By Brigid Miller, Museum Community Engagement Manager
In the US, the month of March is celebrated as Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day is recognized on the 8th of March this year. The Wood River Valley has been shaped by incredible women past and present, and in this feature, I wanted to highlight a group of women from our collection.
Also occurring in March is the start of baseball season, from the MLB to little leagues across the country. Pictured here is the Ketchum women’s baseball team in front of the Dollarhide House in 1910. The women in the photograph are believed to be Frances Wilson, Delia Rogers (or Olive Clark), Annie Lombardina, Kate Lombardina Bonning, Chic Reid, and Roxie Rummel Hansen. Although the women are holding a football, based on their uniforms and another photo from our collection in which they are holding baseball bats, this group can be identified as a women’s baseball team.
As highlighted by the movie “A League of Their Own,” during WWII the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was started since a majority of men were away at war. This professional league operated from 1943-1954 and was built off decades of women’s teams and leagues across the US. Women, like those pictured here, had been playing baseball since the 1800s. Women’s colleges, like Vassar College in New York, were known for organizing baseball teams as early as 1866.
While we do not know much about the Ketchum women’s baseball team in 1910, it is clear that they were a part of a larger movement of women playing the sport. As we celebrate women throughout history this month, as well as the start of baseball season, it is fun to think about the inspiring and impactful women in the Wood River Valley area.
Note this story was originally published in March of 2024 in the Idaho Mountain Express.
