The Okie Legacy

Vol. II, Issue 56 -- 29 April 2000

In Search of the Browns...

Our journey begins in St. Louis, Missouri at the county library in the newspaper archives searching the sports sections around September, 1907.

We are searching for info concerning Bill McGill and the (St. Louis) Browns'. The more we looked the more questions and curiosities that seemed to form. Though we find answers to our questions of the moment, other questions seem to pop up to take its place. Making it a never-ending search!

The question roaming through my mind now is, "Why did Bill McGill (this NW Oklahoma Territory young man playing for the Austin Senators in the South Texas League) refuse to join the Major League (American League) St. Louis Browns during their spring training in San Antonio?"

According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, dated 17 Sept. 1907, "McGill, it will be remembered, was signed by McAleer when the Browns were in Texas training, but refused to report and he was allowed to go with San Antonio (Austin Senators)."

"Why not move one of the Texas league Teams to St. Louis?" States the St. Louis Post Dispatch, 17 Sept. 1907. The article goes on to mention, "If the Austin team, who won the pennant in the South, is made up of men as good as Baily and McGill, who are now with the Browns, either one of the local organizations would have to hustle to win a fall series from them in a set of games to decide the championship of the Great Southwest."

I can only assume that the loyalty to the Senators to finish out the Spring series kept McGill from Spring training with the St. Louis Browns in San Antonio. "Grandpa, if you are listening up above, please send some sort of sign to let me know if we are on the right track."

McGill made his debut Sept. 16, 1907 when the St. Louis Browns (AL) played Cleveland at Cleveland. If you go to my Grandpa's Legacy and Click on the Link "Sept. 16, 1907, St. Louis Browns," you can read the Cleveland news clipping that he had pasted in his baseball scrapbook.

Another St. Louis Post Dispatch sports article dated 2 Oct 1907, had this to say about McGill and another pitcher recruited from the Austin Senators, "Just about the time McAleer added Pitchers Bailey and McGill to his staff the other Browns' pitchers seemed to wake up and since then the Browns have played championship ball. Bailey is the Browns' only left-handed man, and he has yet to lose a game while with the Browns.... McAleer's other men in the box are Pelty, Howell, Glade, Dineen and McGill. Though the Cardinals claim to have strengthened considerably, it would be a big feat to overcome this array of pitchers."

Two St. Louis Browns Teams...

Did you know that the St. Louis was known for two different Browns team?

The NL (National League) team that Chris Von Der Ahe brought to town in or around 1875; and the AL (American League) team that Ban Johnson brought to town in 1902. The American League team was the one that my Grandpa, Bill McGill, pitched for in 1907 for a total of 18 innings from 16 September to about October, 1907.

The owner of the NL Browns was Chris Von Der Ahe (an affluent grocer & saloon keeper) who saw a need and was wise enough to recognize better use of nearby Grand & Dodier ball park (the original Sportsmans Park). [Click the photo to see larger view!]

It was located in the 3000 block of Grand Blvd & Dodier with Sullivan St. on the north and Spring Avenue on the west. The development of Original Sportsmans Park at Dodier & Grand Avenue meant better business for his beer taps a couple of blocks away at Spring & St. Louis.

Chris looked, listened and learned and brought a baseball franchise and Comiskey to town in 1875. The Old St. Louis Browns were formed around 1875 as a National League team and shared the Sportsmans Park with the another team that they merged with in 1898 and became what is known as the Cardinals today.

According to the book, "St. Louis Cardinals Encyclopedia" written by Bob Broeg, Hall of Fame Journalist and Jerry Vickery, Chris Von Der Ahe was the owner of the National League Browns (Brownstockings).

At the conclusion of the 1892 season, Chris accepted a proposition from the Lindell Trolley company that would help him construct a park at the end of their line at Vandeventer Ave. and Natural Bridge Road. It was called New Sportsmans Park and was later renamed League Park.

Von Der Ahe started selling off his best stars for money, leaving the team with little appeal. In 1898 Von Der Ahe was going through his money and a divorce at the time with creditors lining up behind him. He was forced to sell after the 1898 season at a court ordered auction to an out-of-town group of buyers. Mr. Beck was probably the straw man, who bought the bankrupt team and turned over the management to his brother, Mr. Robison.

