Colt Stadium
Home of the former Houston Colt 45s (1962-1964)

ALL STAR GAMES: none

Houston received one of the National League's two new expansion franchises in 1962, and the "Colt 45s" became the first major league team based in a former Confederate state. Colt Stadium was one of those short-lived "mystery" stadiums associated with abrupt relocations and expansions, and I never saw a photo of it (or Sick's Stadium in Seattle) until very recently when I browsed the www.ballparks.com Web site. It was a rudimentary, featureless single-deck ballpark distinguished only by its very long field dimensions. For some odd reason, there was no roof to protect fans from the extremely hot south Texas afternoons.

Not only was Colt Stadium hot, it was also plagued by mosquitos, and the difficulty in attracting fans to such an unbearable venue was a prime motivation behind the construction of the climate-controlled Astrodome right next door. The "Colt 45s" moved out of Colt Stadium after the 1964 season and moved into the space-age Astrodome, changing their name to fit their new home. In the early 1970s Colt Stadium was dismantled and moved to the city of Gomez Palacio, in northern Mexico.

SOURCES: Lowry (1992)

Vox populi: Fans' impressions

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