Mickey Charles Mantle was born in nearby Spavinaw, Oklahoma. In 1950 he played shortstop for the Joplin Miners, a Western Association minor league team affiliated with the New York Yankees. Mantle played one full season with the Miners, earning $225 per month and hitting 26 home runs. In 1951 he was called up to play for the New York Yankees. He was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. In 1957 Mickey Mantle1s Holiday Inn Motor Lodge opened for business on Range Line.