Wheat Belt Baseball League. — 1977- 1979. — 0.5 cm of textual records.
Agency History
The Wheatbelt Baseball League was a men’s baseball league with teams from all over the Peace country. BY 1914, baseball was already the most popular team sport in the Peace country and by the Depression years it became evne more popular and every community had a ball diamond. During WWII with the extra American men in the area, men’s baseball teams flourished and as men returned from the war a South Peace Country Baseball League was formed which became the Wheat Belt Baseball League comprised of the Sexsmith “Wheat Kings”, Beaverlodge “Royals”, Grande Prairie “Mercurys”, and Grande Prairie “Legion”. Rycroft, Spirit River , Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe also fielded teams at times. The 1950s and 1960s were hay days for baseball. Players who made the news included Art Walker, Buster Brown, Danny Rycroft and Alvin Flohr. Allan Moe was official statistician in 1960. By 1962, the league included Fairview, Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. Players like Dale Braumburger and Dale Stokke got recruited by the major leagues. In 1977 the League was made up of Sexsmith ” Rainiers”, Peace River “Stampeders”, Beaverlodge “Royals”, Wanham “Wildcats”, Grande Prairie “Eskimos” and Fairview “Outlaws”. But in the 1970s, fastball became more popular, especially in smaller communities and in 1979 the Wheat Belt Baseball League folded.
Custodial History
The records were received from Charles Stojan and donated to the South Peace Regional Archives by Emil Stredulinsky in 2009.
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of a 1977-1979 schedules, final Wheat Belt League Standings, lists of players from the teams: Sexsmith Rainiers, Peace River “Stampeders”, Beaverlodge “Royals”, Wanham “Wildcats”, Fairview “Outlaws”, Grande Prairie “Eskimos”, Fairview “Outlaws” and player records.
Notes
A copy of all records relating to game reports, league statistics, play off statistics, player statistics, schedules and league minutes were retained. Only duplicate copies of records were not retained.