In times, when entertainment was not available at the flick of a switch, sports played an integral role in early Prairie society.

Sports gave people a chance to socialize and relax away from the rigours of daily life as well as provide entertainment for players and spectators alike.

One of the most popular and enduring sports that early settlers played was baseball. Baseball got its first official start in Virden in 1886. It was announced in the Virden Empire-Advance that a County of Dennis (referring to Virden and the surrounding area) baseball league had been formed.

By 1898, the popularity of baseball in Virden was such that a grandstand was built on the fairgrounds to accommodate up to 1,000 spectators, which was ambitious considering the town only boasted a population of around 800. The town had a good reason to expect spectators however, the Virden senior men’s baseball team won the Manitoba and Territories (the not yet created Alberta and Saskatchewan) championship in 1898, which they then repeated for the next four years.

A member of the 1902 championship team, catcher Jimmy Archer later became a star of the Chicago Cubs of the National league.

As the town developed so did the quality of baseball in Virden.

The senior men’s team was semi-professional and Virden had a reputation of willing to pay to bring in talent from other areas such as “Happy” Flesch, H. Wagner, and Curly McKay.

In 1927, the town created a tournament with a prize of $1,000. This would be around $12,200 in today’s dollars. Teams from Saskatchewan, North Dakota, and western Manitoba all entered the tournament with a chance of winning the big money.

The tournament was eventually won by the Regina Balmorals. The tournament made a return the next year, this time drawing bigger crowds. Admission for the tournament was $0.75 for adults and youth over 14 which led to a profit of $4,600 (around $56,000 in today’s money.) The fairground was described as being jammed full of people ready to take in the excitement.

The 1928 tournament was won by the Gilkerson’s Union Giants. The Gilkerson’s Union Giants were based in Wisconsin and composed entirely of African-Americans including such future Negro League greats such as Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe and John Donaldson.

While the Virden team did not always triumph in its own tournaments, it still maintained a very high standard of play.

In 1930, Virden defeated the professional team, the Toronto Oslers in a three-game series that thrilled audiences. The Major League All- Stars even came to Virden to play a team that had been assembled from some of the finest baseball talent from Western Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and North Dakota.

Despite the success of baseball, the league was dissolved in 1930 due to drought and Great Depression. However, baseball was not absent from Virden long.

In 1932, a new league was formed and baseball continued to be played throughout the Dirty Thirties.
One of the mainstays of the Virden team at the time was Mr. Charlie Hitchins, whose baseball uniform and several pictures were generously donated this summer by his son, Dave.

The all-wool uniform from around 1927 is in excellent condition and is complete with the original hat and socks. The uniform is now part of our sports display, where it sits amongst other reminders of Virden’s sporting past.