The Northwoods League

Witter Field, Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Home of the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. This wonderful ballpark is home of the Northwoods League Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. The Witter Field grandstand was built in 1950, and has been updated consistently over the years--it retains its classic feel, but it is also clean with modern amenities--see the Rat Trap on the right side of the photo. Witter Field has been home to the minor league teams of the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, and Minnesota Twins. Today, the Northwoods League Rafters call it home. This photo panorama was taken during the 2015 Northwoods League All Star game. It might look like an HDR image, but it is not--The Witter Field grandstand is well lit during games.

Simmons Field, Kenosha, WI. Home of the Kenosha Kingfish. Simmons Field is a pretty little ballpark in the southeastern city of Kenosha Wisconsin. Built in 1920, Simmons field has been the home field of several teams, most noteably the Kenosha Comets of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1948-1951) and for nine years (1984-1992) the Kenosha Twins, the single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. It is now the home of the newly established "Kenosha Kingfish" of the very popular Northwoods League. Pictured are the Kenosha Kingfish and the Madison Mallards playing a game on July 20, 2014.

Copeland Park, La Crosse, WI. Home of the La Crosse Loggers. Copeland Park is a newer ballpark in the Northwoods League (2003). This photo was taken on July 8th, 2015, in a game between the Loggers and the Kalamazoo Growlers. The Loggers won the game 2-1.

Copeland Park is an example of how a team can improve a facility--before moving in, Copeland was ballpark in name only. Sitting within yards of the Mississippi, the ballpark is routinely full as it is a great place to relax on a warm summer evening.

Wade Stadium, Duluth, MN. Home of the Duluth Huskies. Wade Stadium is currently undergoing a few much needed improvements. One obvious one in this photo is the artificial turf, needed in this case as harsh winters and challenging summer weather next to Lake Superior make for a difficult venue to keep in game shape. Over the next few years, I believe the grandstand will be renovated-hopefully it will keep the nostalgic appeal of the original 1941 structure. I've read several poor reviews of the Wade, but all in all, it is a great venue and will most likely become a top flight ballpark once renovations are completed.

Carson Park, Eau Claire, WI. Home of the Eau Claire Express, Eau Claire Bears. Photo taken on July 8th, 2015, while attending a Northwoods League game between the Eau Claire Express and the Rochester Honkers. Carson Park is home of the Eau Claire Express, The Eau Claire Cavaliers, and the Eau Claire Bears. To call this park historic would be an understatement. It was built in 1937, and has has hosted the likes of Joe Torre, Hank Aaron and even Bob Uecker. While it has undergone much needed renovations in recent years, the locals were smart enough to keep the historic elements of the ballpark intact--thus it is a nostalgic ballpark, but not "old."

From the Northwoods League Website: "The Carson Park diamond was host to professional baseball from 1937 to 1942 with the Eau Claire Bears and 1946 to 1962 with the Eau Claire Braves, both playing in the old Northern League where many Major League players of the era got their start. Any local baseball an (at least over the age of 40) can recite a long list of past baseball stars who graced the Carson Park baseball diamond. Future Milwaukee Braves who got their start with the Eau Claire franchise included Bill Bruton, Wes Covington, Andy Pafko, Joe Torre and even Mr. Baseball-Bob Uecker." In 1952, the Eau Claire Bears roster included a rookie shortstop from Alabama who led the Northern League in hitting. Nobody would have guessed 61 years ago that this youngster, by the name of Henry Aaron, would go on to break Babe Ruth's career homerun mark and etch his name in history forever. On August 17, 1994, Aaron returned to Eau Claire and Carson Park to celebrate the unveiling of a statue depicting him as the 18 year-old shortstop for the Eau Claire Bears. Over 5,000 fans jammed the Carson Park baseball stadium and surrounding areas to greet Hammerin' Hank that day."

Mayo Field, Rochester, MN. Home of the Rochester Honkers. This is Mayo Field, which sits next to the Zumbro River across from downtown Rochester. Built in 1951, Mayo Field is the home of the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League. Mayo Field is a nice ballpark, but needs a few upgrades (they need to find a better way to hang the backstop netting--unless you are sitting on the left field party deck, you'll have a net and most likely a galvanized pipe in your site line. This is a panorama, original is 40"+ wide and over 12" tall--I believe there are 6 photos in this panorama.

Athletic Park, Wausau, WI. Home of the Wisconsin Woodchucks. This is the newly renovated Athletic Park, and it is beautiful. The grandstand sits high above the field, giving everyone seated a birdseye view of the action. Playing on this evening (August 1st, 2014), were the Wisconsin Woodchucks and the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League.

From the team's website: "Athletic Park, home of the Wisconsin Woodchucks, is in a residential setting just north of downtown Wausau. The entire park is surrounded by a stone-wall structure and is considered to be a historical landmark. Athletic Park was built in 1936 with the stone-wall exterior being constructed just a few years later."