The American Roque League · est. 1917
the game of the century
Croquet, made scientific. Played on a hard sanded court ringed by a solid wall, with ten steel arches, two stakes, and four balls — roque rewards the bank shot, the long roquet, and a cool head. Here is its illustrated description, and its rules in full.
What the game is
Where croquet is played on open grass, roque is played inside a permanent wall you can bank the ball against — which is exactly what makes it a game of angles.
The illustrated description
These are the description pages as they appeared — the court, the equipment, the strokes, and the order of play, one plate at a time.
“Roque, the most scientific outdoor sport in existence.”
How it came to America
Croquet has had a very undulating course. It was the popular game of the Royal families of France more than two centuries ago and a little later it became the game of the kings and queens of England. Later it was absolutely lost sight of as a sport except in parts of Ireland where it was kept alive. About 1850 it recrossed the Irish Sea and soon became the most popular outdoor sport in England.
It was little known in America before the year 1870 when for a decade it was played in almost every section of the country, but without organization. At a meeting of representatives from seven clubs, held in New York City on October 4, 1882, the National Croquet Association was organized and the first tournament was held. In 1899 Mr. Samuel Crosby, of New York City, suggested that the letters "C" and "T" be taken from the word "croquet,' thus forming the name "Roque", that the name of the organization be changed to the National Roque Association, and that the game be made thoroughly scientific. Space does not permit the mention of the names of the many men who figured prominently and gave their time and money in the interest of the Association. But as a result of their contributions we have Roque, the most scientific outdoor sport in existence.
The AMERICAN ROQUE LEAGUE was incorporated in the State of Illinois on August 20, 1917.
Its constituent members had been organized since 1911 as the Western Roque Association (not inc.), and this, in turn, was successor to the original Western Roque Association founded at Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1902. On August 20, 1920, the National Association of America, at its Annual Tournament in Norwich, Conn., by a unanimous vote, united with the American Roque League, as its Eastern Division and adopted the Rules of the League as hereinafter printed. By this action all Roque interests in America were brought together into one organization. The object of the American Roque League is to popularize the game of Roque in America, and pursuant to that end the co-operation of all concerned is solicited.
Fifteen points win a game — each arch run in order, both ways, and the turning stake struck. The League's own scorecard tracked the red, white, blue, and black balls around the court.
Where roque lives on
Roque peaked as America's “scientific” lawn sport in the early 1900s — it was even an Olympic exhibition event in 1904. By 2004 the American Roque & Croquet Association suspended its national tournaments, entries down to single figures. But the game did not vanish.
The village of Angelica, in Allegany County, is widely believed to be the only place in the country where roque is still played on a regular basis. The court sits in Angelica Park Circle, in the center of the village green, and the championship is contested every first weekend of August during the town's Heritage Days festival — a tradition players trace back through residents who learned the game by watching their elders in the 1950s.
Founded in 1885 on the bluffs above the Mississippi near Elsah, this gated summer Chautauqua is one of the last resorts where roque was part of everyday summer life — its two courts sat near the old administration building, in reach of the pavilion and the spring-fed pool. What follows is one family's memory of those summers.
A remembrance
Chautauqua, Illinois is where the Frauenthals and Kings had their summer cottages. Grandpa Ed and Grandma Lilian Frauenthal had the cottage where Alice, mom and I stayed. The Kings had a cottage near the end of a road whose name I can't remember. Aunt Ann and Uncle Harold met in Chautauqua, I believe.
Who can forget those idyllic summer days where we played roque, threw horse shoes, played tennis, took fencing classes, and swam every day till we shriveled up. The favorite swimming pastime was a game called “shark.”
The children's day pageant was always a highlight with a big parade. On the fourth of July there was a big fireworks display by the Mississippi River. Chautauqua was nestled between two very high bluffs; it felt very protected, with a visitors' gate at one end and the river at the other end. It was surprising that the Air Force named this place as a finalist for the Air Force Academy — it seemed such an unlikely choice.
Most nights we went to the semi-outdoor theater where they had free popcorn, free movies and a community sing. The theater was open on three sides and the kids usually sat up in the front rows. The theater was also the non-denominational Sunday School and a place for plays and musicals.
The town was fed water by an incredible artesian spring that came from the bluffs. It was definitely a “power spot.”
New Piasa Chautauqua · 12552 Alton Avenue, Elsah, IL 62028
Read every rule
Twelve articles and ninety rules — the court, the equipment, the playing line, fouls, roquet and croquet, and how a game is won.
Open the rulebook
ROQUE