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When Professional Baseball came to Woodland Park and Cripple Creek
- David Raith
- Jul 11
- 13 min read
By David Raith
June 2025
Almost a century before the Rockies became Colorado’s first major league baseball team in 1993, organized professional baseball existed in the state with minor league teams in Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo since the late 1800s/early 1900s. In fact, the Denver team won the Western League title in 1886. Pueblo first joined the Western League in 1900 before having its franchise transferred to Colorado Springs in 1901 — and then back to Pueblo in 1905. But for one season – 1901 – professional baseball was played in Woodland Park and Cripple Creek, but only on Sundays – and then never again. How did these Colorado mountain towns come to host pro baseball? And why only in 1901?
Denver was a member of the old Western League from 1886-1888, but when the American League started in 1900 with many of the old Western League teams, Denver was not one of them. The city was considered too far from the other cities, so Denver became part of a new Western League in 1900. Pueblo then became a “companion” city so visiting teams could save travel expenses by having two teams to play when traveling to Colorado.
Pueblo’s first foray into professional baseball was a tough sell to the locals. A low-performing team (last place in 1900) and a baseball park located outside the city limits led to poor attendance. After discussion throughout the offseason of where the team should play in 1901, the Western League owners decided to move the Pueblo franchise to Colorado Springs. And with that decision, Colorado Springs’ first professional baseball team was born.
The nickname for the Colorado Springs team, “Millionaires,” was to acknowledge and promote the city with all its millionaires who made their fortunes off of the 1890s gold strikes in the nearby gold camps of Cripple Creek and Victor. Prospectors made their fortunes in the mining towns, but the mining millionaires lived with their families in downtown mansions and the advertised healthy air of Colorado Springs. While money was made in the mountains, the Springs benefited most with a thriving, bustling community, including a new trolley system built by Winfield Scott Stratton, the first millionaire from the 1890s gold rush.
The owner of the Millionaires was an old Western League star who never found a permanent spot in the majors after two unremarkable seasons. His name was William “Billy” Hulen, and he was also the team’s manager and shortstop. At 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, Hulen had a reputation as a scrappy player, but he was better known as likely the only left-handed shortstop in professional baseball. Hulen had owned the Pueblo franchise the previous season, and while he was nowhere near being a millionaire financially, he received assurances from the businessmen of Colorado Springs that the city would support his team. Hulen also promised to upgrade the team with new players. But as in Pueblo, Hulen faced ballpark issues in Colorado Springs.
In downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado College’s baseball field, Washburn Field, provided a ready-made and easily accessible venue for the new team in the Western League. It was not necessarily a long-term solution for a “professional” team, but Colorado College would do for the first season – with one exception. Sunday “blue laws” at the time in Colorado Springs prohibited Sunday baseball within the city limits – and the college field was within the city limits. The league owners and Hulen knew this when they chose Colorado Springs. But this was not expected to be an issue because surrounding towns had shown interest in hosting the team’s nine scheduled Sunday home games. Those towns included the nearby towns of Colorado City, Woodland Park, Cripple Creek, Victor and Cameron. All could be accessed by the Colorado Midland railroad from the Springs, with Woodland Park just over an hour away and the latter three towns about three hours away.
Hulen’s preparation for the season included finding a site for Sunday games, as well as securing players for his team. The Springs was awarded the team on March 17 and opening day would be just 47 days later, May 3. Back on February 25, it was reported Cripple Creek was hopeful the Springs would have a team as Cripple Creek was ready to host Sunday games in the area. Since the “real” millionaires of Colorado Springs all earned their wealth from the gold mines of the area, there was hope that connection would bring pro baseball to Cripple Creek. But after four weeks, Hulen announced games would be played at Woodland Park (population 269) — not in the Cripple Creek district (population around 55,000). “The inability to get a sufficiently low (rail) rate to the gold camp from the Springs to assure a considerable attendance of Colorado Springs people was the main reason” for not choosing the Cripple Creek area, stated the Colorado Springs Gazette of April 17, 1901. Train tickets to Cripple Creek normally cost $2.50 round trip. Hulen ultimately arranged a 50-cent round-trip rail fare from the Springs to Woodland Park for the Sunday games. This would be in addition to the game ticket cost of 40 cents. Now Woodland Park had only 18 days to build a ball field.
In 1901, Woodland Park was mostly known as a summer resort area and for its lumber and sawmills. A group of seven Woodland Park businessmen and supporters however also had the idea to establish Woodland Park as a center for sports. Once they secured the Sunday baseball games, Charles W. Bowman, John C. Carroll, John H. Smith, Albert T. Epperson, Harry D. Hackman, William H. Burnside and Benjamin A. Beckenstein established The Woodland Park Amusement Company. The objectives of the Company were to acquire land and equipment “for lawful amusements, including baseball, lawn-tennis and any and all such lawful games as by the Board of Directors may be deemed advisable.” Bowman was named President and Carroll became Secretary/Treasurer. Therefore, in late April 1901, The Woodland Park Amusement Company orchestrated a flurry of activity in town.
