Watertown in Codington County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Watertown Stadium

November 10, 2024

1. Watertown Stadium Marker

Inscription. The Watertown Arrows football team calls the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded Art Deco style stadium home. This 1941 structure is characterized by its J shape, common for WPA-built ballparks. The long, straight part follows the football field, while the tail of the J curves around the baseball diamond. Each part has its own press box.

Rumored to be planned as a bandshell, it was only during the final phase of construction that the structure took the form of an athletic stadium. It stands on the former site of Fletcher Field and once included a cinder track, perfectly following the form of the structure. High school shop class students constructed the metal "WHS" and "Watertown Stadium" signs above the entrance. The project was intended to prepare students for work in factories supporting the war effort.

Watertown hosted many minor league and semi-professional baseball organizations since the 1880s, and after its construction, the Watertown Stadium was their home. The last professional baseball team was the Watertown Expos, who were a class A affiliate of the Montreal Expos and played here from 1970 to 1971.

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Since then, the Watertown Stadium has been home to amateur and high school teams.

1. View from the playing field of the announcers booth and bleachers being constructed.
2. Stadium's bleacher seating in the 1940s.
3.Stadium entrance with the student fabricated "Watertown Stadium" sign above it in 2000.

Erected by the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, a Preserve America grant, and the South Dakota State Historical Society. Images courtesy of the Codington County Historical Society and the South Dakota State Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1941.

Location. 44° 54.154′ N, 97° 8.295′ W. Marker is in Watertown, South Dakota, in Codington County. It is on Kemp Avenue West east of 15th Street West, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1600 W Kemp Ave, Watertown SD 57201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East River.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

on the prairies,

November 10, 2024

2. Watertown Stadium & Marker

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Arthur Calvin Mellette (approx. 0.9 miles away); Mellette House (approx. 0.9 miles away); Mellette Hill (approx. 0.9 miles away); Fire and Rescue (approx. one mile away); Office Building (approx. 1.1 miles away); North End Neighborhood (approx. 1.1 miles away); Warehouse (approx. 1.1 miles away); Commercial Building (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Watertown.

Also see . . .
1. A Final Farewell | Tales from the Gridiron | sodakpb. (Submitted on December 10, 2024.)
2. A place of triumphs and heartbreaks | Watertown Current. (Submitted on December 10, 2024.)
3. South Dakota MPS Watertown Stadium - National Archives Catalog. (Submitted on December 10, 2024.)

Watertown Stadium & "WHS" Sign image. Click for full size.

November 10, 2024

3. Watertown Stadium & "WHS" Sign

"Watertown Stadium" Sign image. Click for full size.

November 10, 2024

4. "Watertown Stadium" Sign

Watertown Stadium along Kemp Avenue image. Click for full size.

November 10, 2024

5. Watertown Stadium along Kemp Avenue

Watertown Stadium Plaque image. Click for full size.

November 10, 2024

6. Watertown Stadium Plaque

Board of Education, 1940-42
C. H. Lockhart · A. H. Steinmetz
R. E. Hunter · Sever Arneson
E. W. Ukkelberg · Enoch Lindquist

Dwight D. Miller, Supt. Schools
A. E. Meehan, Area Engineer, W. P. A.
Perkins & Mc Wayne, Architects

Credits. This page was last revised on December 10, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2024. This page has been viewed 264 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 10, 2024.