Old Ballpark on The Loop
Mizzou Baseball debuted some sweet CoMo jerseys last week but did you know that there used to be a ballpark on the property that's now Mizzou North? The Columbia Merchants Ball Park was located right on Highway 40, on the southwest corner of the parcel where you can still make out the infield on old aerial photos.
Less and Nell Proctor purchased a 100-acre farm on Highway 40 in 1933. A group of amateur baseball players, led by local insurance agent and player W. I. McBride, convinced the Proctors to lease a section of their land to build a 2,500 seat ballpark. Much like modern-day minor league teams, exhibition games and crazy stunts were all part of the roster. One day Dizzy Dean or Babe Didrikson would show up for a game and the next it would be Donkey Baseball where players had to field balls and run bases on the backs of very recalcitrant donkeys.
The property was purchased to build the Ellis Fischel Cancer Hospital and the state gave the Merchants permission to finish out their 1938 season.
(Photo courtesy of Mizzou Athletics via Columbia Missourian)