Early baseball in Minnesota/Game 10
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| Spread of baseball: Home -> Minnesota -> Early baseball in Minnesota/Game 10 |
| Location | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857 |
| Month | 8 |
| Date | 8 |
| City | Nininger |
| State | MN |
| Country | USA |
| Site | Nininger |
| Modern address | Hastings MN |
| Was NY rules baseball | Likely |
| Played by | Locals |
| Team 1 | Nininger Base Ball Club |
| Team 2 | inter-squad |
| Found by | Rich Arpi |
An opening game of the Base Ball Club of this town was played on the 8th inst. The day was rather warm, and the arrangements had not been perfected, yet a good number were in attendance, and enjoyed the sport much. Preparations are on foot to put the Club on excellent footing, and as soon as the ground is put in good order, to have a regular set match. The Club meets for practice again this afternoon.
Note: Since so much concerning Nininger was real estate hype, I would like to find additional sources that would prove this game was actually played. Nonetheless mention of a base ball club proves it was an essential part of a "civilized" town even in territorial Minnesota.
Nininger MN is about 20 miles SE of St. Paul and 25 miles SE of Minneapolis.
From the Wikipedia, October 2012: "The city of Nininger was founded and named by John Nininger, brother in-law of territorial and state Governor Alexander Ramsey. Nininger had high hopes for his namesake city to become state capital, and indeed its population did reach nearly 1,000 by the spring of 1858. The city did not flourish, however, and its post office was discontinued in 1889 after 33 years of operation.[1] Today little trace of the original city remains, although two plaques describe Good Templars Hall and Ignatius L. Donnelly's home."
Sources
Emigrant Aid Journal of Minnesota (Nininger, Minnesota), Saturday, August 15, 1857.
Coverage of the Nininger club is found in Stew Thornley, "Baseball in Minnesota," (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2006), pp. 5-7.
