Hot Springs: The Birthplace of Spring Baseball - Hot Springs, AR - Arkansas Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

This marker gives an overview of the Hot Springs Baseball Trail and serves as a trailhead for self-guided tours (brochure or phone):

Hot Springs's reputation as a health and recreation resort attracting the rich and famous was certainly true in the late 1800s and well into the 20th century. The city had fine hotels, lively nightclubs, a beautiful mountain setting, and the famous water from natural springs.

In 1886, Cap Anson brought his Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) to Hot Springs. This bustling turn-of-the-century spa resort with its famous hot baths, mountains, trails, hotels and activities was the perfect place for something no one had ever heard of: spring training for professional baseball. Soon, teams had built five fields and as many as 250 players, including legends of the game, trained here year after year.

Now you can follow The Hot Springs Baseball Trail and stand where legends stood, where records were set, Read and hear stories of the players and places that shaped baseball.

Pick up a guide map at the Hot Springs Visitor Center in Hill Wheatley Plaza on Central Avenue, at the Alligator Farm, or at Oaklawn Racetrack. Each Baseball Trail marker has a digital 'code' that can link your smartphone to historic photos, audio, and more. With a phone call you can hear stories of the golden age of baseball in Hot Springs.

These Hall of Fame Inductees trained here or had significant connections to Hot Springs.

Hank Aaron
"Pete" Alexander
"Cap" Anson
"Home Run" Baker
Ed Barrow
Dave Bancroft
Jake Beckley
"Cool Papa" Bell
"Chief" Bender
"Yogi" Berra
Roger Bresnahan
Mordecai Brown
Jesse Burkett
Roy Campanella
Max Carey
Frank Chance
"Happy" Chandler
Oscar Charleston
Jack Chesbro
Fred Clarke
John Clarkson
Mickey Cochrane
Jimmy Collins
Eddie Collins
Charlie Comiskey
Jocko Conlan
Stan Coveleski
Sam Crawford

Joe Cronin
"Kiki" Cuyler
George Davis
"Dizzy" Dean
Bill Dickey
Joe DiMaggio
Larry Doby
Bobby Doerr
"Barney" Dreyfuss
Hugh Duffy
Leo Durocher
Billy Evans
Johnny Evers
"Buck" Ewing
"Red" Faber
Bob Feller
Elmer Flick
Bill Foster
"Rube" Foster
Jimmie Foxx
Charlie Gehringer
Josh Gibson
"Goose" Goslin
Hank Greenberg
Clark Griffith
Burleigh Grimes
"Lefty" Grove
Jesse Haines

"Sliding" Billy Hamilton
"Ned" Hanlon
Will Harridge
"Bucky" Harris
"Gabby" Hartnett
Harry Heilmann
Pete Hill
Harry Hooper
Rogers Hornsby
Waite Hoyt
Carl Hubbell
Miller Huggins
"Monte" Irvin
Travis Jackson
Hughie Jennings
"Ban" Johnson
"Judy" Johnson
Walter Johnson
Addie Joss
Willie Keeler
George Kell
Joe Kelley
"King" Kelly
Kenesaw M. Landis
Fred Lindstrom
Al Lopez
Ted Lyons
Connie Mack

"Biz" Mackey
Mickey Mantle
"Heinie" Manush
"Rabbit" Maranville
"Rube" Marquard
Joe McCarthy
Tommy McCarthy
Joe McGinnity
John McGraw
Bill McKechnie
John "Bid" McPhee
Johnny Mize
Stan "The Man" Musial
Hank O'Day
Mel Ott
"Satchel" Paige
Herb Pennock
"Gettysburg" Eddie Plank
Cumberland Posey
"Old Hoss" Radbourn
Sam Rice
Branch Rickey
Eppa Rixey
Brooks Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Wilbert Robinson
"Bullet" Joe Rogan
"Red" Ruffing

"Babe" Ruth
Ray Schalk
Frank Selee
Al Simmons
George Sisler
Hilton Smith
Billy Southworth
Albert G. Spalding
Tris Speaker
"Casey" Stengel
Mule Suttles
Bill Terry
Joe Tinker
Cristobal Torriente
"Pie" Traynor
"Dazzy" Vance
"Rube" Waddell
"Honus" Wagner
Bobby Wallace
"Big" Ed Walsh
Paul Waner
Zack Wheat
Deacon White
J.L. Wilkinson
"Smokey" Joe Williams
Vic Willis
"Hack" Wilson
Jud Wilson
"Cy" Young

These players, owners, writers, and announcers came to Hot Springs to train or report on spring training.

