Mayer, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Mayer is a city in Carver County
, Minnesota
, along the South Fork of the Crow River
. The population was 1,749 at the 2010 census.
, the city has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), of which, 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it is land and 1.02% is water. State Highway 25
serves as a main route in the community. State Highway 7
is in close proximity to the city.
of 2000, there were 554 people, 200 households, and 147 families residing in the city. The population density
was 572.0 people per square mile (220.5/km²). There were 205 housing units at an average density of 211.7 per square mile (81.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.56% White, 0.90% Asian, 0.54% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.17% of the population.
There were 199 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.8% were married couples
living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,125, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $34,375 versus $26,458 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,547. None of the families and 2.0% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 7.8% of those over 64.
On April 10, 1906, the village council passed a motion to rent four lots owned by the village called Thomas Slough, to be used for ball purposes.
Council support of the game continued in 1914, when it furnished the ball players with a canvas. At this time, the village received 10 percent of the gate receipts.
The Mayer Baseball Club was organized in the Depression years of the early 1930s.
There had been talk of having baseball in Mayer for years before. There were problems to overcome, however, such as there was no park to play on, and only three players from the Mayer area who played with the Young America team. Those players were Raymond and John Bleedorn, and Omar Hill.
In 1934, the city council, with the encouragement of the community, purchased three-plus acres of land from the Haueters. This land was located between Zion Lutheran School, and the Mayer Public School buildings.
Much work had to be done to make this area playable. The land needed a lot of fill, and much leveling.
All of this material and leveling was done by volunteers. Businessmen and farmers all pitched in to do their share.
Late in the fall of 1934, the field had been leveled and grass seeded. That fall the first baseball game was played.
A team of all-stars from neighboring towns banded together and challenged the Minneapolis Millers Barn Storming team of the American Association.
Some members of the area all-stars were: Harry Zellmann, Lenny Brawnworth, Ray Bleedorn, John Bleedorn, Walter Wagner, and Barny Wagner, just to name a few.
The Mayer Baseball team started league play in 1935. The competition was tough, and the talent was somewhat lacking, as some of the players had never played a game of baseball; and yes, some had never owned a baseball glove or baseball shoes.
By the late 1930s, the team got to be very competitive. Pitchers like Fifty Dela Hunt, Charlie Johnson, Einar Erickson, and Jessie Schwartz were some of the hired players, who were paid about $25 per game.
In 1939, the team quit hiring pitchers and Omar Hill was the regular from then through the early 1940s.
The baseball team establishes a strong tradition.
The Mayer Blazers has already established itself with a long and storied tradition of strong baseball in the Crow River Valley League.
Going back to 1943, the Mayer Blazers have made seven state tournament appearances.
Their strongest state tournament showing came in 1973, when they finished third.
Members of the 1973 state tournament Mayer team were: John Hoese and Randy Hoese, bat boys; Martin Rolf, Brad Wroge, Jim Henning, Harlan Baumann, Kevin Florek, Dale Hoeft, Bob Vinkemeier, Bill Stein, Ron Lehrke, Dave Lenz, Lowell Heldt, Dave Hoese, Darryl Gieselmann, Mark Meschke, Courtney Meyer, Mark Wabbe; Bob Schafer, statistician; and Ed Hoese, manager.
In 1945, Mayer took home second place honors in the Class A state tournament.
The members of that Mayer Blazers team were: Douglas Lenz, bat boy; Dave Gongoll, Harold Boehner, Ed Hoese, Charles Sell, Virgil Belter, Orville Koehler, Earl Gongoll, Martin Hoeft, Stanford Lenz, Harold Kuntz, Martin Rolf, Oscar Rolf, Ray Bleedorn, Gordon Hoese, Wilford Hasse, Douglas Dibb, Bob Karels, Raymond Kuntz, and Harold Kusske, manager.
The Blazers had a little bit of a drought throughout the 1980s, but were back and stronger than ever in the early 1990s, making three state tournament appearances – 1991, 1992, and 1995.
Hall of Famers
In 1976, Clarence Guetzkow was elected to the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition of his tireless allegiance to Mayer Baseball, the Crow River Valley League, and Minnesota Amateur Baseball as a whole.
Guetzkow is the lone member of the Hall of Fame from Mayer.
Odds and ends
• In 1974, Mayer, who in the off-season donned the nickname Blazers, earned their second trip to the state classic in as many years, but they bowed out in the opening round to the Winona Merchants 5-2 in St. Cloud.
• On Sept. 13, 1950, Mayer draftee Ed Hoese pitched Lester Prairie to a 5-0 win over Bloomington in the second round of the state tourney, in which they won the Class B title.
• In 1967, Bill Stein pitched the only no-hitter in Mayer history. It was a seven-inning gem in the first game of a twin bill against Norwood.
•The Blazers are currently managed by John Haller. They are led by three-time team MVP Nic Haller.
Carver County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 70,205 people, 24,356 households, and 18,778 families residing in the county. The population density was 197 people per square mile . There were 24,883 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, along the South Fork of the Crow River
Crow River (Minnesota)
The Crow River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in south-central Minnesota in the United States. It drains a watershed of 2,756 square miles .-Hydrography:The Crow River flows for most of its length as three streams:...
