The Butte Miners were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

franchise based in

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the 2 ...

. Butte minor league teams played as members of the Montana State League (1892, 1900),

Pacific Northwest League The Pacific Northwest League was a professional Minor League Baseball league based in the Pacific Northwest. It was the first professional baseball league ever in the region. History Founding The Pacific Northwest League was founded in 1890. In ...

(1902), Pacific National League (1903–1904), Montana State League (1905),

Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for six seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, 1886–1887, and 1891. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by t ...

(1906–1908), Inter-Mountain League (1909), Montana State League (1909),

Union Association The Union Association was an American professional baseball league which competed with Major League Baseball, lasting for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelv ...

(1911–1914), Northwestern League (1916–1917) and Montana State League (1925). Butte hosted home minor league games at the Mt. Columbia Grounds.

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

member

Joe McGinnity Joseph Jerome McGinnity (March 20, 1871 – November 14, 1929) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the late 19th and early 20th century. McGinnity played in MLB for ten years, pitching for the National League's ...

was a player/manager of the Butte Miners in 1916 and 1917.

History

Montana State League 1892, 1900

Minor league baseball began in Butte, Montana in 1892. The Butte team played as members of the newly formed Class B level Montana State League. The

Bozeman Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...

, Great Falls Smelter Cities,

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer * Saint Helena (disambiguation), this includes places Places Greece * Helena ...

Missoula Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot River, Bitterroot and Blackfoot River (Montana), ...

and Philipsburg Burgers teams joined Butte in league play. Playing as charter members in the Montana State League, Butte finished as the 1892 Montana State League Champions. The league played a split–season schedule, with Butte capturing the first–half title and Missoula winning the second–half title, while Helena had the best overall record, but missed the playoff. Butte finished with a 26–22 overall record, playing under manager Jim Powell. Powell had moved to Butte to work as manager of Maguire’s Opera House after his major league career. As Butte won the first–half championship and Missoula won the second–half title, Butte was awarded the overall championship after Helena reportedly forfeited the playoff series over complaints regarding money and umpiring. The Montana State League folded after the 1892 season. The Montana State League reformed in 1900 under the direction of president William Henry Lucas. The Butte Smoke Eaters were a member of the four–team league, along with the Anaconda Serpents, Great Falls Indians and Helena Senators. The 1900 Bute Smoke Eaters ended the season with a 30–40 record, placing fourth and last in the Montana State League. The Butte Smoke Eaters were again managed by Jim Powell. The Montana State League did not return to play in 1901.

Pacific Northwest/National League 1902–1904 / Montana State League 1905

The Butte Miners became members of the Class B level

in 1902 and won the first of back–to–back championships. In 1902, Butte finished 1st with a 73–47 record, playing under manager

John McCloskey John McCloskey (March 10, 1810 – October 10, 1885) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who served as the first American-born Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his ...

. The Pacific Northwest League had no playoffs and Butte won the championship based on the final league standings. The Butte Miners finished 3.0 games ahead of the second place Seattle Clamdiggers in the six–team league. Seattle (70–50) was followed by the Helena Senators (65–54), Portland Webfoots (58–62),

Tacoma Tigers Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mou ...

(48-72) and Spokane Smoke Eaters (46–75) in the final standings. The Butte Miners won a second consecutive league championship in 1903. The Butte franchise continued play as the Pacific Northwest League became a Class A level league and was renamed the Pacific National League, expanding to eight teams. In the era, Class A was the highest level of minor league baseball. Playing under managers Jerry Kane and

Walt Wilmot Walter Robert Wilmot (October 18, 1863 – February 1, 1929) was an American professional baseball player. He played all or parts of 10 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Washington Nationals (1888–89), Chicago Colts (1890–95), and New ...

, Butte ended the season with a 85–62 record, finishing 4.5 games ahead of the second place

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Co ...

(82–68) as only four teams finished the season. They were followed by the Seattle Chinooks (78–71) and Portland Green Gages/ Salt Lake City Elders (56–91). The Helena Senators (40–62) and

(46–60) both disbanded on August 16, 1903. The

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

(65–42) and San Francisco Pirates (56–52) disbanded August 21, 1903. The 1904 Pacific National League continued play as a four–team Class B level league and Butte finished in third place. The Butte Miners ended the season with a 54–75 record under manager Walt Wilmot, finishing the season 27.0 games behind the champion Boise Fruit Pickers. The 1904 Butte team was also called the Butte Fruit Pickers by some references. Butte played in the 1905 four–team Montana State League, which operated as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

level league. Great Falls, Helena and Missoula were the other members. No 1905 Montana State League standings are known.

