"The national game is decidedly 'on the fly'": The ride of organized base ball in the Portland and Vancouver area in 1897 - A historic resource study for Fort Vancouver National Historic Site & Vancouver National Historic Reserve
Shine GP. 2006. "The national game is decidedly 'on the fly'": The ride of organized base ball in the Portland and Vancouver area in 1897 - A historic resource study for Fort Vancouver National Historic Site & Vancouver National Historic Reserve. Historic Resource Study. National Park Service, Department of the Interior
This study will briefly explore base ball as it existed in the vicinity of the adjacent cities of Portland and Oregon City, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington Territory in 1867. It is not intended to be a comprehensive study; rather, it will explore the organization and administration of these early base ball clubs, and provide additional information regarding two teams that organized in Vancouver that year. With a goal of providing background information to inform the staff and volunteers participating in Fort Vancouver National Historic Site’s interpretive and living history activities, including the popular Vintage Base Ball special events, this study will provide preliminary information in several areas including: the organization of a Base Ball Club in the area in 1867; the intricacies of a match game of base ball in 1867; the Occidental Base Ball Club of Vancouver; and the Sherman Base Ball Club and base ball at the Army’s Fort Vancouver. Lastly, this study will also provide specific recommendations for improving the historical accuracy of the park’s Vintage Base Ball special event. Launched to an overwhelming success in 2001, the event has grown to be one of the most popular events occurring onsite. Creatively conceived and organized largely by two park guides- Doug Halsey and Jon Burpee- the event has portrayed, since its inception, a fictional match between teams named the Vancouver Occidentals and the First Oregon Volunteers, utilizing the rules established by Beadle’s Dime Base-Ball Player in 1860. As the park moves toward greater historical accuracy and to more firmly anchor its special events to events in the historical record, the groundbreaking work of Halsey, Burpee, and a number of park staff will be the foundation for exciting program changes. It is the goal of this study to inform these changes, and build on this program’s foundation.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Shine, Gregory
- Date of Issue
- 2006-05-16
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Department of the Interior
- Units
- FOVA , HIST
- Keywords
- Base Ball, Cultural Resources, ehistory, History, Portland, Vancouver