A good football game has long stimulated the interest of many local Caney Valley fans. In the early days the playing field was usually a cow pasture and active fans had to run along or stand on the sidelines.  There was no stadium with tiered seats or rest rooms. Only the football game's action that brought excitement and at other times, grief.

In August 1908 a call went out to the community for volunteers to try out for a Caney City football team. This resulted in about twenty men gathering at a local auto garage and electing officers. The city team played Coffeyville, Bartlesville, Chanute, Cherryville and Independence. But still no High School team. The CHS faculty and board of education considered football to be a brutal game unfit for the school. It wasn't until 1915 that football became a part of Caney High School athletics.

In 1937 the great depression was on and money and jobs were hard to come by. However, there was a new government program called Works Progress Administration or just WPA. Once a municipal project was approved by the WPA the government would provide funds for labor and materials. The idea was to help the local unemployed during a downturn of the economy.

The Caney Shool Board appointed a committee and a resoultion was prepared for voter of the Caney school district to vote $1,200 in bonds for the project. A city election was held April 5, 1937 and all wards, including the outlying territory gave the bonds a favorable majority.

Eight months later the project was approved with the condition that the design plans include lights for night playing, a high stone fence, concrete bleachers and some other improvements. This increased the cost of the project to $40,000. The cost to Caney would be approximately $4,000. with the WPA picking up the balance. A second bond election took place on December 16, 1937 for the $4000 bond. The bond passed.

In early August 1938 the stadium contruction began with the transportation of rock and sand for the stadium foundation. Due to a shortage of stone masons, the work moved slowly. During the following months, as constrruction continued, it was evident that some items had been left out of the design plans. No dressing rooms were being built and no money had been provided for clearing of the grounds, fencing or constructing the actual playing field.

The Caney board of education initiated a community information program in March, 1939 to justify another bond issue for an additional $3345 with an additional $8969 in federal funds. On April 5, 1939 a Caney city election was held with the stadium bonds being one of the important issues on the ballot. The bond was passed. In June 1939 work was renewed on the athletic stadium project.

On October 27, 1939 the new stadium was dedicated by A.T. Jones, Presidnet of the Board of Education. He spoke to an overflow crowd. Mr. Jones, stated, "the school had issued bondsin the amount of $7,401.64 and the government had spent $44.969. making the field and stadium cost $52.370.64."

Since the completion, almost 70 years ago, the stadium has contributed to our school system and community.