This photo shows the stone arch entrance to Zeeland Park in Zeeland, North Dakota. The structure features five stone pillars topped with white pointed caps, connected by arched beams. The central arch bears the inscription “ZEELAND PARK” in green letters, welcoming visitors to the open grassy parkland beyond. The rustic stonework and symmetrical design give the entrance a historic and community-centered character.

What could be better on a Friday or Saturday afternoon during the old frontier days than going to a baseball game? Imagine if your dad played, how excited you would have been to watch him play. This wasn’t old-man, slow-pitch softball afterall, this was the real deal–the iconic, legendary, glory days of town team baseball on the northern plains.

Beyond this gateway once stood an iconic and elegant ballpark, which hosted so many games and fun family outings. The Zeeland Arch stands to remind us of Zeeland’s field of dreams, on which Zeeland’s talented baseball clubs tested their skills and challenged their opponents. The town history says, “The City of Zeeland negotiated to buy some land from Christian Bauer for a city park in 1938. The park is located on the south end of town.” The money was raised by the small town baseball teams, whose games would always draw a crowd. The grandstand and gateway were built and the baseball diamond leveled off and laid out, with John Schweigert as foreman. All were part of a WPA project. Businessmen planted trees and cultivated them. Now there is a nice grove east of the baseball diamond, which is used by the high school as an athletic field.

Baseball in Zeeland started long before the arch. You see, Zeeland had a baseball team as early as 1904. The games that you were lucky to have heard about from an old timer, were the ones played against the Eureka South Dakota squad. In those days, baseball was played not only between towns but with rural teams as well. Baseball was considered one of the top sports, and the folks here in Zeeland always had a competitive team. In 1927 Zeeland joined the Yellowstone Trail League. The league consisted of teams from Linton, Mobridge, Java, Eureka, and Zeeland. The popcorn was salty, the soda was ice cold, and the competition was heated. Play ball!

Funded in part by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for Humanities.