Cactus League History Collection Growing
America’s only collection of Cactus League spring training baseball history is growing even as hundreds of baseball fans pack the Arizona Museum for Youth every day to walk through “Play Ball – The Cactus League Experience.” In less than two years, the collection has gone from a few objects donated by one or two supporters to more than 450 items, about 275 of which are on display in downtown Mesa.
Likewise, the collection of never-before-seen photographs chronicling the history of professional baseball in the desert has doubled in the past year from about 100 images to 200 photos. And if recent donations and loans from new fans are any indication, the collection is likely to double in size this year.
The stories awaiting visitors will continue to grow as well. Last season, the Play Ball exhibition opened with a feature on the Buckhorn Baths’ role in the New York Giants spring training ritual and grew this season to include the compelling story of how Governor Rose Mofford saved the Cactus League from near-extinction in 1988. Plans for new stories next season already are underway, as we look to explore the tale of one-time New York Yankees owner and longtime Arizona developer Del Webb, the role local residents played in hosting African American baseball players who weren’t allowed to stay in team hotels, and the lore surrounding Scottsdale’s former Pink Pony restaurant, a watering hole in Old Towne that was home away from home for dozens of baseball greats.
If you have an object or photo to loan or donate, or if you know where we might find more Arizona spring training history, please let us know. Our fans will help us build this collection into a national treasure for generations to come!
