Siloam Springs Travelers : Minor League Baseball in our backyard

Each summer from 1935 to 1938 Siloam Springs had a semi-professional baseball team called the Siloam Springs Travelers.

In 1936, the Arkansas State League evolved to become the Class D level Arkansas-Missouri League, as the league expanded to six teams.

1936 Arkansas - Missouri League Championship team

Front Row : Ray Powell (Manager), Lefty Robinson, Carl Reich, Bob Ludwig, John Murray, Bobby Neighbors, Thurman Tucker

Back Row : Bill Werner, Dick Bohl, Woody Tone, Kermit Lewis, Andy Sinay, Mike Gore, Pat Ralsh, Jim Nicely, Cliff Neighbors, Clint Raper, Bob Henry (President)

Former major leaguer Raymond Powell took on the role as manager, and in 1936 the Travelers ended the regular season record of 74–44, to finish with the best overall record in the league. They went on to win the league championship that year.

Club President Bob Henry and

Manager Ray Powell

Powell was an outfielder in the Major Leagues from 1913-1924, playing for the Detroit Tigers and Boston Braves.

Notable players include:

Bob Neighbors (St. Louis Browns)

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Bob, like many, enlisted in the armed forces. His military service began in 1942 with the Army Air Force.

During the Korean War, Air Force Major Neighbors with the 13th Bomb Squadron of the 3rd Bomb Group was a B-26 Invader pilot.

Neighbors’ wife, Kitty, was advised by the War Department that his plane was damaged by enemy fire during a night bombing mission on Aug. 8, and that the crew reported they were bailing out over enemy territory.

Officially listed as missing in action and presumed dead, Neighbors’ body has never been recovered.

His legacy as a hard-working ballplayer and a hero off it, however, remains intact.

Thurman Tucker

(Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians)

Tucker hit very well during the first month of 1944 while with the Chicago White Sox. He had a .403 batting average on May 16, which led the American League.

His hitting and fielding abilities impressed critics: sportswriter Fred Lieb noted him as a breakout performer that year.

He was then added to the 1944 All-Star roster.

On January 27, 1948, Tucker was traded to the Cleveland Indians; the Indians front office regarded Tucker as "the finest defensive player in baseball."

He finished the season with a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000. Tucker participated in game six of the 1948 World Series, scoring a run in the sixth inning on a walk en route to a 4–3 win for the Indians.

Herman Reich ( Chicago Cubs )

Reich has the rare distinction of being part of three transactions in his only major league season. He appeared in three games with the Cleveland Indians (1) and Washington Senators (2) before joining the Chicago Cubs, all during 8 days. He became the regular first baseman for the Cubs and also was among the team's nine right fielders.

1938 team

The Siloam Springs minor league teams hosted minor league home games at Smiley Park.

The ballpark site was located at the present site of Northside Elementary School.