Minor Leagues,
Major Dreams:

Professional
Baseball
in
Oklahoma

By Leo Kelley

Only days after the mad rush for homesteads
and lots in April, 1889, the cry of "Play ball" echoed across the tent
town of Oklahoma City. One oldtimer surmised that land seekers
must have "carried along baseballs" in their saddle bags. Another
participant noted that four baseball squads had been assembled
before the dust settled. Other teams formed just as quickly in the
territorial settlements of Guthrie, Stillwater, and Kingfisher.'
Although baseball had only been played on a wide scale since
the Civil War, it had gained considerable national acceptance by

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