Athletic Park (Duluth)

Duluth, MN's Athletic Park was built in 1903 as the home of the Northern League's Duluth Cardinals. The Cardinals changed their name to the Duluth White Sox in midseason of 1903 and played as the White Sox at Athletic Park from 1903-1916. When Organized Baseball returned to Duluth in 1934, Athletic Park again served as the home park. The 1934 team was once again called the White Sox, but only for one season. The club changed its name to the Duluth Dukes in 1935. The Dukes called Athletic Park home until 1941.

Athletic Park stood along Jenswold Street, near the intersection of North 34th Avenue West and Superior Street. The grandstand stood near where Superior Street curves into Jenswold Street. The field's left field foul line ran parallel to Jenswold Street, with the left field corner near the extant railroad underpass. Athletic Park was nearly rectangular in shape and enclosed by a wooden fence.

Athletic Park was also the home of Duluth's NFL team from 1923-1927. Ernie Nevers made his official NFL debut - aside from an exhibition game at Hislop Park in Superior, Wisconsin - at Athletic Park on September 19, 1926, when Duluth defeated the Kansas City Cowboys, 7-0. Nevers scored a touchdown and kicked the extra point in the last NFL game played in Duluth. (The team played away games for the rest of the 1926 season and did not play any home games in 1927.)

Wade Stadium, built adjacent to Athletic Park, became the home of the Dukes when it opened on July 16, 1941. The brick wall of Wade Stadium's left field corner nearly abutted and towered over Athletic Park's right field fence. Demolition soon became the fate of the obsolete older park. A pair of softball fields, one the home of Duluth's Denfeld High School girls' fastpitch softball team, now occupy the site, but neither is in the same configuration as Athletic Park.