Bloomer girls and Smokey Joe Wood postcard

[Leon]

another tidbit of research. I think there is a chance this is an earlier photo of him on a 5 yrs later card......

In 1905 John Wood took his family back to his wife's hometown of Ness City, Kansas, where he practiced law. By the following summer, Joe Wood, 16 years old and the youngest player to suit up, was pitching and playing infield for the Ness City town team against teams from Ellis, Ransom, Wakeeney, and Scott City. These games were big events, often associated with weekend festivals and parades. In Ness City no game was more eagerly anticipated than a game advertised in the Ness County News to be played August 27, 1906, at 3:00 p.m. sharp between the Ness City nine and the barnstorming Kansas City Bloomer Girls. Owned and managed by Logan Galbreath, the Bloomer Girls team would travel from town to town playing men's teams while unbeknownst to most, the Bloomer Girls would have three or four young men dressed in wigs playing on their side. With Joe pitching, the Ness City team won 23-3 before the largest crowd anyone could remember. After the game Galbreath approached Joe and his father and asked if he would like to join the team for the last three weeks of the season for $20.00. So began the professional career of Joe Wood, playing with the likes of Lady Waddell and Dolly Madison, two of the “dressed up” girls and four or five actual girls in places like Ellinwood and Haven. In later years, Joe would somewhat sheepishly admit that he discovered while playing for the Bloomer Girls, but would point out that the great Carl Hubbell was discouraged some years later from playing for a similar type traveling team.