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Derks Field

Derks Field
Map
Former namesCommunity Park (1928–1940)
Location1300 South & West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
OwnerCity of Salt Lake City
OperatorCity of Salt Lake City
Capacity10,000 (1958–1993)
  5,000 (1947–1957)
SurfaceNatural grass
Construction
Opened1928, 1947
Expanded1958
Closed1993
Demolished1993 [1]
Tenants
Salt Lake City Bees (PioL/PCL) (1947–1984)
Salt Lake City Trappers (PioL) (1985–1992)
Salt Lake Sting (APSL) (1990–1991)

Derks Field was a minor league baseball park in the Western United States, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was the home field of the Salt Lake Bees, Angels, and Gulls of the Pacific Coast League, Bees, Giants, and Trappers of the Pioneer Baseball League, and the Salt Lake Sting of the American Professional Soccer League.

Opened in 1928 as Community Park,[1][2][3] the ballpark's final seating capacity was 10,000.[4] In 1940, it was named for Salt Lake Tribune sports editor John C. Derks.[1]

Derks Field had replaced the previous professional ballpark, Bonneville Park (originally called Majestic Park), which was south of 9th Street between State Street and Main Street, on the site of an amusement park called the Salt Palace, which had been destroyed by fire in 1910. It operated from 1915 through 1927. As part of the construction of the new Community Park, the Bonneville stands were taken down and reassembled at the new site.[5]

Destroyed by arson on the night of September 24, 1946,[6][7][8][9] it reopened in May 1947,[2] and was expanded in 1958 with the return of the PCL.[10]

Major League Baseball teams occasionally played exhibition games at Derks Field, including the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1964 Milwaukee Braves.[11]

The field was aligned to the southeast, with a view of the Wasatch Range, and its elevation was 4,230 feet (1,290 m) above sea level. Its successor, Smith's Ballpark, opened on the same site 30 years ago in 1994.

References

  1. ^ a b c Benson, Lee (July 21, 1993). "Stadium's new name complete's Salt Lake's demolition of Derks". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  2. ^ a b Goates, Les (May 23, 1947). "Bees pry lid off SL season". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. 1.
  3. ^ Johnston, Jerry (April 21, 1993). "Park history included more than baseball". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. 1.
  4. ^ Evensen, Jay (April 15, 1992). "Committee favors going with new stadium to replace Derks". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  5. ^ Goates, Les (September 25, 1946). "Derks Field Loss A Threat To Pro Ball". Deseret News. p. 3. Retrieved July 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Baseball park burns in Salt Lake City". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. September 25, 1946. p. 8.
  7. ^ Mulliner, H.L. (September 27, 1946). "How Salt Lake got Derks Field". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. 17.
  8. ^ "S.L. man admits setting Derks fire". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). September 30, 1946. p. 1.
  9. ^ Florez, John (April 12, 2014). "Derks – a 'Field of Dreams'". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  10. ^ Chipman, Dee (April 28, 1958). "Welcome Bees". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. C1.
  11. ^ Salt Lake Tribune Negative Collection, Utah Department of Heritage and Arts, J. Willard Marriott Digital Library

40°44′28″N 111°53′35″W / 40.741°N 111.893°W / 40.741; -111.893


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