Where They Played the Game

Today´s athletes walk into gymnasiums that are complete with floors, baskets, spectator seating, showers and are appropriately heated and cooled. Locker rooms have taken the place of coal bins, school rooms, or space in nearby community buildings. Playing floors are clean and well marked.

Before the invention of basketball, gymnasiums were used for group exercises and often contained gymnastic equipment. These gymnasiums were in colleges and universities, YMCAs, private clubs and occasionally in the attics or basements of public schools.

The first gymnasiums and playing fields for women were built at private women´s colleges in the eastern states. When women began going to college in the mid 1800s, physical exercise was part of the curriculum. It was intended to strengthen women for the intellectual stress of using their brains. Women were found to be surprisingly strong and their brains withstood the rigors of study.

As the game grew in popularity, games were held in a variety of facilities. The dimensions of the court, ceiling height, basket height and playing surface varied from site to site. Dancing was a popular activity. When games were played in the Opera House and other community facilities after one of these social gatherings, the floor was frequently slippery with the corn meal spread for dancing.

They Played the Game in Any Available Space

Many communities did not have gymnasiums so games were played in local community buildings, dance halls, opera houses, tin shops, or basements of buildings.

Souvenir edition of 100 years at Alexandria´s high school - 1894 - "The girls´ gym was in the attic of the school, until the superintendent caught the girls hanging from their knees on the bars. He shouted, ´Girls, I´m shocked,´ and promptly closed the gym."

The Alexandria High School yearbook, the Alexandrian, 1904

"Basket ball was not played this year because the girls could not find a ball and the city council prohibited the boys playing in the city hall, which was the only place large enough that could be used."

Grand Rapids yearbook, the Pine Needle, 1908-09

"The second game was at Floodwood. At this game we failed to pile up quite such a score as we had done on Hibbing, owing to the slippery floor and the high baskets. But, because of a number of enthusiastic rooters, who certainly helped ´some,´ and also, because of ´rubbing a little rosin,´ which helped some more, and of course, because of good, scientific playing, the final score was 15-1, in favor of the black and the orange. There was ´dancing in the hall´ after the game (should anyone desire further information on this point, just ask our captain,) and we tore ourselves away barely in time to catch the midnight train. It was a tired but happy crowd which Miss Burlingame marshaled back to town to the tune of "Lo, the Conquering Heroines Come."

Clara Mae Donlin, Excelsior - 1917-21

"We played in Excelsior at the grade school that is over there. That was built when I was in the sixth or seventh grade. That was the first school in the area that had a gym and shower. It is three stories high. I look at it and I think I use to run up and down those steps, and then I´d have to go down because I ran up, and have to do it over again. When we traveled to other towns they usually had gymnasiums, but they didn´t have lockers or rooms to dress in or things like that. Excelsior had a low court and then the seats were on the side and went up gradually. It was a real swanky place and we felt pretty good with the school we had with all this modern equipment."

Warroad travels to Roseau, 1919

"The games were played in the Opera House which can hardly be called a "gym" being both low and poorly heated and no provision to accommodate the audience. The girls´ game was called first and resulted in another victory for our team."

Clara Corcoran Lawrenz, Gaylord - 1919-22

"Gaylord had a high ceiling that´s why we liked Gaylord´s court. Gibbon used a dance hall."

Virginia Irwin Kruger, Belle Plaine - 1920-24

"We played outside, in the town hall, the Knights of Columbus (KC) Hall, and Wyblier´s Hall."

Margaret Huffman Thompson, Gaylord - 1920-24

"For our games, the old city hall was just full. They stood up in back where they put the movie theater things. It was all full on the stage. We charged and made money because we had to pay all our own expenses. We even brought money to pay the light bill at the city hall, and brought wood to build the fire. There was a stove in the corner, and we had to sweep. The boys always wanted to come in and watch us play. They would try to play before we did. They would sneak in, carry wood and do all kinds of things for us."

Leona Briard Hanson, Gaylord - 1920-24

"We went to Fairfax, Hutchinson, Excelsior and Gibbon. We went on the train to Excelsior."

Marie Weibeler Keeler, Belle Plaine - 1922-26

"Not any of the schools had gyms. We played in town dance halls mostly. At St. Peter we played in the gym at Gustavus. That was keen. The halls were different sizes -- some were heated by a large stove in the corner, and had low ceilings. One time at Carver we were late getting there and the coach told us we would all have to change clothes together in the coal room. He would be there, and we were to hurry and get our clothes out so he could turn off the lights. We would have to dress in the dark, as the boys were also changing. When he turned the lights back on, one girl had a boy´s uniform on and the boy had the girl´s on. Of course the kids exploded in laughter, but the coach was as angry as I ever saw anyone be.

We had some boys that were on the team that were probably 6 feet tall and they could touch the ceilings in Carver. It was difficult to make baskets, and it was difficult to throw the ball.

