Early baseball in Iowa/Game 1
From SABR Encyclopedia
| Spread of baseball: Home -> Iowa -> Early baseball in Iowa/Game 1 |
| Location | Iowa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1858 |
| City | Davenport |
| State | IA |
| Country | US |
| Was NY rules baseball | Unknown |
| Played by | Unknown |
| First in Iowa | Yes |
| Found by | John Liepa |
From Protoball Entry #1858.15 – Base Ball Arrives in Heaven? "No, This is Iowa"
"John Liepa of Indianola presented a history of early baseball and the origins of the game in the state. John has pinpointed 1858 as the first reference to baseball in Iowa (in the city of Davenport), although naturally that is subject to change."
From a report of the Field of Dreams SABR Chapter [the Iowa chapter] meeting at the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, IA, October 16, 2004. John Thorn [email, 2/10/2008] suggests that the source may be the Davenport Daily Gazette, June 2, 1858, which states "The baseball clubs were both out yesterday afternoon."
Open Issue: Is there an indication that these clubs played by Association rules? If so, it is clearly the first appearance of the modern game in Iowa.
Davenport IA is on the Mississippi River and about 150 miles west of Chicago.
Sources
- Protoball record 1858.15 from Protoball project
