Thousands of people turn out to watch the Vancouver Beavers trounce the Tacoma Tigers 8-4 at the grand opening of Athletic Park, a new stadium built at the corner of West Fifth Avenue and Hemlock Street.
Bob “Mr. Baseball” Brown had bought the team in 1910 with his veteran’s pension from the Spanish-American War and led them to the Northwestern League championship the following year. The story goes he was so determined to build a waterfront baseball field that he kept sticks of dynamite in his pockets and would regularly blast tree stumps from the site to help the project gain momentum.
Athletic Park was built to replace Recreation Park at the corner of Smithe and Homer streets. The wooden stands burned to the ground twice, in 1926 and again 1945, but were rebuilt and the field also hosted lacrosse and rugby games, as well as the occasional political rally. It was also home to the first nighttime baseball game played in Canada in 1931 and, three years later, an exhibition game in the pouring rain by major-leaguers such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Connie Mack on their way to Japan.
The sports facility was demolished after Capilano Stadium, later renamed Nat Bailey Stadium, was built in 1951, although some of the dirt was dug up and included into the new baseball diamond.
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