Early baseball in Kansas/Club 11
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| Spread of baseball: Home -> Kansas -> Early baseball in Kansas/Club 11 |
| Location | Kansas |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870 |
| City | Ottawa? |
| State | KS |
| Country | US |
| Found by | Bruce Allardice |
Harold Evans, "Baseball in Kansas, 1867-1940," Kansas Historical Quarterly v. 9, issue 2 (1940) says Marais des Cygnes formed a BBC in 1870.
The "Marais des Cygnes Massacre" was a raid into KS and killing of 5 Kansans in 1858. Several places in Kansas are named in tribute, but there is apparently no current KS town with that name. The Marais des Cygnes Valley is about 80 miles SW of Kansas City KS.
Evams is perhaps referring to the town of Ottawa, at this time perhaps the biggest town on the Marais des Cygnes (Marsh of Swans). In 1870 Ottawa had a baseball team, and in 1875 Ottawa is reffered to as the "metropolis of the Marais des Cygnes." (Lawrence Republican Daily Journal, July 22, 1875)
Sources
Harold Evans, "Baseball in Kansas, 1867-1940," Kansas Historical Quarterly v. 9, issue 2 (1940)
