MCPS: Final - Athletic Park Mystery Cache

To find this final cache, you will need to visit the 4 other caches in the Merrill City Park Series (all start with MCPS) and obtain the clues to complete the following coordinates:

N45 11.ABC W089 42.0YZ

This local historic landmark, a 5-acre baseball field, began hosting amateur and semi-pro baseball games in 1925. Completely surrounded by an 8-foot granite wall constructed during the Great Depression by the Works Progress Administration, Athletic Park is one of the most scenic baseball fields in the State of Wisconsin. Athletic Park has played host to such legends as Henry "Hank" Aaron, Satchel Paige, and the Acme Packers. It is located on the corner of Sixth Street and Logan Street, and it features a lighted baseball field and restroom facilities.

Here is a great story about Merrill baseball days and Athletic Park:

THE OLD BALL GAME

by Norm. W. Heideman (Merrill Centennial Record 1983, Quality Print, Inc and Highland Publishers, July 1983)

Baseball over the years has been a favorite sport in and around the city. It was circa 1910 when the game first gained popularity in the area. There were always impromptu contests which sprang up at picnics, family reunions and other social gatherings during the summer. Diamond were laid out to suit the available playing area, and in haphazard fashion.

Bats were a far cry from today's hitting implements. They were homemade, cut, trimmed and shaped to the user's fancy. Some were long, with a flat side and almost no taper at the handle at all. Others were virtual fence posts, 40 to 50 inches long and weighing up to ten pounds. The bottle bat derived its name because the bat resembled an inverted milk or beer bottle. Such clubs gained popularity in the late 20's and remained in use until the middle 30's, when they were outlawed. One slugger who used the bottle bat to advantage was Charles "Buck" Moore, perhaps Merrill's most prodigious clouter of home runs of all time.

Baseball here was very popular from around 1905 to World War I. Some stalwarts of the diamond at the time were; Wm. Fries, Ray Winner, Adlor Talbot, AI. Fries, Reno and Fred Schroeder, C. Winneman, Emmett Hasset and Emil Semling. From available accounts, Merrill always fielded a representative team, winning more games than were lost.

Baseball uniforms of that era were in marked contrast to today's apparel. They were predominately grey, although some were white with pin stripes. The caps were not as roomy as today's. They were flatter and had a tendency to fit snug on the players' heads. Old photos show that at least a few players wore dress shoes on the field. Pants were baggy and socks, with a complete foot completed the uniform.

Local baseball attained some semblance of organization in the 20's. After the infamous "Black Sox Scandal" in 1920, several of the banned players formed a touring team and played exhibition tilts throughout the Midwest. When the club's business manager absconded with the funds after a game against Merrill, a number of the troupe was stranded. Some of the forsaken players sought work here and joined the Merrill nine the following summer. Thus was born Merrill's first paid team.

The city continued to field a professional team until the bottom dropped out of the economy in 1929. Then came two decades of amateur baseball. Moore took over as team manager.

Athletic Park has always been considered a first class baseball facility. Fans from all over the state would marvel at how a small community could boast such an impressive field. Soon after it was designated as a baseball field in the late 20's, the diamond was laid out, a grandstand built, and a wooden fence erected to enclose the field.

Lights were installed at the park in the mid-30's. Night games became the rule once the arcs were in place. The first game was broadcast in 1949. Fans from throughout the area, unable to attend games, would listen to these broadcasts.

Merrill fans enjoyed their paid teams of the 20's and start of the 30's, but as the depression deepened, this luxury became a victim of the time. It was after World War II that the policy of paying some players was reintroduced.

After "Debs" Loud bowed out of baseball, the Merrill team was taken over by Jim Schymanski, who had played in the Chicago White Sox chain. Baseball was at its peak here, and Schymanski went out to get the best players available. His success was attested to by three straight state championships in 1951-52-53. Merrill played about 50 games each season, most of them at home. In 1951 Merrill, then known as the Rangers, traveled to Wichita, KS to represent Wisconsin in the National Baseball Congress national tournament.

Warren Weckwerth managed the team beginning in the late 50's until the team disbanded after the 1961 campaign. Baseball in neighboring cities also folded. The nearest thing to a city team at present is the Merrill Giants' nine. Interest, however, has never reached the zenith of the 20's and the 50's.