The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-26
Doc. Shiveley Put Topeka and
Wichita on Map.
When Topeka Broke Into Mis-.
souri, Valley for $500.
AT WASHBURN PARK.
First Games on College Field
and Team Work.
Next Western Association, and
Western League.

The news columns have it that the
old Western Association is to be no
more Which recalls that doc" Shive-
ley of Kansas City developed the game
of baseball in Topeka and Wichita.
both members of the Western League
now, and either franchise is worth from
$4,000 to $4,000, says the Kansas City
Journal
Some six or eight years ago Shiveley
organized and was president of the
Missouri Valley Baseball League. II
included towns like lola. Sedalia, Fort
Scott. Leavenworth Joplin and so on.
Shiveley has a good baseball head
His league was running along nicely,
as well as could be expected from a
group of small towns But he deter
mined to put a good backbone into II,
and these vertebrae to his notion were
Topeka and Wichita. both towns OF
10000 or more people. So he proposed
to the fans" Of both towns that they
get busy and prepare to get into the
Missouri Valley. 1t was hard sledding
to arouse the interest There were
fans In each town. but the enthu-
siasm was dead. Topeka will furnish
a. good example.
Hard to Raise $500.
A guarantee of $500 was necessary
to place a franchise in Topeka Half
a dozen Topeka people got interested,
was right straight up the steep side
of a mountain With a tremendous
amount of work, 800 of the $500 guar
antee fund was raised That literally
had to be begged for in 81 and SO sub
scriptions. But a franchise was put
into Topeka and the games were played
on the old Washburn college athletic
field. Hardly enough people attended
the pay the very low expenses. The
team was weak. But the enthusiasm
--a-- ~ Enfn
the summer was out a number of peo-
pie realized that baseball could be a
good and paying proposition in Topeka,
so a good park was put In and with
that the thing grew by jumps and
leaps and became a reality. The next
year Shiveley called his league the
Western Association. Topeka and
Wichita got the baseball fever with a
continued high temperature All the
time Shiveley directed things and gave
the hackers the benefit of his baseball
knowledge. And both towns became
such good baseball centers that they
simply outgreW the Western ASSocia-
ton. Towns like Hutchinson and Okla
homa City were put into the league,
in hope of keeping UP with Topeka and
Wichita. But these two towns had the
bug in its most aggravated form, and
it was only natural they should want
to get into faster eoinBafly, so they
took the opportunity when presented
ana GOT 11LO the w 6Sl6Ii1 1f1f1Ss
side of towns like Omaha. Denver, ST.
Joseph, Sioux City and that class. And,
of course. the backbone Of Shiveley' s
Western Association was gone.
Now Western A May Go.
Now the demise of the Western AS
ISOLATION is prophesied- But when you
think of dissolution you want to stop
a minute and remember the Doc who
developed the game in Wichita and To-
peka, and developed it with a lot of
hard, painstaking work. He realized
the possibilities of these two towns as
baseball centers. He declared to the
writer eight years ago that Topeka and
Wichita were simply first rate baseball
towns He held to that opinion and
IN Topeka and Wichita with that idea.
fla are pretty proud of their standing
in the baseball world. They are proud
of the fact that either franchise is
worth from $4,000 to 500 600. Especially
proud of the fact are they in view of
the realization that the old Missouri
Valley franchise in Topeka some six or
eight years ago could have been had
for $3.50, players, paraphernaIia and all,
and there were no takers. Shiveley in
sisted to those early hackers that the
thing would develop into g. high grade
business proposition. He was right
and his foresight and Judgment should
be remembered by both towns in their
present high baseball station. The his
tory of the Wichita game is not al
hand: but the history of the Topeka
team is written from intimate knowl-
edge.