The site of the baseball field was just off the “wye” of the Colorado Midland Railway and south of the Woodland Park hotel (near the current intersection of US 24 and CO 67), so fans could virtually step off the train and into the ballpark. The hotel provided sandwiches for same-day travelers and sleeping accommodations for anyone who wanted to spend the night. Construction workers built a 2,000-seat grandstand, and advertisements for the 50-cent round-trip fare from the Springs were constant. Cripple Creek also planned to send hundreds of spectators down the tracks to watch the game.
Sunday, May 5, 1901, finally arrived. The weather was fair but turned ominous. A light rain and a reported hailstorm started after the 6th inning. The game ended with the final score: Des Moines 20, Colorado Springs 12. The newspapers reported the next day that more than 3,000 fans showed up with about 400 from Cripple Creek. The large turnout of spectators overwhelmed the trains and grandstand. But the real story was the layout and condition of the playing field. The specifications for the actual playing field were somehow lost in translation. The field had a 4-degree grade down away from home plate to the outfield. The outfield was recently plowed, there was a grove of trees in right field and so many rocks that no one knew how the ball would bounce. But most amazingly, the left field fence was so close that any fly ball over it was ruled a double and not a home run. The newspapers had a field day. The Colorado Telegraph said, “The story of the game can be told in a few words. It was played in hail and rain, on grounds sloping at an angle of 45 degrees more or less, and in a small inclosure [sic].” The Rocky Mountain News quoted one player’s complaint: “It is like playing ball on the side of Pike’s Peak [sic].”
Despite all this, the spectators reportedly enjoyed themselves and thought any issues could be worked out in time for the next game in Woodland Park. And the next game was the following Sunday! The Woodland Park organizers promised the field would be upgraded and more grandstands would be built by game time.
Indeed, the field and park were upgraded. Another grandstand was built to seat an additional 1,000 spectators, the left field fence was moved back 55 feet, the grade away from home plate was made to be only 2-degrees, the infield and outfield were plowed and leveled as best as possible, including removing many of the rocks and the trees in right field.
Unfortunately for the “home” team Millionaires, the second game in Woodland Park also ended in defeat: Minneapolis 7, Colorado Springs 6. The Sunday, May 12, 1901, weather also turned out to be less than springlike – cold, damp and storms threatening. Only a reported 1,000 to 1,700 fans turned out, including another 300 from Cripple Creek. But despite the weather, Woodland Park had a whole month to prepare for the next Sunday game in the mountains.
The third game of the Sunday series (June 16, 1901), looked promising. The weather was good and the field was ready. But what wasn’t expected was a train derailment at 8:30 a.m. just south of Woodland Park, about two miles from the baseball park. And while Colorado Springs defeated the St. Joseph (Missouri) Saints, 11-3, the headlines belonged to the Colorado Midland Railway. A freight train, engine and box cars slid off the tracks during the morning hours and the tracks were not cleared until early Monday morning. The railway failed to alert fans to this dilemma and did not make any accommodation to have train cars or alternate transportation from the other side of the wreck to take fans to the game. This meant fans coming from Colorado Springs had to walk two miles uphill to Woodland Park to watch the game and later walk two miles downhill to board the train back home. It was never reported whether the players had to do the same thing or if they had arrived late Saturday night before the derailment. The attendance was reported at 1,900. But for the first time, Millionaires owner/player/manager Billy Hulen commented, “the railroad needs to be more customer friendly otherwise no more baseball in Woodland Park.” This was the first signal that the days of professional baseball in Woodland Park might be limited.
Three weeks later, the fourth game of the Sunday series (July 7, 1901) was against the in-state rival Denver Grizzlies. Game attention was much greater with two Colorado teams playing. All the Denver newspapers covered the game despite both teams playing poorly and trying to stay out of last place. Colorado Springs won in a slugfest, 21-14. The high-scoring affair was attributed to “the condition of the grounds added materially in run-getting” by the Rocky Mountain News. The Colorado Springs Gazette said the train service was excellent, but it was the “rough grounds being responsible for many mistakes.” The Gazette went on to say, “All base runners were afraid to try to steal second for fear of plunging down the hill into the left field fence.” Finally, the reported 500 spectators was the lowest attendance of the four games so far in Woodland Park. Hulen said for the first time the visiting teams were complaining about playing in Woodland Park and he was losing money on the Sunday games. The Denver Post said, “the best players on earth could not play a good game on such grounds.” But perhaps the Denver Republican summed it up best: “If the club should go out on the virgin prairie, dig up the cactus and soapweed and lay the bases down upon the ground, it would have been a better place than Woodland Park.”
The end was near for Sunday pro baseball in Woodland Park. With the next game in two weeks, the Springs’ nearby town of Colorado City went public with a proposal to build a ballpark and host the team for the rest of the season and in the future. But signs emerged that co-owner Billy Hulen would not be in control of the club much longer.
