Puyallup Team Beats Tacoma
A Fourth of July baseball game sees a resounding victory for the Puyallup team over their white opponents.
In the base ball game between the Tacoma nine (of whites) and the Puyallup nine (of Indians) on the 4th of July, the Indians beat their opponents 37 to 10. The Ledger says: 'The Indians played a remarkably good game, and it was evident in the second inning that the whites were no match for them. Their playing was graceful and uniform, while they rarely made a misplay. The men who played on the opposite side will have to practice a great many times before they can afford the Indians ordinary amusement in the base ball line. The Indian boys are to be commended upon their gentlemanly behavior during the progress of the game.'
“It was evident in the second inning that the whites were no match for them.”
This report highlights a brief moment of public recognition for Indigenous excellence in the Pacific Northwest, though framed through the casual racial paternalism typical of the 1880s press.
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