HUMBOLDT — A movement is afoot to transform Humboldt’s Walter Johnson Athletic Field.
A small but dedicated group of individuals have big dreams for the property, originally built in 1936 under the supervision of the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression.
The seven-acre site, surrounded by a rock wall made from local limestone, has largely remained unused since 2014, when USD 258 athletics relocated to its sports complex east of town.
Generations of Humboldt High students played football and baseball at Walter Johnson Field. Recently, Monarch Cement Co., which now owns the property, completed electric, sewer and water upgrades.
But the fields of dreams have largely stayed dormant.
Until now.
“Everyone in town has a story about this place,” said Humboldt’s Hiram Raby, looking out on the fields during a visit to the complex earlier this month. Raby is a founding member of The Johnson-Sweatt Foundation, a newly formed nonprofit that’s seeking to remake Walter Johnson Field into a state-of-the-art athletic complex.
“We’re trying to honor those stories and help build new ones,” added Chris Kolb, also of Humboldt, who along with Raby is leading the way. Together, they are working to write the storied field’s next chapter.
What’s it look like? Think big.
A full-sized soccer field where the football field sits. Another smaller soccer field to replace the old baseball diamond. A new baseball diamond would be in the field’s northwest corner. New lighting, entryways, and improved bathrooms and concessions would be the finishing touches.
The cornerstone of the project is a vast multi-sport indoor facility to be constructed behind the football field’s existing grandstand. Preliminary plans place it at 150 feet wide, 300 feet long, and 30 feet tall.
“It will have indoor batting cages with pitching machines, pitching lanes, and a big multi-purpose area to practice soccer, football, track, and other sports,” said Kolb.
The group envisions connecting the structure to the bleachers. Inside the structure, plans also call for a museum of sorts, a place to celebrate the legacy of local athletes and inspire the next generation.
Members of The Johnson-Sweatt Foundation, which also include Whitney Martin, Kyle Lucas and Raby’s wife, Barbra Raby, estimate the total project will cost as much as $20 million.
Local attorney Jacob Manbeck has helped the group file paperwork to officialize its status as a 501(c)(3). Kolb has begun working with A Bolder Humboldt to explore grant opportunities, and he’s also reached out to former Iolan Allie Utley, who continues to work on celebrating local baseball legends.
Others have been key to getting the project off the ground, Kolb stressed. He mentioned former Iola High School baseball coach Levi Ashmore.
