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Union Base-Ball Grounds was a baseball park located in
Union Base-Ball Grounds was also called White-Stocking Park, as it was the home field of the Chicago White Stockings of the National Association in 1871, after spending the 1870 season as an independent professional club playing home games variously at Dexter Park race course and Ogden Park. The Great Chicago Fire of October 8 destroyed Union Base-Ball Grounds and all of the club's possessions. After fulfilling its 1871 obligations by playing on the road, the club did not field a team for the next two seasons, and the ballpark was not rebuilt.
In 1878, the White Stockings returned to the 1871 site and to a new park that is usually called Lake-Shore Park, Lake Front Park, or simply Lake Park, which was actually the name for the entire waterfront area (not just the ballpark) until being renamed Grant Park in 1901.In 1883, the second Lakefront Park opened. The second Lakefront Park is noted for its extremely short dimensions. A ball hit over the wall was normally considered a ground rule double. However in 1884, these short dimensions allowed the Cubs to set home run records that would not be broken until Babe Ruth over 30 years later. Ned Williamson, Fred Pfeffer, Abner Dalrymple, and Cap Anson each hit over 20 homers, with Williamson leading the way with 27.
It is Lake Front Park, often with a numeral I or II, in recent reference works including Retrosheet and the 1986 edition of Lowry. At the new park, the outfield area was especially close in right field. The right field fence was less than 200 feet away, so anyone hitting the ball over that fence was awarded only a ground rule double. Batters would aim for the fence, and during their years at the park, the Chicago club regularly led the league in doubles. In what would be their final season on the lakefront, the White Stockings decided to make the entire outfield fence home run territory. Thus, the team slumped in the number of doubles while boosting their home runs from typically a dozen or two to 142, easily outdistancing second place Buffalo, which had 39 for the season. The entire league's home run totals were up, thanks to the change to the Chicago ground rules.
The team played at Lake-Shore Park through the 1884 season. After the season, the city reclaimed the land, and the White Stockings became a road team for the first couple of months of 1885 while awaiting construction of the first West Side Park. The lumber from the stands was disassembled and reconfigured as the new stands at West Side Park. hicago ''Tribune'', March 15, 1885, p. 11
Ballparks,"WrigleyIvy.com
*Jack Bales
''Before They Were the Cubs: The Early Years of Chicago’s First Professional Baseball Team''.
Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2019. * * Retrosheet
* Retrosheet
Library of Congress map of Chicago showing the ballpark, supposed to be 1892Library of Congress black-and-white print from an archery match in August 1879 - from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper
{{coord, 41, 53, 2, N, 87, 37, 26, W, region:US-IL_type:landmark, display=title Defunct baseball venues in the United States Defunct college football venues Chicago Cubs stadiums Baseball venues in Chicago Sports venues in Chicago Sports venues completed in 1871 Defunct sports venues in Illinois
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. The park was "very visibly downtown", its small block bounded on the west by Michigan Avenue, on the north by Randolph Street, and on the east by railroad tracks and the lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
shore, which was then much closer than it is today. The site is now part of Millennium Park.
Baseball
Union Base-Ball Grounds was also called White-Stocking Park, as it was the home field of the Chicago White Stockings of the National Association in 1871, after spending the 1870 season as an independent professional club playing home games variously at Dexter Park race course and Ogden Park. The Great Chicago Fire of October 8 destroyed Union Base-Ball Grounds and all of the club's possessions. After fulfilling its 1871 obligations by playing on the road, the club did not field a team for the next two seasons, and the ballpark was not rebuilt.
In 1878, the White Stockings returned to the 1871 site and to a new park that is usually called Lake-Shore Park, Lake Front Park, or simply Lake Park, which was actually the name for the entire waterfront area (not just the ballpark) until being renamed Grant Park in 1901.In 1883, the second Lakefront Park opened. The second Lakefront Park is noted for its extremely short dimensions. A ball hit over the wall was normally considered a ground rule double. However in 1884, these short dimensions allowed the Cubs to set home run records that would not be broken until Babe Ruth over 30 years later. Ned Williamson, Fred Pfeffer, Abner Dalrymple, and Cap Anson each hit over 20 homers, with Williamson leading the way with 27.
It is Lake Front Park, often with a numeral I or II, in recent reference works including Retrosheet and the 1986 edition of Lowry. At the new park, the outfield area was especially close in right field. The right field fence was less than 200 feet away, so anyone hitting the ball over that fence was awarded only a ground rule double. Batters would aim for the fence, and during their years at the park, the Chicago club regularly led the league in doubles. In what would be their final season on the lakefront, the White Stockings decided to make the entire outfield fence home run territory. Thus, the team slumped in the number of doubles while boosting their home runs from typically a dozen or two to 142, easily outdistancing second place Buffalo, which had 39 for the season. The entire league's home run totals were up, thanks to the change to the Chicago ground rules.
The team played at Lake-Shore Park through the 1884 season. After the season, the city reclaimed the land, and the White Stockings became a road team for the first couple of months of 1885 while awaiting construction of the first West Side Park. The lumber from the stands was disassembled and reconfigured as the new stands at West Side Park. hicago ''Tribune'', March 15, 1885, p. 11Football
The firstcollege football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
game in the Midwest was played at the park on May 30, 1879, when the University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
met Racine College. Michigan won, 1-0, on a place-kick by David DeTarr.
Notes
References
*Jack Bales,Ballparks,"
*Jack Bales
''Before They Were the Cubs: The Early Years of Chicago’s First Professional Baseball Team''.
Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2019. * * Retrosheet
* Retrosheet
External links
Library of Congress map of Chicago showing the ballpark, supposed to be 1892
{{coord, 41, 53, 2, N, 87, 37, 26, W, region:US-IL_type:landmark, display=title Defunct baseball venues in the United States Defunct college football venues Chicago Cubs stadiums Baseball venues in Chicago Sports venues in Chicago Sports venues completed in 1871 Defunct sports venues in Illinois