Arkansas Travelers
Encyclopedia
The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball
team based in Little Rock, Arkansas
. The team, which plays in the Texas League
, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Major League club.
Named the Little Rock Travelers
at the team’s inception in 1895, the Travelers were the first professional sports team to claim an entire state in 1957 when they became the Arkansas Travelers. Both versions of the name derive from the old folk song, The Arkansas Traveler
.
In 2004 the team introduced new road jerseys and alternate caps that paid homage to the Travs’ home city. The jerseys had “Little Rock” written across the chest. Travelers’ jerseys have either featured “Arkansas” or “Travelers” ever since the 1950s.
“Nostalgia is in these days and the retro look has become stylish,” said Travs’ Executive Vice President/General Manager Bill Valentine. “We were the Little Rock Travelers for years and after all this time we thought we lost the identification with Little Rock. Some people actually didn’t know we’re from Little Rock. The LR logo has had success on our replica caps and we thought that the time to make this change was right now.”
From 1932 to 2006, the Travelers played at Ray Winder Field, which now is nearly three-quarters of a century old and is showing signs of age. After a successful special election in 2005, the team moved to a new stadium at the start of the 2007 season. Dickey-Stephens Park
, the new stadium in North Little Rock, Arkansas
, hosted the first Travelers game against the Frisco RoughRiders
on April 12, 2007. It will be primarily used for baseball and will be the home field of the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team. It holds at least 7,000 people. It replaced the club's former home, Ray Winder Field. Funded by a North Little Rock voter-approved one-cent sales tax, Dickey-Stephens Park
was built through a partnership between the Travs, Little Rock financier Warren Stephens and the city of North Little Rock. After donating an 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) plot of land east of the Broadway Bridge, Mr. Stephens named the ballpark in honor of two pairs of baseball-loving brothers; Stephens Inc. Founders Jack and Witt Stephens, and Hall of Fame Catcher Bill Dickey and his brother Skeeter, also a former Major League ballplayer. Both Dickey brothers worked for Stephens Inc. following their baseball careers. Bill, who caught for the 1925 Little Rock Travelers, also managed the club for one season following a 17-year Hall-of-Fame career with the New York Yankees that included seven World Series titles.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team based in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. The team, which plays in the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
Major League club.
Named the Little Rock Travelers
Little Rock Travelers
The Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas and members of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or AA circuit was typically two rungs below Major League Baseball...
at the team’s inception in 1895, the Travelers were the first professional sports team to claim an entire state in 1957 when they became the Arkansas Travelers. Both versions of the name derive from the old folk song, The Arkansas Traveler
The Arkansas Traveler (song)
"The Arkansas Traveler" was the state song of Arkansas from 1949 to 1963; it has been the state historical song since 1987. The music was composed in the 19th century by Colonel Sanford C...
.
In 2004 the team introduced new road jerseys and alternate caps that paid homage to the Travs’ home city. The jerseys had “Little Rock” written across the chest. Travelers’ jerseys have either featured “Arkansas” or “Travelers” ever since the 1950s.
“Nostalgia is in these days and the retro look has become stylish,” said Travs’ Executive Vice President/General Manager Bill Valentine. “We were the Little Rock Travelers for years and after all this time we thought we lost the identification with Little Rock. Some people actually didn’t know we’re from Little Rock. The LR logo has had success on our replica caps and we thought that the time to make this change was right now.”
From 1932 to 2006, the Travelers played at Ray Winder Field, which now is nearly three-quarters of a century old and is showing signs of age. After a successful special election in 2005, the team moved to a new stadium at the start of the 2007 season. Dickey-Stephens Park
Dickey-Stephens Park
Dickey-Stephens Park is a stadium in North Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. It is primarily used for baseball and serves as the home for the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League. The fixed seat capacity of the ballpark is 5,800 people. It opened in 2007 as a replacement for Ray Winder Field...
, the new stadium in North Little Rock, Arkansas
North Little Rock, Arkansas
the city was 62.55% White, 33.98% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races...
, hosted the first Travelers game against the Frisco RoughRiders
Frisco RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are currently the Class AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers major league baseball club. The team plays in the Texas League, assigned to the South Division. Prior to 2003, the franchise was based in Shreveport, Louisiana, and were known as the Shreveport Captains...
on April 12, 2007. It will be primarily used for baseball and will be the home field of the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team. It holds at least 7,000 people. It replaced the club's former home, Ray Winder Field. Funded by a North Little Rock voter-approved one-cent sales tax, Dickey-Stephens Park
Dickey-Stephens Park
Dickey-Stephens Park is a stadium in North Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. It is primarily used for baseball and serves as the home for the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League. The fixed seat capacity of the ballpark is 5,800 people. It opened in 2007 as a replacement for Ray Winder Field...
was built through a partnership between the Travs, Little Rock financier Warren Stephens and the city of North Little Rock. After donating an 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) plot of land east of the Broadway Bridge, Mr. Stephens named the ballpark in honor of two pairs of baseball-loving brothers; Stephens Inc. Founders Jack and Witt Stephens, and Hall of Fame Catcher Bill Dickey and his brother Skeeter, also a former Major League ballplayer. Both Dickey brothers worked for Stephens Inc. following their baseball careers. Bill, who caught for the 1925 Little Rock Travelers, also managed the club for one season following a 17-year Hall-of-Fame career with the New York Yankees that included seven World Series titles.