Dodge City Women's Bowling Association Collection

The Dodge City Women’s Bowling Association was founded on 12-28-1939. A separate men’s bowling association was also formed then. Both groups were formed just after the opening of the 20th Century Bowling Alley at 207 West Chestnut Street. The facility had four separate lanes that were attended by pin setters who manually returned the pins to position after being knocked down. The facility was first class for its time, and said to equal the best anywhere in the United States.

The first elected officers of the women’s association were as follows: President, Mildred Miles; Vice President, Leta Klien; Secretary, Vivian Clinton, and Treasurer, Alice Monical. The group was sanctioned by the Women’s International Bowling Congress, which made the participants eligible for regional and national competition. The DCWBA started with one league, eight teams, and about 50 members.

Participation by area women grew, and some women competed on multiple teams in additional leagues when they were formed. As of 1989, the 50th year of activity, the Women’s Bowling Association was involved with 17 women’s leagues, 7 mixed (men and women) leagues, and 506 active members. Along with the men’s leagues, the lanes were used every night of the week. There were also daytime leagues for shift workers, housewives, and retirees. In the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s two separate bowling alleys were operating successfully in Dodge City.

For time, at least in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, a newsletter titled “Ten Pin Chatter” was produced and distributed to members. In 1989 officers of the association were as follows: President, Vae Kreger; Vice President, Charlene Muilenburg; and Secretary-Treasurer Cathy Issac.

The DCWBA served as the host chapter for Kansas Women’s Bowling Association annual meeting on three occasions. Attendance at the first two meetings was affected by severe blizzards that occurred during or just before the meeting dates. Another meeting was scheduled for 1992, and the prevailing thought was that surely the third try was the charm.

After 1991, information regarding women’s bowling in Dodge City begins to become lesser known. The Dodge City Daily Globe was still publishing the scores of all bowling leagues in town as late as 2004. The leagues continued well past that date, although the only bowling alley in town closed down about 2020. It would seem likely that the women’s leagues, and thus the Dodge City Women’s Bowling Association, would have remained active at some level as long as a suitable venue was available.