* Hall of Fame honoree

"Babe" Adams
Sam Bankhead
"Ginger" Beaumont
Carson Bigbee
Max Bishop
Joe Black
Tommy Bridges
George "Chippy" Britt
Roy Bosson
George "Tioga" Burns
August "Gussie" Busch
"Donie" Bush
"Bullet" Joe Bush
Ray Caldwell
Howie Camnitz
* John Carmichael
Bill Carrigan
Ray Collins
"Shano" Collins
Wilbur Cooper
"Colby" Jack Coombs
* Sam Crane
"Gavvy" Cravath
Lou Criger
Jimmie Crutchfield
Bill Dahlen
Tommy "Tido" Daly
* Dan Daniels
Jack Daubert
Paul "Daffy" Dean
"Bing" Devine
Delahanty Brothers

Babe Didrikson
S.E. Dillon & "Doc" Owens
Bill Dineen
Ray Doan & George Barr
"Turkey" Mike Donlin
"Patsy" Donovan
"Wild Bill" Donovan
"Buttermilk" Tommy Dowd
"Laughing" Larry Doyle
* John Drebinger
Charlie Dressen
* Charles Dryden
George Earnshaw
Luke Easter
Charles Hercules Ebbets
"Kid" Elberfield
Victory Faust
"Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald
"Silver" Flint
Dave "Scissors" Foutz
Buck Freeman
* Hugh Fullerton
Larry Gardner
George Gibson
"Kid" Gleason
George Gore
* Frank Graham
Charlie Grant
Gus Greenlee
Charlie Grimm
"Noodles" Hahn
Ed Hamman
Vic Harris
Charlie Hemphill

Dick Hoblitzell
Gil Hodges
Willis Hudlin
Marshall Hunt
Mike Ilitch
* Jim Isaminger
Tim Jordan
Sid Keener
* John Kieran
"Reindeer" Bill Killifer
"Big Klu" Kluszewski
H.W. Lanigan
Joe Lannin
* Ring Lardner
"Arlie" Latham
"Cookie" Lavagetto
Cliff Lee
"Dutch" Leonard
"Duffy" Lewis
* Fred Leib
Hans Lobert
Dick Lundy
Sherry Magee
Gus Mancuso
"Firpo" Marberry
Leroy Matlock
Jimmy McAleer
* Arch McDonald
Carl Mays
Jack McCallister
"Nuf Ced" McGreevy
* Tom Meany
"Mountain Music" Melton
* Sid Mercer


"Deerfoot" Milan
Dale Mitchell
Johnny Mostil
* Tim Murnane
Don Newcombe
Jack O'Connor
Charlie O'Leary
* Buck O'Neil
Tip O'Neill
"Terrible" Ted Page
Roger Peckinpaugh
"Superman" Pennington
Bruce Petway
Fred Pfeffer
"Deacon" Phillippe
George Pipgras
Harry Pulliam
Jack Quinn
"Double Duty" Radcliffe
Uvoyd Reynolds
* Grantland Rice
Francis Richter
Johnny Rigney
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
Schoolboy Rowe
"Muddy" Ruel
Dutch Ruether
Jake Ruppert & T.L. Huston
Johnny Sain
George "Tubby" Scales
"Germany" Schaefer
Wally Schang
Al Schacht
Prince Hal Schumacher


"Cy" Seymour
Benjamin Franklin Shibe
Urban Shocker
"Deacon" Scott
Bob Shawkey
Ernie Shore
Earl "Oil" Smith
"Sherry" Smith
* Wendell Smith
Pop Snyder
Louis Sockalexis
"Spec Bebop" & "King Tut"
* The Spink Family
"Country Jake" Stephens
* J. Roy Stockton
Charles A. Stoneham
Billy Sunday
Jesse Tannehill
John I. Taylor
"Patsy" Tebeau
"Birdie" Tebbetts
Jim Thorpe
The Tugerson Brothers
George "The Bull" Uhle
Bobby Veach
Chris Von der Ahe
Lon Warneke
John L. Webb
Earl Whitehill
Frank Wickware
"Ned" Williamson
"Smoky" Joe Wood
Dave Wyatt
"Chief" Zimmer

Link to Marker: [Web Link] History of Marker: Link provided Additional Parking: Not Listed

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