sulldux
10-12-2014, 11:40 AM
Ouray, CO. Elev. 7800 ft. Saw this field commemoration in town. Wood played for the local team and mentioned his early days living in the Wild,Wild, West in his segment of The Glory of Their Times. The town is about 70 miles north of Durango on a road called The Million Dollar Drive--highly recommended if you've never been to this beautiful area of the country. Nicknamed the Switzerland of the United States. I thought it was cool that they used a T202 end panel in the plaque.
Bosox Blair
10-12-2014, 12:05 PM
Very nice find - thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Blair
Kawika
10-12-2014, 12:57 PM
The Shorpy photo site has a terrific aerial view of Ouray in 1901. Link: http://www.shorpy.com/node/7448 According to the recent Joe Wood biography he would have been living there at the time. There is a ballfield at the bottom of the photo that aligns pretty well with the current position of Joe Wood Field as seen on Google Maps. There is a shack behind first base and a skein of telegraph poles running through the field, kind of hard to explain. The author of the Wood bio refers to the field as "the only flat area in town" so one might conclude that this is where young Joe Wood cut his teeth as a ballplayer, shacks and poles notwithstanding.
(Go to Shorpy link for the jumbo-size original)
http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_o_ka_pakipika/sportscardsetc/mischidden/miscellany2/huge/OurayCO1.jpg
Oil painting by Smokey Graig Kreindler
http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_o_ka_pakipika/sportscardsetc/mischidden/miscellanybaseball/huge/Joe_Wood_1909_Karl_Horner_Portrait.jpg