Leona Seiwert Gray, Byron 1922-24; Dodge Center - 1924-26

"Our gym was about the worst, the rest had a place to sit and we just had benches around the side, two stairs that came down from the hallways were packed with people to watch the game. The basket was on the wall, it had a backboard on the wall, and the basket was right on that. When I moved to Dodge Center they didn´t have a gym at the school. We had to change our clothes at the school, and run two blocks, up the stairs to the hall that was above the hardware store. When we got through we had to go back to school to change our clothes again. In the winter time that wasn´t very nice."

Vera Learned Templin, Buffalo - 1922-26

"We played in a gym. The gym was small but had a high ceiling. At one end of it was a stage because the auditorium was used for the plays and programs, and things we had in school. Then there was a balcony, under the balcony they wrapped up these maple seats that were on stringers, which they pulled down during the game for spectators. The spectators feet would be sticking out, they had to pull their feet back in to be sure that wouldn´t trip anybody. Not all the other communities had gyms. Howard Lake, they had a great big room up over another building, it was probably more like a dance hall. They marked it off for basketball, and we played up there. Maple Lake and Annandale had gyms. In Rockford we played in a great big room in a hotel, a dance hall."

Aileen Just Luther, Rapidan - 1923-29

"At Waldorf, there was an area screened off for the heating unit. If the ball would happen to bounce just right it would land down in the boiler room. Then a time out was necessary to retrieve the ball. Pemberton had support beans on the edge of the playing floor. We were warned not to bump into them."

Ann Martinson Neuman, Grove City - 1924-26

"We usually played in the old town hall. In Eden Valley we played upstairs over a grocery store."

Ruth McCarron Dahlke, Sherburn - 1924-27

"We always played in a gym except at Ceylon, we played on a dance floor. During time-out, we stepped out the front door and stepped into resin. We walked on our heels back to the floor. We were down more than we were up. All of us had skinned knees and elbows."

Inez Uglum Schissel, Adams - 1927-32

"The girls´ team practiced a few nights each week in the small school gym which had no room for spectators. The new gym wasn´t built until the late 1930s. The boys practiced downtown above the Krebsbach store or across Main Street in Mike Schneider´s large building. The games were played in the downtown buildings which had more room and were always played on Friday nights."

Ruth Bratrud Jacobson, Grand Meadow - 1929-30

"Our school had a gymnasium, but it was kind of small and we didn´t even practice there. We´d walk up to the Opera House (the Woodman´s Hall), that was a big floor, and that´s where we played. We´d dress at school and run up to the opera house even when it was winter. Some of the girls were from the country, you know, and they would even walk home. They wanted to practice and they did what they had to do to practice. Sometimes they´d stay in town with friends. . I lived real close to the school."

Thea Sletkolan Stay, Montevideo - 1931-35

"We usually didn´t play this team, but they wanted to play with us so we decided that we would go to Clara City and play. It was a small space, I would say about the size of my little house here. We got over there to play and we were used to playing on a big armory floor and playing half court only, but had a big space. We just about killed ourselves because we kept running into the wall, we never expected it. There were people standing around the edge and at the ends. They had backboards, but it was funny. That was the smallest place we ever played."

Audrey Moe Froiland, Dawson - 1930-34

"Our team played in the National Guard Armory as did most of the other schools with National Guard quarters. The smaller schools had tiny floors in their gyms, bordered on one end by the stage for plays and walls close around the other edges with hardly any room for spectators."

Unexpected Encounters with Stoves, Posts and Radiators

When games were played in facilities that hosted community dances and other events, a supporting post or more might be located inside the playing court.

Belinda Corcoran Eckert, Gaylord - 1919-1922

"There were radiators in each corner of the city hall and along the walls. They didn´t have any mesh or covering over them. Sometimes there was a stove on each side. We stayed away from them. The ball would then be taken out of bounds."

Irma Nelson Post, Deer Creek - 1924-29

"When we first started in 1924, some towns (New York Mills or Frazee) had a post just off center of the hall where we played. None of us ran into it, but the girls that played and practiced there really took advantage of that mean old post. We played on lots of dance floors and halls. Wadena and Bertha, I think, were the first schools to have gyms."

Blanche Line Kingsley, Cromwell - 1925-31

"When I began playing in the eighth grade, we played in the basement of the school. The south end of the school basement served as the gym. It was quite small which made it difficult to play in the larger gyms during competition. They acquired access to the Farmer´s Hall which was a little larger, and this meant driving three miles south from the school for our practice and games. After the IOOF Hall (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) in Cromwell was completed in 1929, we played there. It was much easier having a place near the school for practice. Both halls were equipped with a barrel stove for heating the building, and were located in one corner of the hall. A rope fence was placed around them for protection. The IOOF Hall contained a stage, which extended across the front end of the building. A balcony above the other end of the hall, added seating space for the various activities of the school. There were no shower facilities so we changed in the bathrooms, which didn´t seem to hurt the fun and competition."

