316:, after Raymond Winder, who was involved with the business end of The Travelers for some sixty years. Winder started as a ticket seller in 1915, was named as the Arkansas Traveler business manager in 1931, and became part owner in 1944. The Traveler franchise was moved to Shreveport following the 1958 season, leaving Little Rock without a baseball club for the first time since 1914. Traveler Field sat empty during the 1959 season while efforts continued to return minor league baseball to Little Rock. After a public stock drive raised funds to purchase a bankrupt New Orleans franchise, the Travelers were resurrected in Little Rock for the 1960 season. Ray Winder was again asked to manage the day to day details of rebuilding the club.
377:. Others proposed demolishing the historic ballpark in order to utilize the area as a parking lot for the nearby University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Arkansas Zoological Foundation wanted the Little Rock Zoo to expand into Ray Winder by refitting the grandstand as a viewing area for an Asian elephant exhibit. During all of these discussions, the underlying atmosphere from the City of Little Rock was one of disinterest and apathy, with no apparent recognition of the park's historic ties to baseball's golden era, and no interest in assisting in the landmark ballpark's preservation.
267:. The ballpark sat with home plate in roughly the north-northwest corner of the property. The former boundaries of the park were Interstate 630 (south, right field); Jonesboro Drive (west, right field corner); South Monroe Street (west, first base stands); buildings on driveway extended from Ray Winder Drive (north, third base stands); buildings bordering South Palm Street (east, right field). The field was in operation for around 74 years.
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Ray Winder Field sat vacant for almost five years while forces outside of organized baseball determined the future of this historic ballpark. Many citizens recognized the ballpark as a historic structure both for the City of Little Rock and for baseball, and it was proposed that the park be restored
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Ultimately, the decision was made to sell the park to the
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, with all structures to be razed and the land cleared for use as a parking lot. The City of Little Rock again confirmed that they had no interest preserving the park. Several sales were held to
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In 2005, construction began on a new ballpark in North Little Rock which would eventually become the home of the
Arkansas Travelers. On September 3, 2006, the final game of the 2006 season, a capacity crowd filled Ray Winder Field as fans returned for the last Traveler game at Ray Winder Field.
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On July 12, 2012 the score board and the light poles were left standing while the rest of the park and all other structure were torn down and removed, and the ground paved over. It had also been hotly debated to allow the Little Rock Zoo to use the site for expansion and improvements for the
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Faced with an aging ballpark and limited funds, Valentine began to promote the historic nature of Ray Winder Field. Through his efforts the ballpark gained recognition as one of the oldest active parks in minor league baseball, and he encouraged fans traveled to Little Rock to experience the
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disperse remaining artifacts to baseball fans from across the country who had visited this ballpark, and on May 14, 2011, the park was opened for a final time when the remaining wooden seats, dating to 1932, were dismantled and given to fans on a first-come, first-served basis.
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nostalgia and sample the baseball history represented by Ray Winder Field. He promoted the home of the
Arkansas Travelers as "A great place to see old-time baseball, wholesome entertainment aimed squarely at the family market."
336:, a former American League umpire, was chosen as general manager for the Travelers. Valentine was general manager until 2007, 31 years. He remained executive vice president for two more seasons, before retiring in March 2009.
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During this game, the
Travelers beat the Springfield Cardinals by a score of 7-3. Beginning with the 2007 season, the Arkansas Travelers home ballpark is
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How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a
Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda
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How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a
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as a functional baseball field for city and college teams as had been done with
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Commemorative ticket for the
Arkansas Travelers final game in Ray Winder Field.
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As of
September 1, 2023 the score board and light poles still remain.
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The ballpark was constructed during 1931, as a new home field for the
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The Last At-Bat, Arkansas
Travelers at Ray Winder Field
447:"LR to Give Away 1,000 Seats From Ray Winder Field".
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618:Buildings and structures in Little Rock, Arkansas
536:"Bill Valentine Retires From Arkansas Travelers"
312:On August 26, 1966, Travelers Field was renamed
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385:betterment of the animals and visitors.
512:"Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–"
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292:baseball team. The Travelers vacated
510:Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
208:($ 2.23 million in 2023 dollars)
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613:Defunct minor league baseball venues
570:Extensive history by Russell Johnson
429:: Arkansas Travelers Baseball Club.
633:2006 disestablishments in Arkansas
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603:Defunct sports venues in Arkansas
565:Entry at MinorLEagueBallParks.com
216:Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio
130:Arkansas Travelers Baseball, Inc.
638:Sports venues demolished in 2012
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628:Sports venues completed in 1932
623:1932 establishments in Arkansas
598:Sports in Little Rock, Arkansas
582:Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues
298:Little Rock Central High School
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423:Travelers Baseball - 90 Years
648:Negro league baseball venues
643:Minor league baseball venues
575:Entry at BallParkReviews.com
504:American Antiquarian Society
484:American Antiquarian Society
653:Baseball venues in Arkansas
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404:Charleston, South Carolina
59:Traveler Field (1932-1966)
580:Ray Winder Field Views -
449:Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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542:. Minor League Baseball
400:Baseball in Little Rock
406:: Arcadia Publishing.
398:Turner, Terry (2004).
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284:, later to become the
224:McGregor & Pickett
151:Center Field: 390 feet
453:Little Rock, Arkansas
440:Little Rock, Arkansas
427:Little Rock, Arkansas
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282:Little Rock Travelers
265:Little Rock, Arkansas
235:Little Rock Travelers
153:Right Field: 345 feet
100:34.74528°N 92.32750°W
70:Little Rock, Arkansas
434:Traub, Todd (2006).
421:Bailey, Jim (1997).
351:Dickey-Stephens Park
149:Left Field: 330 feet
442:: WHECO Publishing.
375:Birmingham, Alabama
304:for the team name.
250:) (1963–2006)
241:) (1932–1961)
120:City of Little Rock
105:34.74528; -92.32750
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67:400 Broadway Street
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286:Arkansas Travelers
244:Arkansas Travelers
221:General contractor
355:North Little Rock
328:Valentine in 2007
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203:Construction cost
190:September 3, 2006
42:game against the
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515:. Retrieved
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276:Construction
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171:Broke ground
166:Construction
56:Former names
488:1700–1799:
468:1634–1699:
103: /
78:Coordinates
592:Categories
392:References
195:Demolished
146:Field size
91:92°19′39″W
88:34°44′43″N
332:In 1976,
213:Architect
206:$ 100,000
40:Travelers
540:milb.com
493:(1992).
473:(1997).
308:Renaming
137:Capacity
126:Operator
64:Location
344:Closing
296:, near
271:History
229:Tenants
158:Surface
546:9 June
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259:was a
187:Closed
179:Opened
500:(PDF)
480:(PDF)
161:Grass
141:6,083
116:Owner
72:72201
548:2012
519:2024
408:ISBN
198:2012
174:1931
373:in
353:in
263:in
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248:TL
239:SA
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
