Mescalero Baseball Game, ca. 1910

Mescalero Baseball Game, ca. 1910. Village of Cloudcroft. Beginning in the late territorial years, baseball became a serious pastime for the diverse cultures of New Mexico. The Mescalero Apaches team was formed in 1899 and regularly played Cloudcroft. 180 Apache prisoners from Fort Sill were released to Mescalero in April 1913 - the resulting infusion of baseball talent resulted in Cloudcroft's crushing defeat 22-2 that year!, Zenith Park was much larger than it is today, stretching from Burro to Grand all the way through town. The central meadow sported a grandstand and eventually other improvements. People traveled from surrounding communities to attend the annual July 4 picnic and a special baseball game., A large rodeo was held in the park every August. These large events ended when State Route 83 (now US 82) was re-routed right down the middle of Zenith Park about 1950., The houses in the background sit north of Burro Avenue., Made possible by the Evon and Esther Sheldon Trust, helping to preserve local history. , This sign was created and is actively maintained by volunteers from the New Mexico Rails-to-Trails Association-501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization - in partnership with the Village of Cloudcroft. For more information or to find out how you can help us maintain these important paths through nature and history, please contact us at nmreilstotrails.org or find us on Facebook at /NMRailstoTrails.