Last: Volunteers aim to restore New Mexico ballpark to 1930s glory
From T.S. Last at the Albuquerque Journal on May 26, 2017:
Michael Wright remembers the first time he saw Oscar Huber Memorial Ballpark.
It was shortly after he and his wife moved to Madrid in 1994. The dilapidated wooden grandstand was caving in on itself. Cholla cactus choked the outfield.
“But you could feel the history,” he said.
The history goes back nearly 100 years when in 1919 Oscar Huber, the superintendent of the Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal Company, got the ball rolling to build a ballpark and form a company team, the Madrid Miners. It was a source of town pride for 30 years.
From 1920 to about 1950 Madrid fielded winning teams, made better by a few hired guns recruited by the coal company for the ability to swing a bat rather than a pick ax.
A few barnstorming teams, including the legendary House of David, played exhibition games against the Miners.
Read the full article here: https://www.abqjournal.com/1008996/back-to-the-thirties.html
Originally published: May 26, 2017. Last Updated: May 26, 2017.