State Historical Society of Iowa

The Buxton Wonders, c. 1900

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The Buxton Wonders were an all-black baseball team that traveled across the country to play.

Description

The Buxton Wonders were an all-black baseball team, from Buxton, Iowa,  that was famous for barnstorming in the early 1900s when professional sports were segregated. The team traveled around the country to play. When Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball the team was sold.

Full Transcript of The Buxton Wonders, c. 1900

Source-Dependent Questions

  • The Buxton Wonders baseball team existed because national sports were segregated until the 1940s. Why would groups of people who were denied access to sports form their own leagues? 
  • What does that say about sports unifying communities of people?
  • The back of this image talks about how Buxton Wonders excel at baseball. Read through the text and discuss why such effusive language was used to describe the team.