Hinchliffe Stadium, built in 1932 and named for the family of Mayor John V. Hinchliffe, served as a home field to the New York Black Yankees and New York Cubans. In ’33, the Black Yankees faced the Philadelphia Stars in the Negro World Series -- the “Colored Championship of the Nation.” Over the years, Hall of Famers Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Martin Dihigo and Satchel Paige all dug their cleats into the dirt at the huge horseshoe stadium next to the Great Falls.
Ownership of Hinchliffe Stadium transferred from the city to the school district in 1963, but by the 1980s, the city’s schools were underfunded and in poor shape. Upkeep of the 10,000-seat stadium was not a priority and the venue was closed in '97. In the decades since, it fell into disrepair as vandals trashed former concession stands and locker rooms, the homeless took shelter in storage rooms, small fires damaged sections of the room and trees took root in the bleachers where fans once stood and cheered.