erchants Park (Owned by the owner of the Merchants Biscuit Company), was the home of baseball, football, bicycle races, circuses, outdoor concerts, and shows for 19 years.
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Clinton A Bowman owned Merchants Biscuit Company. He purchased the vacant park site at South Broadway and Center Ave and was going to make a new Supreme Bakers plant. However he changed his mind and the lot sat idle for two years. The Denver Baseball company planned to revive the field at Broadway and 6th Ave but found itself scrambling for a new site. Bowman was forced to complete the renovations of his vacant lot or else forfeit the property. Gladly, The Denver Bears returned to professional baseball in 1922, and played at the brand new new park on South Broadway which had now been named “Merchants Park”. Merchants Park was an improved facility, ample enough to host barnstormers like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, as well as the Denver White Elephants. The park also was home to the prestigious Denver Post Tournament, held each year between non-major league teams. The tournament is notable because it was both integrated and international in scope. An African-American League all star team won the tournament in 1936 behind the play of Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, and Cool Papa Bell. The next year, an all star team from Mexico won the tournament. The Bears played their final game in Merchants Park in July 1948, and Merchants Park was quickly demolished”(1) The site was turned into Merchants Park Shopping Center.
Sources: (1) Millie Van Wyke “ The Town of South Denver”
Image: The Denver Public Library, Western History Collection, Call number: Rh-1330
The Denver Public Library, Western History Collection, Call number: X-22497
