American Indians in Arkansas Baseball

Legacies & Lunch November 2025

Archivist Erin Fehr will explore the history of off-reservation boarding schools, how that played into the introduction of baseball to American Indians, and their contributions to Arkansas minor league baseball.

American Indians learned to play baseball in off-reservation boarding schools and later turned their new skills into a profession by playing in minor leagues across the United States, including Arkansas. Immediately after World War I, the Little Rock Travelers and other small baseball teams in Arkansas employed several American Indian ball players on their teams. William Wano (Potawatomi) and Moses Yellow Horse (Pawnee) helped lead the Travelers to victory in 1920 as the Southern League Champions. Archivist Erin Fehr will explore the history of off-reservation boarding schools and how that played into the introduction of baseball to American Indians. She will also explore how World War I affected baseball in the United States and how its popularity surged after the war. 
  
Erin Fehr was born and raised in the Delta of eastern Arkansas, while celebrating her Yup’ik heritage. She is the assistant director and archivist at the Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She enjoys presenting on topics that challenge the stereotypes of American Indians and Alaska Natives. 

Legacies & Lunch is a hybrid program offering participants the opportunity to attend either in person or virtually via Zoom. To participate in person, join us at - NEW LOCATION - UA Little Rock Downtown (333 President Clinton Ave). Parking is available in the surface lot or the CALS Parking Deck which you can access from Rock Street. Parking will be validated. Bring your lunch; we will provide drinks and cookies. To participate virtually, register for the webinar using the button above. This program will be live-streamed to YouTube and the recording will be available immediately following the event.

Legacies & Lunch is a free monthly program of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies about Arkansas-related topics.

Past Legacies & Lunch Events