November 21, 2002 1931 Canadian Horseshoe Pitchers Yearbook
1931 Dominion of Canada Horseshoe Pitchers Association Yearbook

This very rare publication is now made available more than 71 years after its publication. You can download the two parts that are in PDF format, and save them on your hard disk (the two parts can then be joined in the same document if you want). The quality of the pictures is not too good but it is our intention to eventually include a good copy of them in a separate document for you to enjoy. Here are the parts you can download (before you do so, you're invited to read the following text): Here is an excerpt from the History of Horseshoe Pitching in Canada (page 38):

The 1931 Dominion of Canada Horseshoe Pitchers’ Association Year Book, the first of its kind, covered the 1930 season. It contained the official rules and general information (player and volunteer profiles).

Though it is not mentioned, we can conclude, by looking at the numerous ads included (from the Kitchener-Waterloo region), that one of the main individuals behind that great work was Albert Berscht, secretary-treasurer of the association.

Copies of the book were likely sent to newspapers as we ran on an article, by accident, in the Regina Leader Post on Friday July 31, 1931 where the sports editor had just received a copy! The article was titled “Horseshoe Men Have YearBook” and stated “the manual fully describes the remarkable strides made by the game within the past few years. Complete with pictures of some of the leading men behind the sport in Eastern canada, the book contains 48 pages, bound in a blue cover, and copies can be obtained free by all players if the secretary of their club applies for them to Albert Berscht, secretary-treasurer of the Dominion body, at Wellesley, Ontario.” Very few copies exist today. Saskatoon’s Jack Adams had one (probably got it from his dad who got it from P. Campbell, Saskatoon horseshoe fan and promoter). Kelly Riley, son of Stanley Riley, and chief of the Chippewa Band Council in 1997, has a copy too.



Back to Main Page