The year was 1957. Television was black and white, you burned your trash in your back yard incinerator on trash day, and hung your wash and the baby’s clothe diapers on lines to dry on the day after so they wouldn’t get ashes on them. Families had big gas-guzzling cars. Freeways hadn’t reached San Dimas yet. And the L.A. Dodgers were still in Brooklyn. Ekstrand School was just being built and Via Verde was still grassy hillsides.

In San Dimas, groceries were bought at either Bob’s Market or Cy Wright’s Market. The local citrus economy fueled San Dimas’ growth so much that we once laid claim to the world’s largest Lemon Packing house. There was no Shull, no Gladstone, no Allen Ave., no Lone Hill, and no San Dimas High School. San Dimas kids went to the either San Dimas Grammar School, or some other religious school, and then went to Bonita High School, where Damien High School is today, with all the La Verne kids. For the kids who played baseball, it was loosely organized and played on the field behind the Grammar School, where the Pioneer Park field stands today.

The local story goes that one San Dimas dad, Chuck Moore, rallied his friends and other dad’s whose kids played ball. He made contact with Little League, and got the city to approve use of the dirt field next to the new elementary school, Ekstrand.

Imagine the field you’re standing on today, as a dirt field in 1956. There are no houses to the north, orange grove and grass field to the south, and new homes, but mostly orange groves, being built to the east and west. Chuck and his buddies got a commitment for material from Kaiser Steel in Fontana to build a backstop and fences. But when Kaiser fell through on their promise, they donated money instead. The guys hustled other vendors, much like we do today, and found materials for less, and used the extra money for team supplies.

This field at Marchant Park became San Dimas’ Field of Dreams in the spring of 1957. There were no A’s, or Giants or Dodgers that year, instead the four teams (one division for all kids aged 8 – 12) were named after their sponsors. Bob’s Market played San Dimas Diary after San Dimas Feed and Grain played American Legion.

We are all in debt to these visionary pioneers that brought baseball to the city of San Dimas. Tom Berg, Gene Caffey, Teeny Salado, Charles Arballo, Dave Reese, Ray Bailey, Ted Canham, Bill Stevenson, Jim and Bill Sossamon, Henry Madrigal and John Jenkins, made up our league’s first governing board. They were followed by others who were equally influential, George Noah, Bill Lough and Mario Espinoza, some of them who never had kids, but had a passion for the game and a love for San Dimas. And through the years, we’ve been blessed by the many other community leaders and volunteers who dedicated their time and effort to seeing our league blossom and grow.

With the support and generosity of those first sponsors, and the many other local sponsors too numerous to name, we have amassed 55 years of history and we hope to continue this rich tradition for many years to come.

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