9/11---1953 A Jewel Is Born

Yes, there was another 9/11,but this one was to be a celebration in the sports-frenzied city of Wallace, Idaho.The year was 1953, and the upcoming gridiron war had taken on a life of its own.  The sparkling new showcase football and baseball fields set against the backdrop of the shimmering green hills of beautiful Silverton, Idaho was finished and prepared to begin a long tradition that is still going on today.

The lights were on, and according to the Spokane Daily Chronicle, 2,500 rabid Wallace Miner football fans filled the bleachers in dual anticipation of a great evening of both football and the birthing of a new era of civic pride in their unmatched mining mecca of Wallace, Idaho. Sather Field was born that night and the crowd roared and bragged like a new father when he sees his new son or daughter for the first time. 

And yes, there was a football game, too, that night. Unfortunately, the game did not go so well as the Vikings of Coeur D'Alene High School threw bombs in the air and attacked on the ground in rolling over the Miners 18-0. I am sure the outcome of that first Sather Field game was disappointing to the Wallace fans, but I think that the sting was somewhat negated by the celebration of the new era and civic accomplishment. 

One man was honored that night in a halftime celebration and was presented with a new set of luggage.His name? Mr.Norman Sather. It was Mr. Sather who headed Civic Enterprises, Inc,which made the field of dreams come true.

Thank you, Mr. Sather. You built it, and they are still coming 63 years later.