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| Grover Cleveland Alexander |
For the first half of the 20th century, minor league baseball was not what we think of as minor league baseball.
In the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, many communities formed teams that played in leagues with area communities. Galesburg was one of those communities to have teams.
Galesburg Teams and Grover Alexander
Galesburg had the Trotters in the late 1800’s. In the early 1900’s, Galesburg the Hornets, the Boosters, and the Pavers. By the 1930’s, Galesburg had the Indee’s, and during WWII, the Mayo Team. Throughout these eras, there were undoubtedly many more minor league teams formed in Galesburg.
The Galesburg Boosters played from 1908 thru 1914. Their most famous player was the legendary Grover Cleveland Alexander. Alexander played for the Boosters in 1909.
It is uncertain but quite possible that Galesburg had multiple minor league teams some years. The teams would play area teams such as Abingdon, Monmouth, the Quad Cities, Burlington, and Peoria. Some of the teams became part of leagues that involved travel to towns over 100 miles away.
Minor Leagues Concept
These small town teams are historically classified as “minor league” teams. The organization of minor and Major League Baseball was different in this era. It was not until 1962 that the Major Leagues and the Minor Leagues agreed to terms where minor league teams were affiliated with a Major League team.
These minor league teams were not affiliated with any major league team. They were independent teams made up of players from the community plus some outsiders brought into boost the strength of the team.
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the Major League teams became aware of great players by word of mouth. Players learned their reputation and their chance playing with minor league teams like the Galesburg Boosters and Galesburg Indees.
Galesburg’s Ball Parks in Early 1900’s
Locally there was a huge interest by fans. From 1900 to 1950, Galesburg had at least 6 different baseball fields. While they may not have existed at the same time, there were different baseball fields through the years.
Lombard College had a field on their campus.
Willard Field was a baseball field on the Knox College campus. It was in the area of the present Fine Arts Center. It was in existence in the early 1900’s.
Allen Park Field was located in the area of South Farnham and East Mulberry Street near the Allen Park School. This baseball diamond had a covered grandstand.
Illinois Field was on Monmouth Blvd and located near what became the Admiral Plant. It also had a covered grandstand. It was the field where Grover Cleveland Alexander played. It would appear to have been the main baseball park in early 1900’s.
Lincoln Park Field was located next to Lincoln Park. It appears to have possibly been just south of the Lincoln Park. It was built in the late ‘20’s and described as a modern facility with seating for 3,500. It was the location of Galesburg’a first night game when the Kansas City Monarchs came to Galesburg.
H.T. Custer Park was built on land donated by the Custer family in the mid-1930’s. Permanent lights were put on it in 1940.
Lake Storey had a diamond built in the 1930’s.
The Big Games of the Early 1900’s
The most famous games in Galesburg’s early baseball history were the following:
Monday, April 1, 1907- Chicago White Sox 18- Knox College 7. Game was played at Willard Field on the Knox campus in from of estimated 2,500 fans. The Chicago White Sox were the defending World Champs.
1909- Any game that Grover Cleveland Alexander played at Illinois Field on Monmouth Blvd.
Wednesday, September 5, 1929- St. Louis Cardinals 2- Galesburg Indees 1. Game was played at Independent’s Park- not sure where that was. Estimated that there were 3,000 fans. The manager for St. Louis was the legendary manager, Branch Rickey. St. Louis was the defending National League Champs.
Sunday, September 7, 1930- Kansas City Monarchs 21- Galesburg Indees 3. Game played at LIncoln Park Field. Crowd was estimated at 4,000. The Monarchs were considered the top team in the Negro Baseball League. The was the first night game played in Galesburg. The Monarchs brought their own light system for the game.
Wednesday, July 11, 1945- Chicago Cubs 13 Galesburg Mayo 3. With World War II still going, MLB cancelled the All-Star game. The MLB teams instead played charity games. The Cubs coming to Galesburg was to play in front of injured veterans at the Galesburg Mayo Hospital.
The Cubs were managed by Charlie Grimm. Cub legends- Eddie Sauer and Stan Hack played for the Cubs. The Cubs went on to win the National League in 1945. The manager of the Galesburg Mayo team was Galesburg’s Art Stone.
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| Charlie Grimm of the Chicago Cubs |
End of an Era
Minor League baseball as composed by teams of local communities reached its peak in the 1949. It is estimated that in 1949 there were 450 minor league teams playing about 60 different leagues throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Estimates are that there were as many as 39 million fans who attended these minor league games.
The addition of TV helped reduce attendance at local games. After the agreement between Minor League and Major League Baseball, there were only 15 Minor Leagues in 1963.
1907- White Sox vs Knox College
1929- St. Louis Cardinals vs Galesburg Indees
1945- Chicago Cubs vs Galesburg Mayo
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