In Victoria on 16 March 1863
| Date of Game | Monday, March 16, 1863 Reported on March 18, 1863 in Victoria's British Colonist |
|---|---|
| Location | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Modern Address | Circle Dr, Victoria, BC V8V, Canada |
| Field | Beacon Hill Park |
| Home Team | Add Club Page |
| Away Team | Add Club Page |
| Score | |
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| Number of Players | |
| Game Officials | |
| NY Rules | Unknown |
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| Description | Reported in Victoria's Daily Colonist, Monday, March 18, 1863: "Base Ball - The first match of the season of this game, was played on Beacon Hill on Saturday last, chiefly by Canadians. It is essentially an American game, but was introduced into Canada, and has been practiced there in various parts of the country for many years. It is somewhat allied in its nature to Cricket, with the exception that there are no wickets used, and instead of the ball being thrown on the ground, it is directed towards the batter, who strikes it in the air. The runs are made by the person striking the ball and running round a circle, there being several stopping places, each of which counts. If the batter strikes at the ball and misses it, he is "out" but he may let the ball pass him as often as he pleases without striking at it. Among those practicing on Saturday, there were very few adepts, and consequently not so much interest excited among spectators as would otherwise have been the case. To those engaged in the game there is always sufficient interest kept up to keep them vigilant to get an opponent out. No doubt there will be many trials at this new sport her on future occasions. |
| Sources | Reported Monday, March 18, 1863 in Victoria's British Colonist. Game played on Saturday, March 16, 1863. |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Has Source On Hand | Yes |
| Comment | This column does not identify any of the players. There are similar reports from the same general time frame identifying players. What is interesting in this report is that the game was played "chiefly by Canadians." The reports from later in the month indicate 'expert instruction' by J. C. Keenan, an Irish immigrant who had settled in California and played baseball in Sacramento before migrating to Victoria. ADDITIONAL NOTE: This game is one of 3 mentions of base ball from March of 1863 in the Victoria newspaper The British Colonist. Base ball is not mentioned again until 1866. All three games center around a team or players organized by the owner of the Fashion Hotel, John C. Keenan. Keenan was also an active cricket player. He had emigrated to Victoria from Sacramento, CA. His businesses took him back and for the between Sacramento and Victoria from 1858 until 1864 or 1865. His business in Sacramento was also the Fashion Saloon. Keenan had played on a Sacramento base ball team in 1860. That team featured players from the first organized NY Rules team in Sacramento, which formed in December 1858, and had at least 1 player from the Putnam Base Ball Club of Brooklyn. Keenan's interest in sports goes back to the early 1850s. He was from Ireland, had been a Texas Ranger, and followed his old boss Jack Hays to the San Francisco Bay area. After being unsuccessful in the gold fields, Keenan opened a saloon, and from there was a very successful businessman. He operated a saloon, a hotel, and by 1854 was running a race track. He was a militia volunteer, and a leader of his volunteer fireman's department. He was also a pioneer fireman in Victoria. Beginning in 1858, Victoria was a destination for miners looking to make it rich in the gold fields of British Columbia. Victoria experienced explosive growth for a few years, then retraction. Keenan brought his experience "mining the miners" to Victoria immediately, and ran his businesses while his wife watched over their business in Sacramento. After his wife and 7 young women (who were to work for them in Victoria, likely as prostitutes, another of the Keenan's businesses) died in a shipwreck, Keenan moved to San Francisco, where he died a few years later, probably around the age of 38-40. He was very wealthy when he died, with business and property interests in at least Sacramento, Victoria and San Francisco. He left annuities for his sister, step father, his sister's children, and his children, as well as for a second wife. This included a $2500 payment in gold to a lawyer to watch over the annuities and sell off the properties. His estate was wrapped up in the courts for nearly ten years as various parties sued each other for the wealth. What we know of Keenan and base ball is that he was an at least involved in organizing and running two cricket teams and the 1863 Fashion Club games, played base ball in Sacramento as well with players who had emigrated from Brooklyn, and that he was involved heavily in gambling and promoting horse racing for several years. Many of the earliest base ball games in Sacramento, San Francisco and Victoria were also played at horse tracks or jockey clubs. This may be equally that land was open and suitable for horse racing was also available for base ball as any other reason. Edit with form to add a comment |
| Query | Edit with form to add a query |
| Found by | Mark Brunke |
| Submission Note | From online source |
| Entered by | Mark Brunke |
| First in Location | There may be an earlier game from May 1862 celebrating Queen Victoria's birthday. |
| Players Locality | Local |
| Entry Origin | |
| Entry Origin Url | |
| Local-Origins Study Groups | Pacific Northwest Chapter of SABR |
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