. The population was 1,749 at the 2010 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), of which, 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it is land and 1.02% is water. State Highway 25
Minnesota State Highway 25
Minnesota State Highway 25 is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with U.S. Highway 169 in Belle Plaine and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 210 in Brainerd.The route is in length....
serves as a main route in the community. State Highway 7
Minnesota State Highway 7
Minnesota State Highway 7 is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 28 and Big Stone County Road 1 near Beardsley and continues east to its eastern terminus at its interchange with State Highway 100 and Hennepin County Road 25 in St. Louis Park.For part of its...
is in close proximity to the city.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 554 people, 200 households, and 147 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 572.0 people per square mile (220.5/km²). There were 205 housing units at an average density of 211.7 per square mile (81.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.56% White, 0.90% Asian, 0.54% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.17% of the population.
There were 199 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,125, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $34,375 versus $26,458 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,547. None of the families and 2.0% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 7.8% of those over 64.
Mayer Blazers
The city of Mayer is the Home of the Mayer Blazers. Ball playing in Mayer has a history that goes back nearly 100 years, and has always been strongly supported by the community.On April 10, 1906, the village council passed a motion to rent four lots owned by the village called Thomas Slough, to be used for ball purposes.
Council support of the game continued in 1914, when it furnished the ball players with a canvas. At this time, the village received 10 percent of the gate receipts.
The Mayer Baseball Club was organized in the Depression years of the early 1930s.
There had been talk of having baseball in Mayer for years before. There were problems to overcome, however, such as there was no park to play on, and only three players from the Mayer area who played with the Young America team. Those players were Raymond and John Bleedorn, and Omar Hill.
In 1934, the city council, with the encouragement of the community, purchased three-plus acres of land from the Haueters. This land was located between Zion Lutheran School, and the Mayer Public School buildings.
Much work had to be done to make this area playable. The land needed a lot of fill, and much leveling.
All of this material and leveling was done by volunteers. Businessmen and farmers all pitched in to do their share.
Late in the fall of 1934, the field had been leveled and grass seeded. That fall the first baseball game was played.
A team of all-stars from neighboring towns banded together and challenged the Minneapolis Millers Barn Storming team of the American Association.
Some members of the area all-stars were: Harry Zellmann, Lenny Brawnworth, Ray Bleedorn, John Bleedorn, Walter Wagner, and Barny Wagner, just to name a few.
The Mayer Baseball team started league play in 1935. The competition was tough, and the talent was somewhat lacking, as some of the players had never played a game of baseball; and yes, some had never owned a baseball glove or baseball shoes.
By the late 1930s, the team got to be very competitive. Pitchers like Fifty Dela Hunt, Charlie Johnson, Einar Erickson, and Jessie Schwartz were some of the hired players, who were paid about $25 per game.
In 1939, the team quit hiring pitchers and Omar Hill was the regular from then through the early 1940s.
The baseball team establishes a strong tradition.
The Mayer Blazers has already established itself with a long and storied tradition of strong baseball in the Crow River Valley League.
Going back to 1943, the Mayer Blazers have made seven state tournament appearances.
Their strongest state tournament showing came in 1973, when they finished third.
Members of the 1973 state tournament Mayer team were: John Hoese and Randy Hoese, bat boys; Martin Rolf, Brad Wroge, Jim Henning, Harlan Baumann, Kevin Florek, Dale Hoeft, Bob Vinkemeier, Bill Stein, Ron Lehrke, Dave Lenz, Lowell Heldt, Dave Hoese, Darryl Gieselmann, Mark Meschke, Courtney Meyer, Mark Wabbe; Bob Schafer, statistician; and Ed Hoese, manager.
In 1945, Mayer took home second place honors in the Class A state tournament.
The members of that Mayer Blazers team were: Douglas Lenz, bat boy; Dave Gongoll, Harold Boehner, Ed Hoese, Charles Sell, Virgil Belter, Orville Koehler, Earl Gongoll, Martin Hoeft, Stanford Lenz, Harold Kuntz, Martin Rolf, Oscar Rolf, Ray Bleedorn, Gordon Hoese, Wilford Hasse, Douglas Dibb, Bob Karels, Raymond Kuntz, and Harold Kusske, manager.
The Blazers had a little bit of a drought throughout the 1980s, but were back and stronger than ever in the early 1990s, making three state tournament appearances – 1991, 1992, and 1995.
Hall of Famers
In 1976, Clarence Guetzkow was elected to the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition of his tireless allegiance to Mayer Baseball, the Crow River Valley League, and Minnesota Amateur Baseball as a whole.
Guetzkow is the lone member of the Hall of Fame from Mayer.
Odds and ends
• In 1974, Mayer, who in the off-season donned the nickname Blazers, earned their second trip to the state classic in as many years, but they bowed out in the opening round to the Winona Merchants 5-2 in St. Cloud.
• On Sept. 13, 1950, Mayer draftee Ed Hoese pitched Lester Prairie to a 5-0 win over Bloomington in the second round of the state tourney, in which they won the Class B title.
• In 1967, Bill Stein pitched the only no-hitter in Mayer history. It was a seven-inning gem in the first game of a twin bill against Norwood.
•The Blazers are currently managed by John Haller. They are led by three-time team MVP Nic Haller.