Copper King Stadium
Douglas, AZ
Review by Mike
Way down in southern Arizona, in the former copper mining town of Douglas, stands on an old ballpark that currently hosts high school baseball, but in the 1940s and 1950s, Class D baseball was played at Copper King Stadium. The Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings of the Arizona-Texas League had an unusual dual-home set up, playing some of their home games in Douglas and some at Warren Ballpark in nearby Bisbee.
Copper King Stadium was built in 1948 and, sadly, I was not able to get inside when I drove by on a Saturday morning in May, so I just have these shots I took through the fence. What I could see was a classic mid-century grandstand with a nice roof covering the seating area, all of which appeared made up of benches.
There are a pair of small aluminum grandstands on either side of the main stand, separated from it by the dugouts, which are covered and actually dug out, set below field level. The ballpark appeared to be in good condition, although the field was looking a little worn and in need of some watering.
The outfield fence is backed by low, bushy trees, which look very nice and even overhang the fence a little, potentially causing some havoc on very deep fly balls. The scoreboard was simple, but in good condition. Oddly, for as nice and well-kept as the inside appeared to be, the outside of the main structure was a mess. Painted black, with yellow paw prints stenciled onto it (presumably Bulldog prints), the paint was peeling, the gates showed rust and there was some junk scattered about.
Copper King Stadium looks like a nice, old ballpark in the classic style that is just the right size for what is was built for and seems to serve the community well at the high school level. I wish I could have gotten inside, but I am glad I was able to get a pretty good look at it.
