Our friends at the Des Moines Register recently printed a story about the Fairfield Iowa Golf and Country Club. Nice Story. It indicated that the Fairfield club was the oldest continuously operating golf club west of the Mississippi and, thus, was celebrating it's 130th anniversary this month. Congratulations.
HOWEVER, the Kornerman has been around a while and there was something about that story that raised my hackles to a point where I felt further investigation was warranted. What about our Boone Golf and Country Club, now Cedar Pointe? I've seen limited stories and even pictures that indicate it might have had a very long background as well.
Admittedly, in my condition, my research on anything, travels about as far as I can reach within my office walls. In addition, this just came about so recently I haven't had time to be very thorough but I have, rather quickly, uncovered a few facts that might bring into question the Fairfield club's boast.
According to the original Register story, the Fairfield Club was first organized in 1892 as the Kahgaligee Golf Club. In 1896, a hand written constitution was formed. A log cabin purchased in 1900 served as the intitial clubhouse and in 1914, members incorporated.
The Kornerman's limited Boone information is that the Boone Golf and Country Club was built in 1889. That's according to something called GolfInfoGuide.com.
So, in review, Fairfield first organized in 1892, constitution in 1896, log cabin purchased in 1900 and members incorporated in 1914. Our limited Boone info states that our club was built in 1889. It does make you wonder doesn't it?
As long as we're on the subject, minus any specific calendar dates, we can pass on a few other particulars about our Boone club. The newly organized club leased farmland on South Marshall Street and just south of the Milwaukee Railroad tracks. A nine-hole course was layed out and construction of a clubhouse along South Marshall began.
It seems that before automobiles came into being, a horse drawn hack, accomodating about 20 people, started at Eighth and Story and drove along Story picking up passengers enroute to the club. In those days, social activity was scarce and at the club, which featured a large dance hall, there were weekly dinners on Wednesday nights, with special emphasis on holidays like Halloween and the Fourth of July.
When the depression hit, the club membership decreased significantly but members of the Updegraff family got things reactivated and, in fact, organized a group to underwrite the costs of the purchase of the land which had been leased from the earliest years. An additional 14 acres of land was also purchased and a new clubhouse built at the present location, at the south end of Cedar Street.
Boone's challenge to this Fairfield boast is nothing new. Several other clubs and courses have made similar claims about being the oldest club or course west of the Mississippi. For example, the Burlington Golf Club was incorporated in June of 1899 and claims its the oldest "continually operated INCORPORATED club" west of the Mississippi.
Fairfield "Oldest continuously operating" or Burlington "continually operating incorporated club".......take your pick.
BUT, if that mentioned website is accurate, our Boone club, built in 1889, has an absolute right to also join in making a historical claim.
K-----K
No comments:
Post a Comment