Ouray is famous for a number of reasons, from its residents to its mines and the profusion of historic sites. Today we’re going to shift our attention from places to people and take a look at someone who once called Ouray his home: professional baseball player Howard Ellsworth Wood.
Howard Ellsworth Wood is perhaps best known by his nickname “Smoky Joe”. Wood was born in Kansas City, Missouri but grew up in Ouray. He played his first baseball game as an amateur as a member of a team largely comprised of women known as the “Bloomer Girls”. It may seem unusual, but during this time it was common to have female teams with at least a single male player.
In 1908 at the age of eighteen, Wood joined the Boston Red Sox, but it wasn’t until 1911 when he managed to win over twenty games in a single season. In fact, he struck out a then whopping 23 batters during a single game. His impressive skills throwing incredible fastballs would earn Wood his famous nickname.
In 1912 Wood had his best season where he won more than thirty games. In his later years, he would go on to become a coach at prestigious Yale University. Wood passed away on July 27. 1985 and cemented his place in history after being selected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
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