Jelsma Stadium - Guthrie, OK - WPA Projects on Waymarking.com

Lawrence Jelsma was a business and civic leader in Guthrie during the 1920s and 1930s. With his encouragement a $14,500 bond issue was passed and, together with funds from the WPA, this stadium was able to be built at a cost of $48,500. Unfortunately, Jelsma did not live to see the first game played here, as he passed away in 1934 at the age of 1941 from pneumonia.

The amazing thing about this stadium is the 30-foot high native sandstone wall on the north side of the stadium, giviing the stadium its nickname, "The Rock". From outside the stadium, the rock wall is seen, as it extends about eight feet above the sidewalk next to the ticket booths. To appreciate this wall, it needs to be seen from inside the stadium during a game. A photo can be seen at this Photobucket link (visit link) Reading several sports blogs, game visitors talk of the exciting, extra-loud crowd noise at the Guthrie games, due to the noise bouncing back from this high wall.

In 2005, extensive renovation was conducted on the stadium to the tune of $3,000,000. The ticket booth area, although still native sandstone, appears to be part of this later renovation. Several websites indicated that the stadium was on the National Register of Historic Places, but we were unable to confirm this. The Logan County Historical Society presented the stadium with their Foucart Award recognizing a standard of excellence in restoration and/or preservation of historic properties.

The WPA shield with the date 1936 can be seen in concrete. Also, a granite cornerstone is visible at the ticket booth which reads: "Jelsma Field / 1936 / Col. W.S. Key / State Administrator / Walter Berry, Director / Wald Sindt, Chief Eng. / Geo. T. Fox, Labor Director". A paver in the walkway area documents the major renovation, dated September 22, 2005.

An aerial view of the stadium is shown in the gallery.

Project type: Other Date built or created: 1936 Location: East of downtown City: Guthrie Condition: Good upkeep with a little wear and tear Website for additional information: [Web Link]

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