As soon as the Millionaires beat Kansas City 17-7 in Woodland Park on Sunday, July 21 (with only 400 spectators), team officials announced this game was the last in Woodland Park. Within two days, Cripple Creek was named as the host for the final four Sunday home games of the season.
Why Cripple Creek, with an even higher altitude and further distance from Colorado Springs? It is assumed the organizers in Cripple Creek would guarantee a certain revenue for the teams. But within two months, it was announced that Thomas Burns would be the new owner of the team. Thomas was the brother of James (Jimmie) Burns, millionaire owner of the Portland Mine in Victor, and Thomas Burns was the treasurer of this multi-million-dollar mining operation. The connection between the Springs and the Cripple Creek area was obvious, and now the Millionaires would have a local owner who would invest in the future of the team. One of Burns’ first priorities was to build a baseball stadium in Colorado Springs that could host Sunday games. The future owner of the team did not want to play in Colorado City and the “real” millionaires wanted to reward the gold mine area with pro baseball, if only for four games.
Cripple Creek was enthusiastic over the opportunity to showcase professional baseball in the area. Once again, a town had little time to build grandstands and have the baseball park ready in time for the next game – the following Sunday, July 28. The baseball field was called Union Park, just two blocks south of the downtown area. Local games had been played there, but it needed upgrades, and it too was not located in the most ideal area. The location just south of downtown was the flattest area around – but it also was in a flood plain next to the actual creek the town was named after.
Cripple Creek city leaders indeed got all in order for its opening game. Sunday, July 28, 1901, broke with sunny skies and excited townspeople for this historic event. The teams walked from the National Hotel to the field – about 3 blocks – with the Elks band playing and the mayor of Cripple Creek throwing a ceremonial first pitch to the mayor of Victor. More than 3,500 fans turned out for the game, which included 2,000 unpaying customers who watched from a nearby hill overlooking the field. The game started at 1:45 p.m. but as usual with Colorado weather, a light drizzle began in the 6th inning through the end of the game. The infield was reportedly good, but the outfield was just plowed. The Colorado Springs Gazette reported it was “impossible for a fielder to play a good game.” The center field fence was also fairly close, and three home runs were hit in the game. The final score: St. Paul 12, Colorado Springs 8. The Cripple Creek newspapers were critical of the Millionaires play, but highly supportive of the event, with front page coverage.
The next Sunday, Aug. 4, was the scheduled day for the second game in Cripple Creek. Since the first game, the local baseball leaders built a large fence to obstruct the view from the east hillside (to ensure more paying customers). But the day was cold and with thunder clouds overhead, only 1,000 spectators showed up. It was just as well, as only two innings were played against Omaha before the skies opened up and the game was called off. As the fans left and rain continued, parts of the grandstand, bleachers and fence were washed away. All the travel and time to come up from the Springs after playing the previous day was for naught. But none of the newspapers reported any complaints from the teams or the fans. The town leaders promised that all repairs would be made before the next game in two weeks.
The next game was Aug. 18 vs. the St. Joseph Saints. By this time, the Millionaires were in a fight to stay out of last place. There was little excitement around the team and the local Cripple Creek newspapers barely mentioned the upcoming game, except that all repairs to the ball field had been made. With another cool day and threatening clouds, 1,500 spectators showed up to see the Millionaires reportedly play one of their best games of the year, winning 10-4. But the local papers barely mentioned the result. The season was about over, and after the final game in Cripple Creek on Aug. 25 vs. St. Paul (Millionaires lost 25-9 before reportedly between 750-1500 spectators), the team began a three-week road trip to end their season. The year had begun with high hopes but ended with the Millionaires in last place – just as their predecessors had done in Pueblo the season before.
The 1901 Sunday games in the mountains had some highs but mostly lows. The excitement of hosting games in Woodland Park and Cripple Creek began with great fanfare and large crowds. But due to poor field conditions, the ever-unpredictable weather, uncertain train service and the play of a last-place team, the Sunday mountain outings were not to be reproduced the next season. Hulen officially sold the team to Burns in late September. In March 1902, construction began for Colorado Springs’ new baseball park (Boulevard Park) built on land co-owned by Colorado Springs’ first millionaire, W.S. Stratton and Burns. It would be located just south of the city limits alongside Stratton’s trolley line in an area called Ivywild. The Millionaires would have new energy in 1902 due to their real millionaire backers and all future games would now be played in Colorado Springs, just 5 to 10 minutes from the city center.
The Millionaires did have new energy for the next three seasons. Under their new owner, Burns, they finished sixth (out of eight) in 1902, a distant second in 1903, and almost won the pennant in 1904 with a Colorado Springs best-record of 85-58. However, that record was only good enough for another second-place finish, just 1½ games behind Omaha. Even with their record-setting season, fan interest began to wane, and Burns became disillusioned with ownership. When the 1905 team hovered near last place and continued to have low attendance early in the season, Burns gave up ownership and the team was transferred back to Pueblo in July. Colorado Springs would not have a full season of professional baseball again for 45 years when the Sky Sox arrived in 1950, again in the Western League.
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