Unbound
Unbound. Very Good. Gelatin silver photograph. Image size is 9.5" x 7.5", mounted on a 12" x 10" thick card mount. Small tears on the mount, a couple repaired on the verso; a light stain in the upper left corner, very good. A remarkable portrait of the Starkweather, North Dakota baseball team. The image shows twelve individuals, including an African-American and at least one player who appears to be of Native American descent.
The players are shown in not particularly uniform uniforms, with bats, gloves, ball, and catcher's mask visible. The Black man in the upper left corner wears a white turtleneck sweater and holds a fielder's glove.
According to Terry Bohn in *North Dakota Baseball*: "In the early 1900s, baseball was an important summer pastime in rural North Dakota, and almost every small town organized a team... Having a winning team was seen as a source of community pride, and soon teams realized they needed to supplement their local players with outsiders to remain competitive with their rivals. The positions of pitcher and catcher required the most skill, and if an outside player, regardless of his race, could help the local team beat a neighboring town, the newcomers were generally accepted and even welcomed. Shortly after the turn of the century, several blacks were playing on predominantly white teams all over North Dakota."
Founded in 1902, Starkweather is a town in rural Ramsey County, located in the northeast corner of the state. The Spirit Lake Reservation is situated forty miles to the south. Though the population had grown to just over 300 by 1930, fewer than 100 people currently reside in Starkweather.
A remarkable photo of an integrated team. (Inventory #: 582754)
The players are shown in not particularly uniform uniforms, with bats, gloves, ball, and catcher's mask visible. The Black man in the upper left corner wears a white turtleneck sweater and holds a fielder's glove.
According to Terry Bohn in *North Dakota Baseball*: "In the early 1900s, baseball was an important summer pastime in rural North Dakota, and almost every small town organized a team... Having a winning team was seen as a source of community pride, and soon teams realized they needed to supplement their local players with outsiders to remain competitive with their rivals. The positions of pitcher and catcher required the most skill, and if an outside player, regardless of his race, could help the local team beat a neighboring town, the newcomers were generally accepted and even welcomed. Shortly after the turn of the century, several blacks were playing on predominantly white teams all over North Dakota."
Founded in 1902, Starkweather is a town in rural Ramsey County, located in the northeast corner of the state. The Spirit Lake Reservation is situated forty miles to the south. Though the population had grown to just over 300 by 1930, fewer than 100 people currently reside in Starkweather.
A remarkable photo of an integrated team. (Inventory #: 582754)