Red Sox on burros… really?

So I’m in the process of going through Google image search finding interesting Arkansas related photos to pin on my Arkansas Pinterest page and I come across this one titled Red Sox players on hunting expedition….

Really?

The full title on Flickr is Red Sox players on hunting expedition, Spring Training, Hot Springs, Arkansas. 

I had just been reminded recently that some major league baseball teams had held spring training in Hot Springs in the early part of the 20th century and, sure enough, this photo is from 1907.

Shared on Flickr by Boston Public Library, the photo description says: “Tommy Madden dressed as a Native American, Bill Carrigan (center) and an unidentified player dressed as cowboys, pose on burros during rabbit hunt.”

Funny, I don’t think the term Native American was in use in 1907.  I wonder what the original title was.

I’m not a big fan of baseball or any other sport.  However, I do like interesting photos with a history… as well as those with a twist.

The Flickr image is here.  It is also in the Massachusetts Collections online here.

american history, arkansas, flickr, history, photography, serendipity, vintage images

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Alan G Apr 12, 2014 Link

    I ‘think’ I detect some apprehension in your writing with regard to the legitimacy of the photo. It is indeed a great photo but I doubt it depicts an actual hunting outing but rather a cleverly crafted photo of three baseball players out for a little fun. I think I may have bought it were it not for the player who opted for the Indian outfit. 🙂
    Alan G recently posted…A brief glance into my life as a fishmonger….My Profile

    • Mike Apr 12, 2014 Link

      Actually, after finding a few more old photos and a little more research, I’m pretty sure the photo is from McLeod’s Amusement Park, “more commonly known as Happy Hollow, (which) served as one of Hot Springs’s most popular tourist attractions from the late 1800s until the 1940s. It was located at the head of Fountain Street, just off Central Avenue, and north of Hot Springs Mountain.” Apparently, the park was best known for its humorous photographs.

      • Alan G Apr 12, 2014 Link

        Yep… no doubt you’re on to something there for sure. I’ll say one thing for sure, the photographer and his associates sure did it up right. Our old-timey photos we can get these days don’t hold a candle to those!
        Alan G recently posted…A brief glance into my life as a fishmonger….My Profile

  • Cheerful Monk Apr 14, 2014 Link

    It is funny — and probably was meant to be.
    Cheerful Monk recently posted…LOLMy Profile

    • Mike Apr 14, 2014 Link

      I’m sure it was. I’ve come across a dozen or so humorous photos from the same period and place since I posted this.

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