Birthplace of South Dakota Amateur Baseball

Of the two founders the bronze names, F. N. Denny Cosgrove is the better recorded. He ran a weekly newspaper in Garden City and stayed in the association's executive post until 1959, with a break for service in the Second World War, and the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 1969. The Hall dates the association's founding to 1933, the year the bronze gives for the first state tournament at Watertown; the bronze sets the organizing in 1931. The marker stands near Elrod, a hamlet named for Governor Samuel H. Elrod.

What the plaque says

Birthplace of South Dakota Amateur Baseball Garden City------Six Miles North In 1931 an economic depression spread across South Dakota and the nation. A drouth ravished the crops and unemployment was widespread. In an effort to raise the morale of the people and to give amateur baseball players an opportunity to compete, two young Garden City businessmen organized the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association. One of these men, Howard Lyke, was the first president while F. N. "Denny" Cosgrove became the first secretary-treasurer. Teams and leagues were organized throughout the state with the first statewide tournament being held in 1933 at Watertown. Winning teams have played in national competition throughout the years. In 1950, Watertown's Park Grant team won the National Amateur Baseball Congress tournament at Battle Creek, Michigan. The directors of the association hosts a group of handicapped young people on an annual goodwill trip to attend a Minnesota Twins baseball game. This marker is dedicated during the nation's bicentennial year to all of the team players, managers, state officers, commissioners, and district and league officials who have participated in South Dakota amateur baseball since its inception and to all the loyal fans who have given the support needed for the continued success of the association. Erected 1976 by the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Assn., the South Dakota Department of Transportation, and the South Dakota State Historical Society

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Samuel Harrison Elrod, Fifth Governor of South Dakota — 8.6 mi
• Mellette House — 21 mi
• Old M. & St. L. Depot Museum — 22 mi