Frank Wade Municipal Stadium is a baseball park located near the intersection of Grand Avenue and 34th Avenue West in the West Duluth neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota. The stadium was built in 1941 and holds 4,200 people. It is the home of the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League and The College of St. Scholastica baseball team. “The Wade”, as it is sometimes called by fans, was also the home of the Duluth–Superior Dukes of the Northern League from 1993 until 2002, and the home of Dukes of the original Northern League from 1941 until 1970. Wade Stadium is noted for its high fences and the cool, damp weather generated by nearby Lake Superior.
In 1940, road crews removed 381,000 bricks from the surface of Grand Avenue and used them to construct the stadium. Those same bricks have held strong for over 75 years of harsh Duluth winters. In 2015 an astro-turf artificial surface and state-of-the-art drainage system, new lighting, and a new scoreboard were added to Wade Stadium. Currently, the Huskies are working with the city of Duluth, which owns the stadium, on gathering funds for another renovation project that would overhaul numerous sections of the stadium, both inside and out.
Wade Stadium housed the Duluth Dukes from 1941-1942 and 1946-1955, the Duluth-Superior Dukes from 1956-1970 and 1993-2002, and the Duluth Huskies from 2003-present. The Duluth Dukes were an American minor league baseball franchise in the Northern League. The Dukes were affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals until the 1950 season. They proceeded to play in the Northern League without being affiliated with a Major League team until 1954 when they signed an agreement with the Cincinnati Redlegs that lasted until 1955. The Dukes merged with their rival the Superior Blues in 1956 and played as the Duluth-Superior White Sox until 1960 when the Dukes name was reinstated making them the Duluth-Superior Dukes. In 1960, the Duluth-Superior Dukes started their affiliation with the Detroit Tigers. Then in 1965, they became affiliated with the Chicago Cubs and in 1967 with the Chicago White Sox. After the 1970 season the Northern League folded and Wade Stadium was left vacant. In 1993 the Northern League was reinstated with no Major League affiliates and the Duluth-Superior Dukes once again called Wade Stadium home.
After the 2002 season, the Dukes relocated and became the Kansas City T-Bones. However, this time Wade Stadium would not sit empty for long as the Duluth Huskies entered the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league, in 2003. Since 2003 the Huskies have called Wade Stadium home and play 36 home games throughout the summer. In addition, since 2000 Wade Stadium has been the home field for the College of St. Scholastica baseball team and is used by various other schools around the Duluth area.
Thanks to the success of the teams that have called Wade Stadium home, the Wade has seen 5 Minor League Titles (1956, 1961, 1963, 1969, 1970), 2 League Championships (1937, 1997), 6 Division Championships (Overall – 2004, 2018 Second-half – 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013), and 16 UMAC regular season and 16 UMAC post-season titles (2000-2016).