Guss Schmiedt literally helped create one of Manteca’s earliest football fields.

It was Schmiedt – who served for more than 40 years on the old Manteca Union High School District board – who used his tractor and organized others to improve the playing field for the Manteca High Buffaloes when it was located a bit to the west and closer to Garfield Avenue.

It was only fitting that in 1959 when the present-day football field was developed it was named in Schmiedt’s honor.

The aging 64-year-old stadium that carries’ Schmiedt’s name — along with the football fields at East Union and Lathrop high schools — is targeted for upgrades based on safety, water, runoff, and address other deficiencies.

But unlike the two other fields that are much newer, the cost of upgrades to the Manteca High complex will be significant.

The big cost item will be replacements the lighting that no longer  meets state standards.

As a result, the Manteca High stadium project could exceed $2 million — a far cry from the minimal spent more than 80 years ago when Schmiedt gathered farmers who used their equipment to create the predecessor to the current Buffalo football stadium.

Work specific to the Manteca High stadium includes

*replacing the 1,000-seat visitors’ bleachers

*a possible alternate add-on of 22 feet of netting over an 8-foot chain link fence between the southern end of the stadium and an adjoining mobile home park.

*installing 650 linear feet of 8-foot chain link fence elsewhere with a possible alternative to that of a masonry wall instead.

*installing 1,145 linear feet of linear chain link fence or the alternate of a wrought iron security fence

*proposed replacement facilities for high jump, triple/long jump, pole vault, shot put and discus

*an existing building on the northeast edge of the stadium to be repurposed as team rooms.

*new ticket booth/restroom building as well as a picnic/pop up tent area.

*a proposed scoreboard and flag pole.

 Schmiedt was among the early boosters of a high school. Up until 1920, anyone who wanted to attend high school from the South County had to travel to Stockton.

The creation of a high school district encompassing the communities of Manteca, Lathrop and French Camp had been discussed for 20 years but was abandoned repeatedly because critics contended the cost would be too high.

Even when the community finally was getting ready to pursue an election, an intense debate broke out whether the high school should be located in Lathrop – which was larger at the time – or in Manteca. Efforts to agree on a more central location failed.

Finally on May 19, 1920 an election took place to create the district. Nineteen men of the community borrowed enough money on their own to construct temporary wooden buildings on the site that now houses Manteca High.

The first board election was conducted in 1920. Among those securing seats was Schmiedt, Eva Patterson, Ed Powers, L.L. Miller, and P.L. Wisdom.

The new school – designed in classic California mission style – was dedicated on Dec. 23, 1921. The first graduating class of 1923 consisted of 10 students.

The original dedication program for Guss Schmeidt Field noted Schmeidt had served since 1937 as board president. In his first four decades of board servcie Schmeidt attended about 1,100 school board meetings and traveled “over 14,000 miles in attending these meetings — all at no expense to the district” according to the program.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, e-mail dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com