Jelsma Stadium - Guthrie, OK - Illuminated School Sports Fields on Waymarking.com

Jelsma Stadium was a WPA project, completed in 1936 at a cost of $48,500. The outstanding feature of this stadium is the 30-foot high native sandstone wall on the north side of the stadium, giving 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.

This stadium was listed as No. 13 on the Best High School Stadiums in the Nation, by ESPN, in 2008. It was the only Oklahoma stadium listed. The field is laid out north-south, with a full set of stadium seats on either side. The scoreboard is on the north in front of the wall, and the announcer's booth is located on the west side. Baseball is also played from this stadium. During baseball season, the south goal is removed and a temporary fence is placed at the 35 yard line, forming Squires Field. This can be seen in the
aerial view of the stadium shown in the gallery.

The Guthrie High School team is called the Bluejays. To see them in action, check out the website shown below.

Field Web Site: [Web Link] Division Ball Played Here: 5A OSSAA

Visit Instructions:
At least one photograph that shows the stadium taken either during the day or night. A photo taken during the game at night is highly prized.

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