Goldfield (baseball)
| Goldfield "Miners" | |
|---|---|
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Independent (1907) |
| League | Nevada State League (1907) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | None |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (1) | 1907* |
| Team data | |
| Name | Goldfield "Miners" (1907) |
| Ballpark | Unknown (1907) |
The Goldfield "Miners" were a minor league baseball team based in Goldfield, Nevada. The "Miners" played the 1907 season as members of the Independent level Nevada State League. Goldfield won the league championship in the only season of minor league play in Goldfield, Nevada.
History
[edit]Prior to the Nevada State League, the Goldfield Athletic Club hosted local baseball teams, beginning in 1905.[1]
In 1907, Goldfield was the largest city in Nevada, with over 20,000 residents. Goldfield became a charter member of the 1907 Nevada State League, which began minor league play as a four–team Independent league. John T. Powers, who later served as president of the Federal League, was the Nevada State League president. The 1907 Nevada State League charter franchises were based in Carson City, Nevada, Goldfield, Nevada, Reno, Nevada and Tonopah, Nevada.[2][3][4][5][1][6]
On June 27, 1907 the Goldfield League Baseball Association was legally formed in Goldfield, likely the foundation for ownership of the minor league team.[7][8]
With John T. Powers serving as league president and Bert Ulmer as treasurer a Nevada State League meeting July 6, 1907 was held at the office of Senator Boyd. At the meeting, the board of directors were elected. Ben Rosenthal of Goldfield, Senator James T. Boyd of Reno, J.P Merder of Carson City and Thomas Kendall of Tonopah became the directors. Powers had previously served as president of the Wisconsin State League. Ulmer was an owner of the Elite Saloon in Goldfield. James T. Boyd was a member of the Nevada State Senate from 1906 to 1910. Rosenthal was Goldfield County commissioner. Kendall was a mining pioneer, owner of the Kendall Mine and a founder of Tonopah.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
As Goldfield played in their first season, they hosted a home game on August 7, 1907. League president John T. Powers was scheduled to umpire the Goldfield game on that day. Powers took the field with loaded revolvers strapped around his waist. With word that there was $5,000 in bets on the game, Powers armed himself. Powers was disarmed by the local sheriff before the game and the game was allowed to begin.[14]
Research indicates the Goldfield franchise used the "Miners" moniker and won the Nevada State League championship in a shortened 1907 season. The other league members were noted to have been called the Carson City "Capitals", Reno "Mudhens" and Tonopah "Mollycoddlers". Unofficial records place Goldfield in first place with a 9–5 record. Goldfield was a head of second place Carson City, with a 7–4–1 record. They were followed by the Tonopah "Mollycoddlers" at 3–6 and the Reno "Mudhens"with a 3–7–1 record. It is noted that the Reno team disbanded on July 15, 1907, and it is possible the rest of the league, Goldfield included, followed suit, as only three teams would have remained. Goldfield has not hosted another minor league team.[17][18][19]
The ballpark
[edit]The exact name and location of the 1907 Goldfield ballpark is unknown.[20] The Goldfield Athletic Club field was in use during the era. The park location was possibly in or near the area that was refurbished with help from promoter and Goldfield Saloon owner Tex Rickard to host an infamous 42-round boxing match on Labor Day 1906 featuring Joe Gans against Oscar Nelson. Gans won the bout. Today, there is a marker in Goldfield signifying the site of the fight, which had 15,000 in attendance.[1][21][22][23][24]
Timeline
[edit]| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | 1 | Goldfield "Miners" | Independent | Nevada State League |
Year–by–year record
[edit]| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | 9–5 | 1st | NA | League folded July 15 |
Notable alumni
[edit]The Goldfield 1907 roster information is unknown.[20]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Goldfield: World's Greatest Gold Camp" (PDF). Goldfield Historic Walking Tour Booklet (4). Goldfield, Nevada: The Goldfield Historical Society: 12. 2013.
- ^ "1907 Nevada State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "The Nevada Traveler: How well do you know your Nevada sports trivia? | NevadaAppeal.com". Archived from the original on 2020-06-14. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ "Nevada State League (Independent) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Nevada State League". Baseball History Daily.
- ^ Graham, Anthony; Nevada, University of; Vegas, Las. "The Goldfield Historic District - Boom towns, Boosterism, Labor, and Disaster". Intermountain Histories.
- ^ Report of the Nevada Secretary of State.(1912) p121.
- ^ State, Nevada Secretary of (February 24, 1913). "Report of the Nevada Secretary of State". Secretary of State. – via Google Books.
- ^ "1907 Jul 7 Ben Rosenthal Elected Director of Nevada Baseball League". Nevada State Journal. July 7, 1907. p. 5 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Minor League Researcher: A New Minor League, the 1907 Nevada State League".
- ^ "Minor League Researcher: The 1907 Nevada State League Games Scores".
- ^ "Nevada State Journal from Reno, Nevada on July 7, 1907 · Page 5". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Benjamin Rosenthal – Goldfield Historical Society".
- ^ a b "Armed Himself to Umpire Game" (PDF). Diamonds in the Dusk. On this Date: August 7, 1907 (448). DaimondsintheDusk.com. 2 August 2020.
- ^ "James T. Boyd". Ballotpedia.
- ^ "Thomas W. Kendall (1871-1939) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com.
- ^ "Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada on July 15, 1907 · Page 6". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "USA-Nevada". www.renor.org.
- ^ "Goldfield, Nevada Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b "1907 Goldfield Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Kuska, Bob (2004) How Washington and New York Gave Birth to Black Basketball and Changed America's Game Forever. University of Virginia Press p9. ISBN 978-0-8139-2556-1
- ^ "1906 Gans-Nelson fight was one for the ages". September 20, 2014.
- ^ Christie, Matt. "On This Day: Joe Gans defeats Battling Nelson via 42nd round disqualification - Boxing News". www.boxingnewsonline.net.
- ^ GoldfieldReconFinalReport-COVER_05_12_09.indd