Neil Churchill moved to Bismarck in 1919, joined the city team, and by 1926 became its manager. After briefly shifting the team to amateur status, he transformed Bismarck baseball forever in 1933 when he began recruiting top Negro League talent—including the legendary Satchel Paige.

Paige dominated the 1933 season, helping Bismarck claim the state title. Although he didn’t return in 1934, Churchill’s integrated roster defeated a team of major league all-stars preparing for an overseas tour, earning national attention.

The pinnacle came in 1935, when Paige returned and Bismarck fielded a fully integrated powerhouse. The team went 7–0 to win the first National Semi-Pro Baseball Championship in Wichita—the first national title ever won by an integrated team. Paige struck out a tournament-record 60 batters, and the team finished 60-19-3.

Their success was so groundbreaking that integrated teams were banned from future tournaments until after Jackie Robinson integrated MLB in 1947. Historians now view Churchill’s Bismarck club as a pivotal milestone on the path to baseball integration. Satchel Paige later called it the best team he ever saw.

Churchill retired after 1936, and semi-pro baseball wouldn’t return to Bismarck for nearly two decades—but the legacy of those teams continues to shape baseball history.

Between 1936 and 1955 a robust, competitive amateur league developed in Bismarck, and by 1955 interest in baseball was high enough for a group of local businessmen to approach the Park Board seeking support to use the municipal ballpark by a new semi-professional team.

Although there was some opposition by amateur players, the Park Board gave its approval, and after a “name the team” contest, the Barons began Bismarck’s second venture with semi-professional baseball.

The Barons played in the Man-Dak League, with the teams being composed of numerous former major and minor league stars, outstanding college players, and a handful of talented local players.

Perhaps the most prominent Bismarck player was Ray Dandridge who played on the 1955 team, hitting .360 with 118 hits, a league record.

From 1955 to 1957 the Barons compiled a 132-95 record, winning the league championship twice.  Although the level of play was skilled, the Barons and the Man-Dak League were beset from the outset with financial problems, and after the 1957 season, both the Barons and the League disbanded.

The Bismarck Pards began in 1962 as a Minnesota Twins Class C Northern League affiliate, finishing 60–62 and sending two players—Fred Lasher and Jerry Crider—to the majors. The league shifted to Class A in 1963, and the Pards went 56–63 while producing two long-term MLB players: Rich Reese (10 seasons) and Rudy May (19 seasons).

In 1964 the team struggled to a 39–80 record but featured future major leaguers Jim Ollom, Dave Boswell, and league MVP Andy Kosco. Kosco won the Triple Crown in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season.

After a one-year hiatus in 1965, the Pards returned in 1966 as a Houston Astros affiliate. Though they finished 16–47, the roster included seven future MLB players—most notably Tom Griffin, Roric Harrison, Wayne Twitchell, Scipio Spinks, and Fred Stanley, who later won three World Series with the Yankees.

The franchise folded after the 1966 season, but its brief run produced an impressive list of future big-league talent.

The Rattlers appeared briefly in 1995, playing in the unaffiliated, professional Prairie League, finishing the season with a 30-42 record. In 1996 the team compiled a 33-44 record.

Unable to capture the imagination of Bismarck fans, the team was beset by financial and management woes from the beginning, and it ceased operations following the 1996 season.

After the 1997 season, the league also dissolved.

American Legion baseball was organized nationally in 1925.

From 1945 through 2014, Bismarck has produced 12 state championship teams (1945, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1971, 1982, 1986, 1997, and 2014).

In addition, Bismarck teams have finished as the state runner-up 13 times.

Interest in American Legion baseball has been high through the years, and several dozen Legion graduates have gone on to play college baseball, and a handful have played in the high minor leagues as well as the major league.

Perhaps the most successful Legion team was the 1966 team, which won the state championship and reached the Northern Region Six championship game undefeated before falling twice to Enid, Oklahoma.

In 2013, the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District undertook a $1.5 million renovation project to improve seating and the ballpark’s atmosphere.

This addition added just over 1,000 stadium-style seats, a brand-new press box, concession outlet, and more.

In 2017, the Bismarck Larks joined the Northwoods League and took Bismarck by storm.

The Larks inaugural season went down as the BEST inaugural season in Northwoods League history. The Larks sold out 27 of 36 home games in 2017 (75%). This was unprecedented in summer collegiate baseball history.

The Larks invested in Dakota Community Bank and Trust Field. Through a matching grant from the Parks and Recreation District, the Larks added new stadium speakers, a walk-in cooler/freezer, upgraded electrical outlets, and additional group seating.

In 2019, the Larks and Parks and Recreation District installed a handicap-accessible deck along the right-field line called the Fireside Tailgate Area.

The seating features the Bravera Premium seats, the Pizza Ranch Bleachers, and the Petro Hunt Clubhouse.

The Larks also bring three unique concession areas to the ballpark with Clark’s Classics Stand, the Laughing Sun Lounge, and the Bud Light Beer Cage.

You’ll also notice a few other features, including Clark’s Closet, a 30×30 ft. walled tent that will showcase all the sweet Larks gear this season, as well as the CHI St. Alexius Health Family Fun Zone.

Located on the 3rd base side, the CHI St. Alexius Health Family Fun Zone features inflatables (bounce houses, basketball, etc.), Wiffle ball, and plenty of activities for kids.

In 2023, a new, state-of-the-art videoboard was added to left field, and in 2024, we implemented a POW/MIA chair to honor Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action, courtesy of H.A. Thompson & Sons.

The latest addition to the ballpark was in 2025. We worked with Bismarck Parks and Recreation to install turf and a batter’s eye to create an even playing field and improve the player experience.