Site Record
Metadata
Site# |
103 |
Site Name |
Rigby Park |
Description |
Rigby Park was a one-mile trotting park located between what is now the modern day areas of Rigby Yard and Wainwright Fields. The track was considered the fastest track east of the Mississippi – due in part to the fact that it was a one-mile oval rather than the half-mile tracks that were common at the time, and also due to the method in which it was built. The track design and construction was undertaken by Seth Griffin. His construction technique included laying turf squares on their sides in the bed, with loam spread over the top, providing for a soft and springy surface. The track’s Grand Opening took place on October 3, 1893. Throughout most of its years of operation, the track ran at a financial deficit, funded by several Maine businesspeople including its president, George Burnham, Jr., of the Burnham & Morrill Company (B & M). To boost revenue at the track, Rigby Park hosted the New England Fair, from 1895 to 1898, but the agricultural fair did not produce enough revenue to bring financial success to the track. The financial issues which plagued Rigby Park were attributed at the time to lack of attendance from a public that did not condone the gambling and sale of alcohol at the park. After only six years of operation, the final races being held in 1899, the trotting park was boarded up for good in 1900. The various buildings, stables and impressive grandstand were demolished in 1903. The site today has reverted to a boggy, wooded state, but due to the shape of the land and the different vegetation growth over the track itself, it is still possible to see where the track was located via satellite images. The area where Rigby Park was located would later be taken over by the Portland Terminal Company to use as part of its Rigby Yard railroad facility. |