Alice Aaenson Lervold, Nielsville - 1927-31

"We played mostly teams from North Dakota. We played often in a gym heated by a pot bellied stove so a couple of men stood by it so players wouldn´t run into it."

Jane Varner Breimhorst, Jordan - 1928-32

"Jordon´s gymnasium was one of the nicest. We played basketball at one school where we had to play around a stove in the center of a hall. At Montgomery we played in a hall, too, because they had no gym."

Norma Booth Krats, Big Falls - 1939-43

"We played in a hall above a store and tavern. The hall had a low ceiling so we had to adjust our shots. The hall was heated with two big barrel stoves that were covered with chicken wire. More than one fell against them, but I don´t remember any burns though! We had to run downstairs to an outdoor toilet. If we needed water we had to get it in the tavern which was below the hall. We played against the boys when we couldn´t travel anymore- we didn´t have enough for a girls´ team. Then we played boys´ rules."

Finding a Place to Change into Their Team Uniforms was a Challenge

Girls would have to search for places to change into their uniforms and almost any space would have to do.

Sarah Meffert, Arlington - 1919-1920

"All the games were played in old Esser´s Hall, which was where Brau´s car lot is currently located. There was no place for us to change in the hall, so we would go upstairs in my father´s furniture store to change into our uniforms. This was about a block away from old Esser´s Hall."

Marie Weibeler Keeler, Belle Plaine - 1922-26

"Our dressing rooms were the coal bin."

Lucille Beckman, Jordan - 1924-28

"Lots of schools did not have a gym. We played in city halls. In Henderson we dressed in the basement. I am sure it was a coal bin. Then we had to walk outside around the building to get to the stairs to play on the top floor. I enjoyed every bit of it."

Aileen Just Luther, Rapidan, 1923-30

"When the Rapidan school was built, it seems that they did not anticipate a girls basketball team, so they did not provide for a girls´ locker room and shower. The girls were permitted to use the boys´ room and shower when not in use by the boys´ team. One evening we were all waiting our turn for a shower after a game. Hilda Schwanberger saw a bar of soap on the upper ledge of the shower she could not reach. She climbed on the lavatory to get the soap but fell to the floor with the bowl, plumbing and all. By the time we could all get dressed so the custodian, Mr. Dougherty, could get in, the room was full of steam and water. The Athletic Department got the bill for the repairs and it was the last time the girls were permitted to use the room. However this prompted the school district to construct a locker room for the girls in the basement on the west side. By this time the interest and enthusiasm for girls basketball had grown to new heights in Rapidan."

Edith Dalen Bjornlie, Milan - 1925-27

"We had our little suitcases with us, with our clothes in them and when we got there, wherever we were going to play, either it was any empty office that we used or a girls´ rest room. No special place, but they found a place for us to change our clothes. I remember it was in Currell that they had a heating pipe that came right close to the basket, so we had to shoot up and around like that to get the ball into the basket. You know it wasn´t much of a gym and I´m sure all the baskets weren´t that high or exactly the same. The baskets were on a backboard."

Ruth Olson Kleven, Milan - 1925-29

"One time we got to a town and we were going to play, and there wasn´t any place for us to dress and we just kind of scrounged around town to see if there was some place. There was a filling station that had a big office and there was room behind there and we got in there to get into our uniforms. The gym was in a separate building behind the school house. We had only one janitor and he wasn´t able to keep up with everything. The floor was pretty dirty and all of the girls on the team decided they should wash the floor. We were on our knees washing the gym floor before our game.

My sister played in a tin shop. The girls had to help with that. The tin shop was a repair shop. Edith´s brother played in the tin shop and after the game was over with they would run in their suits to the barber shop and shower. Wonder that they didn´t catch a dickens of a cold all the time, but that´s what they did. We girls never had a chance to shower."

Rose Robinson Wichser, West Concord - 1925-29

"There was no gym. We played at the movie theater. There were two stoves -one in the northeast and southwest corners. The only seating was around the edges and in the movie projector area. Only a few people attended. The baskets were in front of the door and in front of the movie screen. We dressed for home games at home or in the hotel across the street in the ladies´ bathroom. If it was not real cold we dressed at home- no slacks then. We froze in Dodge Center. We played in a hall above the hardware store and there was no heat."

Eileen Maxner Grove, Cromwell - 1930-33

"We played in a big dance hall with a high ceiling that was rented by the school. There was a big clothes closet, and that´s where we changed into our uniforms. There was a kitchen in the basement and when company teams came to play us, somebody would use that for a changing room. No water, no showers or anything like that."

Evelyn Olson Kukkola, Underwood - 1934-37

"We played in the Woodman´s Hall in Underwood. It had two stories. We practiced and played in this big hall. We had to dress upstairs in the kitchen hoping no one would come upstairs. This hall was used for dances every Saturday night."

Overview

The players of the early 1900s played in facilities where the conditions for playing a game were challenging, at best. No matter! These young women would play in any facility, just so they could play the game.