Northwestern League

The Northwestern League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1883–1884, and again from 1886-1887.[1] It was founded by Elias Matter in 1883.

History

1883-1884

The original teams in the Northwestern League were the Peoria Reds, the Toledo Blue Stockings, the Fort Wayne Hoosiers, the Saginaw Greys, and teams from Bay City, Michigan; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Quincy, Illinois; and Springfield, Illinois. The Blue Stockings won the championship.

In 1884, teams from Evansville, Indiana; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Muskegon, Michigan; St. Paul, Minnesota; Stillwater, Minnesota; Terre Haute, Indiana; and Winona, Minnesota joined the league. The new teams included the original Minneapolis Millers. Springfield and Toledo had left the league after the 1883 season.

Bay City disbanded from the league on July 22, and started a chain reaction. Evansville left on July 30, and Grand Rapids and Muskegon followed suit on August 2. The season ended when the Millers disbanded on September 3. St. Paul and Milwaukee left for the Union Association on September 27.

1886-1887

In 1886, the league was recreated when teams from Duluth, Minnesota; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; St. Paul, Minnesota, Milwaukee, and Oshkosh, Wisconsin were added to the league.

In 1887, teams from Des Moines, Iowa; La Crosse, Wisconsin; and St. Paul joined the Northwestern League. Only 2 teams had left the league. Oshkosh won the championship.

The Northwestern league was disbanded after the 1887 season, and replaced by the Western Association.[1]

Other classifications

The Northwestern League also operated in other classifications between 1879 and 1917:

Years/Teams

[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thornly, Stew (2006). Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History. ISBN 978-0-87351-551-1.
  2. ↑ Baseball Reference – Northwestern League (B) Encyclopedia and History