By this time the Old St. Louis Browns were playing in League Park (or New Sportsmans Park) at Natural Bridge Road & Vandeventer Avenue. Mr. Beck (Robison's brother), after purchasing the St. Louis Brown NL team, switched or brought his team of players from Cleveland (Cleveland Spiders) around 1898 and they were merged into what is now called the Cardinals (NL) team.

As for the AL team... Ban Johnson of the American League moved his Milwaukee franchise to St. Louis in 1902 and made their home at the renovated wooden, Original Sportsmans Park at Dodier & Grand Blvd. The home plate was then located on the northwest corner at Spring Ave. & Sullivan St. They were doing so well around 1908 that a new concrete stadium was built with the homeplate on the southwest corner at Dodier & Spring Ave.

The St. Louis Browns (AL) Team was rechristened the popular name of the championship 1880s Browns with the move into the original Sportsman Park at Dodier & Grand Ave.

Back To Oklahoma...

Our way back to Oklahoma from the St. Louis journey took us through the historical part of St. Charles, MO; Kemper Military School in Boonesville, MO; Kansas City, MO & KS; down the east side of Kansas to the National Historical Site of Fort Scott, KS; and continuing down to Grand Lake Resort and down the east side of Oklahoma before heading back home.

As to Historical Fort Scott, Kansas... It was established 1892 as a last links in the chain of forts extending from Fort Snelling, MN to Fort Jesup, Louisiana along the "Permanent Indian Frontier." The Forts and connecting military roads were the boundaries between advancing settlements from the east and Indian lands in the west. Fort Scott was an active fort from 1842 to 1853. It was abandoned and later activated in 1861 thru 1865 as a Union Supply Depot.

Oakie's Links/Mailbag...

Looking for LIKE Family Roots -- "I am trying to locate information on my descendants who came to the USA in the 1870s from Prussia. My Great Grandmother was a Mary Like who immigrated with her family in the 1870s. I do not know which port they came through. I believe the spent sometime in upper Midwest and moved many times. In the 1880s they settled in North Dakota, in the town of Wahpeton, which is in Richmond County. There my Great-Great-Grandmother opened a boarding house and she had a good business, however her husband wanted to move to the newly opened Oklahoma Territory. My Great-Great-Grandfather's name was Peter Like, That was the last anyone ever saw or heard of him. I saw your query and since the LIKE surname is not very common I wanted to know if you had any connections which may point to North Dakota! Thanks! Jim Campbell , Rosebud, TX"

Bill McGill's Debut with the New St. Louis Browns, Sept 16, 1907

Photo of the Original Sportsman Park at Grand & Dodier, April, 2000 --
Views of the southeast, northeast, and northwest corner of the Sportsman Park at Dodier & Grand blvd.
The sign dedicated and hanging on the existing building
View of the SE Corner - Dodier & Grand Blvd.
View looking towards NE Corner - Sullivan & Grand Blvd.
View looking towards NW corner - Spring & Sullivan

CNN Sports Illustrated

CNN Sports Illustrated, 1907 St. Louis Browns Team Roster showing Bill McGill as pitcher -- If you Click on "Bill McGill", it brings up his baseball statistics. Bill used the name William John McGill. He batted with his right and threw right-handed. His height was 6'-2". They had is birth date as Jun. 29, 1880, Galva, Kansas. Died Aug. 7, 1959, Alva, Oklahoma. major League Debut Sep. 16, 1907. It also gave his Career pitching, batting, fielding statistics.

Kansas City Library, Missouri

Missouri History Museum & Historical Society in Forest Park located at Lindell and DeBaliviere, Phone: (314) 746-4599, P. O. Box 11940, St. Louis, MO 63112-0040. Email: mailto:helpus@mohistory.org

Quote/Poem of the Week...

"Few get enough, --- enough is one,
To that ethereal throng
Have not each one of us the right
To stealthily belong?"
---Emily Dickinson

© 2008 by WWWPubCo & OkieLegacy.org   All Rights Reserved. Webmaster