VIGO COUNTY
BASEBALL
The North Terre Haute Grays
Sunday
afternoon in North Terre Haute was the time to go to Elm drove and watch the
Grays and later the Rockets
play ball. Admission was not
charged: a hat was passed about the seventh inning and whatever was collected was split
between the two teams: umpires
were chosen from among the spectators. There were no bleachers: fans sat on
the hillside along the third
base line. After the lake was made at Elm Grove, the Rockets played on a
diamond at the
Otter Creek Men's Club. Local
merchants supported the Grays
and Rockets with funds for uniforms and equipment. Until the mid-1950s (except
during World War II), when
youth baseball became popular, small communities all over the Wabash Valley
had their own adult teams:
many had colorful names, such as the Clinton Mikes; Brazil Jitneys; Carbon
Kalamazoo Bricks and the
Saline City Neversweats.
The North Terre Haute Grays of 1929 were
(kneeling) Harry Strohl; K.O. Jones;
Tom Goda: Jay Carter: Jesse Monroe.
(standing) Warren ""Bones" Sturm;
Lawrence "Bus" King; Joe Goda;
Charles Killion; "Brick" Haynes; Ray
Brown; "Bus" Higginboltom, Theodore
Haase, the manager.
The North Terre Haute Grays of 1929 were
(kneeling) Harry Strohl; K.O. Jones;
Tom Goda: Jay Carter: Jesse Monroe.
(standing) Warren ""Bones" Sturm;
Lawrence "Bus" King; Joe Goda;
Charles Killion; "Brick" Haynes; Ray
Brown; "Bus" Higginboltom, Theodore
Haase, the manager.
The
Ellsworth Greys, organized as
early as 1908. preceded the North Terre Haute Grays. Burnett and Alherton also had baseball teams from time to time.
The
Rockets was the North Terre
Haute team name of the late
1940s. Team members in 1950
were
(front) Bat Boy Glenn
"Red" Kimmel;
(kneeling) John Sturm; Jim
Easthom; Tex Black;
"PeeWee" Kalber; Charles
Gehhng.
(standing) Ernie Sturm;
Ralph "Duke" Jones; Jerry
Keyes: Bill Britton; Jack
Houpt; Dick Yowell: Max
Compton. coach. Charles
Gehring collection
(front) Bat Boy Glenn
"Red" Kimmel;
(kneeling) John Sturm; Jim
Easthom; Tex Black;
"PeeWee" Kalber; Charles
Gehhng.
(standing) Ernie Sturm;
Ralph "Duke" Jones; Jerry
Keyes: Bill Britton; Jack
Houpt; Dick Yowell: Max
Compton. coach. Charles
Gehring collection