Burnett Field
Encyclopedia
Burnett Field, in Dallas, Texas
, was home to several minor league baseball
clubs from 1924 to 1964. The ballpark sat 10,500 fans. It was located at 1500 East Jefferson Boulevard (west, first base), Brazos Street (north, third base); Colorado Boulevard (south, right field); and the Trinity River
(east, left field).
The ballpark began as Gardner Park, or as some historians call it, "Gardner Park II". The original Gardner Park ("I") had opened in 1919, at Jefferson Boulevard and Comal Street. This park, in turn, had replaced Gaston Park, built in the 1880s at Second Avenue and Parry Avenue, currently the site of the Texas State Fairgrounds Music Hall.
The original Gardner Park burned on July 19, 1924, following a game. The owners went to work right away and built a new Gardner Park, across the street from the old one, that would serve the club for the next 40 years. The club also played a home game on the fairgrounds once, when they staged their opening day game for 1950 at the Cotton Bowl
, drawing over 50,000 fans before resuming play at their normal grounds.
The minor league clubs calling this park home were known variously as the Giants, Steers, Rebels, Eagles, and Rangers. The park itself was also re-named Steers Park, Rebels Park, and Eagles Stadium at various times. Burnett Field was its temporary name in 1948, and became permanent in 1951, named for Rangers owner Dick Burnett.
The club played in the Texas League
starting in 1888, continuing until they joined the American Association
in 1959, a year after they had been renamed as the Dallas Rangers
.
In 1960 the club merged with Fort Worth and became the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers, playing half their home games at LaGrave Field
in Fort Worth, Texas
. The Rangers played in the Association through 1962, then had two seasons in the Pacific Coast League
in 1963 and 1964 before moving to Vancouver, BC.
The Dallas Cowboys
used Burnett Field as their primary practice facility when the team was founded in 1960. The defense met in the clubhouse on the third-base side of the field while the offense met in the first-base clubhouse.
1964 was the end of professional baseball at Burnett Field. When the Texas League revived the franchise in 1965, as the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs
, both LaGrave and Burnett Fields were replaced by Turnpike Stadium
, later called Arlington Stadium, midway between Dallas and Fort Worth in Arlington, Texas
.
Google Maps
shows the former ballpark lot as being currently a grass-filled vacant lot.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, was home to several minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
clubs from 1924 to 1964. The ballpark sat 10,500 fans. It was located at 1500 East Jefferson Boulevard (west, first base), Brazos Street (north, third base); Colorado Boulevard (south, right field); and the Trinity River
Trinity River (Texas)
The Trinity River is a long river that flows entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It rises in extreme north Texas, a few miles south of the Red River. The headwaters are separated by the high bluffs on the south side of the Red River....
(east, left field).
The ballpark began as Gardner Park, or as some historians call it, "Gardner Park II". The original Gardner Park ("I") had opened in 1919, at Jefferson Boulevard and Comal Street. This park, in turn, had replaced Gaston Park, built in the 1880s at Second Avenue and Parry Avenue, currently the site of the Texas State Fairgrounds Music Hall.
The original Gardner Park burned on July 19, 1924, following a game. The owners went to work right away and built a new Gardner Park, across the street from the old one, that would serve the club for the next 40 years. The club also played a home game on the fairgrounds once, when they staged their opening day game for 1950 at the Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
, drawing over 50,000 fans before resuming play at their normal grounds.
The minor league clubs calling this park home were known variously as the Giants, Steers, Rebels, Eagles, and Rangers. The park itself was also re-named Steers Park, Rebels Park, and Eagles Stadium at various times. Burnett Field was its temporary name in 1948, and became permanent in 1951, named for Rangers owner Dick Burnett.
The club played in the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
starting in 1888, continuing until they joined the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
in 1959, a year after they had been renamed as the Dallas Rangers
Dallas Rangers
The Dallas Rangers were a high-level minor league baseball team located in Dallas, Texas, from 1958-64. The team was known by the Dallas Rangers name in 1958-59 and 1964 and as the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers from 1960-63...
.
In 1960 the club merged with Fort Worth and became the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers, playing half their home games at LaGrave Field
LaGrave Field
LaGrave Field is a stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Fort Worth Cats independent minor league baseball team. Its original version was the home of the predecessor Panthers/Cats team of the Texas League, during 1926–1958; the American...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. The Rangers played in the Association through 1962, then had two seasons in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
in 1963 and 1964 before moving to Vancouver, BC.
The Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
used Burnett Field as their primary practice facility when the team was founded in 1960. The defense met in the clubhouse on the third-base side of the field while the offense met in the first-base clubhouse.
1964 was the end of professional baseball at Burnett Field. When the Texas League revived the franchise in 1965, as the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs
Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs
The Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs were an American minor league baseball team in the Texas League from 1965 to 1971. The team played in Turnpike Stadium in Arlington, Texas....
, both LaGrave and Burnett Fields were replaced by Turnpike Stadium
Arlington Stadium
Arlington Stadium was a baseball stadium located in Arlington, Texas, United States, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. It served as the home for the Texas Rangers from 1972 until 1993, when the team moved into The Ballpark in Arlington .-1960s:The stadium was built in 1965 as Turnpike...
, later called Arlington Stadium, midway between Dallas and Fort Worth in Arlington, Texas
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
.
Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
shows the former ballpark lot as being currently a grass-filled vacant lot.
External links
- Dallas-Fort Worth Minor-League Baseball at The Handbook of Texas