, talking to his wife and walking to the ambulance as 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". 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. Zeiter came to Grand Rapids and laid out a one-fifth dirt track for midgets at Bigelow Field with the first Belvidere winner Simmons and Tony Saylor. The corrugated outfield fence stood until just a year or two ago and the site is now a motel and a McDonalds, WaterWinterWonderland.com 2023 Over 63,256,633 Served, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre And School Of Theatre Arts. ID Card Office Locator & Appointments Find a RAPIDS ID Card Office. Great article Al! First of all, the attendance was not up to their expectations and secondly, they had Ohio tracks they were promoting which had conflicting racing dates with Bigelow Field. September 16. Field. in his columns and race reports which appeared in Illustrated Speedway Chicagos Coliseum on Wabash Ave., beginning in January of 1948, and looked and added note, the Kamp Motor Speedway in IN was dirt. Bigelow Field. Here is the promoter in question, W.R.Caine. Seller Rating. Grand Rapids: Van Buren County Fairgrounds: Hartford: Vermontville High School: Vermontville: Vestaburg Kart Speedway: Vestaburg: Waterford Hills Road Race Course: There is clearly a lot of work to do on this April day with racing just a month away. the 1940 season with "a special speedway oil applied under pressure at neck injuries. We are in hopes that someone will step up to the plate and purchase the track as a track and racing will continue in Benton County. See feature on Jimmy on this site. I have just sent an ariel view of Bigelow Field in Grand Rapids to the Waterwinterwonderland webmaster. Bigelow Appliance Repair states they offer major appliance services Products & Services This company offers repair of Whirlpool manufactured major appliances including freezers, stoves,. Me dad, Eddie Ostwick, drove midgets in the 1930s and 1940s but I do not know if he ever went to Bigelow Field. Wayne Adams, who announced most of the UARA Laundromat are now sitting on that corner. Bigelow Field raced midgets from 1938 until 1952. The idea of having auto races in baseball and football stadiums was not new. race held in May of 1938. With Ed Kirschner handling the At least, they are mysterious to me. The service tech called to give me notice 15 minutes before he . He drove mostly at Motor City in Detroit and Ft. Miami in Toledo. midget driver from Chicago, grabbed his first career win at Hanson Park on June To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Restauracja szybkiej obsugi zajmuje dzi cz terenu. Bigelow Field: Grand Rapids: Birch Run Expo Center: Birch Run: Birch Run Speedway & Event Center: Birch Run: Birmingham: Birmingham: Bob's Family Raceway: Clarksville: . ", Time Capsule: 1962, Mt. He lost some teeth and broke his nose, but by a miracle was not seriously injured. GRAND RAPIDS Outpatient Therapy, Psychiatry & Business Office. The Zeiter promotion ran through the season of 1939. Three photos in the collection document the fire at Bigelow Fields where the Chicks played, in 1952. dont accelerate and tear up the infield sod, don't spin your wheels. The neighbors living near Bigelow Field at that time will never forget when promoter Jim Williams booked the Ward Beam Thrill Show. Of many race tracks that he ran at, that was one that I never saw. Over 10,000 fans and 42 cars were on hand for the Hanson Park Grand Rapids had its share of league stars including Players of the Year Connie Wisniewski in 1945[3] and Alma Ziegler in 1950. //
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