Fort Recovery has been named the “Grand National Event of the Year” by NTPA competitors and organizations on a number of occasions. That event is scheduled for the last Friday and Saturday in July. Recently, the Ambassadors decided to focus their efforts toward one Grand National event. For many years the park hosted two national tractor pulls per summer. Documentaries have also been filmed at Ambassador Park. The events at the Fort have been filmed by Diamond P Sports and have also been shown on cable television and satellite on stations such as Spike (formerly the Nashville Network) and RFD TV. The best of the best compete at Fort Recovery. The modified tractors use a variety of engines and configurations. Events now include trucks, tractors and modified tractors. Since then, the sport has evolved in many ways. In 1973, the first sanctioned event was held with the National Tractor Pullers Association and continues to this day. The first years were considered farm pulls as local farmers would bring their farm tractors and try to prove which neighbor had the best tractor or what brand of tractor was the best.

With agriculture being the dominant industry in the area, the park was used in its early years for tractor pulls, which continue to this day. Over the years the Ambassadors have purchased five additional acres adjacent to the current land for a total of 52 acres. This area is bordered by the Wabash River, railroad tracks and state routes 49 and 119. Their mission statement is, “People of Fort Recovery Area Striving for a Better Tomorrow”.Ī committee of local business people took out a loan and purchased 47 acres of land on the north-west side of Fort Recovery. That was the formation of the Ambassador Club – a non-profit organization with no membership dues. Residents of the area who hosted the championship celebration decided that they needed a park for all ages to use. The formation of the Ambassador Club took place in 1971 when the boy’s basketball team won the state championship. The Ambassador Park may not be as old or quite or historic as the Monument or Stockades but it has been part of the history, of the past many years, of Fort Recovery.

Fort recovery tractor pulls