The construction of the Kinsmen Memorial Stadium began in 1945 as a tribute to the fallen of World War II. It was built on the corner of 18th Street and Victoria Avenue and was later turned over to the City of Brandon for operation in 1955.
1949 Manitoba Snapshots, courtesy of Western Canada Baseball
The Brandon Greys played in the stadium. The team’s line-up featured a who’s who of local baseball talent, along with imported players like Al Lynons, Dee Moore, Charles “Mule” Peete, Lou Tost and Dewey Williams, who would go on to play in the big leagues.
Floodlights were eventually installed at the stadium, making it one of the finest places to play baseball in western Manitoba. There is some disagreement about when the first game was played under the lights, but estimates suggest that it was either June 21st or 22nd of 1949.
The stadium would host the World Youth Baseball Championships in 1991 and 1994. The stadium was also home to track and field, football, and soccer competitions.
In 2011, the Kinsmen Memorial Stadium was dismantled to make way for Brandon University’s new Healthy Living Center. A plaque hangs in the Healthy Living Center to honour the stadium.