Northwestern League 1906–1908

In 1906, the Butte Miners became members of the Class B level

, where they would continue play for the next four seasons. The Butte Miners finished with a 43–42 record, placing second under manager Charles McIntyre. Butte finished 8.5 games behind the first place

, no playoffs were held. On July 29, 1906, Butte Miners pitcher Oscar Bandelin threw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

in a 15–0 victory over the

. The Butte Miners finished in fourth place in the 1907 Northwestern League. The Miners ended the season with a 70–73 record under manager Russ Hall. Butte finished 18.5 games behind the 1st place Aberdeen Black Cats in six–team league final standings. The 1908 Butte Miners played their final Northwestern League season. Butte finished with a 63–73 record, playing again under Russ Hall. The Miners were in fifth place, 16.5 games behind the first place Vancouver Beavers.

1909 Inter-Mountain League, Montana State League / Union Association 1911–1914

In 1909, the Butte Miners played in two leagues. Butte first began the season becoming charter members of the Class D four–team Inter-Mountain League. On July 25, 1909, the Miners were in third place with a 21–36 record when the Inter-Mountain League disbanded. The Butte manager in 1909 was

John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...

. After the league folded, Butte switched leagues and played as members of the Montana State League for the remainder of the 1909 season. Finishing 20–31 in the Montana State League, Butte joined franchises from

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

, Helena and Salt Lake, Utah in the 1909 Montana State League portion of the season. The six–team

was formed in 1911, with William Henry Lucas again leading a new league. The Butte Miners were charter members of the Class D league. The 1911 Butte Miners ended the season in third place with a 77–60 record under manager John McCloskey, finishing 13.5 games behind the first place Great Falls team. In 1912, the Butte Miners placed 5th in the six–team Union Association. The Miners had a 53–82 record under managers Charles McCaffery and Jesse Stovall, finishing 30.5 games behind first place Missoula. On July 23, 1912, Butte pitcher

Wheezer Dell William George "Wheezer" Dell (June 11, 1886 – August 24, 1966) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher in 1912 and 1915–1917. Dell pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Robins The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League B ...

threw a

in a 1–0 Miners victory over the Ogden Canners. The Butte Miners placed third in the 1913 Union Association standings. Butte finished with a 54–64 record under managers Arthur Merkle and Frank Kafora, ending 23.0 games behind the champion

Great Falls Electrics The Great Falls Electrics were a minor league baseball team that operated out of Great Falls, Montana. The team was formed in 1911 as part of the old Union Association league. They also played in the Northwestern League from 1916 to 1917. The te ...

. The 1914 Union Association permanently folded on August 5, 1914. Butte was in third place with a 44–40 record under manager Ducky Holmes when the league disbanded. The top two teams in the Union Association standings, the Ogden Canners and

Salt Lake City Skyscrapers In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as ro ...

played out their 1914 seasons, with 16 games against each other. Butte had been 7.0 games behind Salt Lake City for 2nd place when the league folded.

Northwestern League 1916–1917

The 1916 Butte Miners returned to minor league play as members of the Class B level Northwestern League.

member

was the player/manager for the 1917 Butte Miners. Butte finished with a 68–59 record, placing second in the league, 11.0 games behind the champion

. McGinnity had a 20–13 record, while pitching 291 innings for Butte at age 45. In 1917, Joe McGinnity again managed the Butte Miners, but did not pitch. The 1917 Miners had a final record of 31–38. Butte placed fifth in the Northwestern League final standings playing under managers, Hall of Famer McGinnity and Cliff McCarl. The Miners finished 10.0 games behind the first place

in the final standings, as the 1917 league season was shortened to July 15, 1917 with National Association approval.

Final Seasons

Butte played the 1925 season in the Independent level Montana State League. No standings or statistics are available for the 1925 league. Butte was without minor league baseball until the 1978

Butte Copper Kings In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French word , meaning ' ...

began play ias members of the Pioneer League. Butte hosted a franchise in the Pioneer League from 1978 to 1985 and again from 1987 to 2000.

The ballpark

Beginning in 1900, Butte minor league teams played at the Mt. Columbia Grounds. The ballpark was located on site of the

Columbia Gardens (amusement park) The Columbia Gardens (1899–1973) was an amusement park in Butte, Montana, established by copper king William A. Clark and later owned and maintained by Anaconda Copper. During its 74 years of operation, it was the only major amusement park i ...

in Butte. The Butte Electric Railway Company provided rail service to Columbia Gardens. Built in 1899, the Columbia Gardens were dismantled in 1973.

Timeline

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
alumni

(1916–1917, MGR) Inducted, 1947

Notable alumni

(1909, MGR) * Moose Baxter (1906) * Ben Beville (1900) * Rudy Bell (1907) * Jack Brennan (1892) * Ed Bruyette (1907) * Eddie Burke (1900) * Dad Clarke (1900, 1904) * George Crable (1906) * Jim Cook (1904) * Ira Davis *

(1905, 1909, 1912) *

George Dickerson George Graf Dickerson, Jr. (July 25, 1933 – January 10, 2015) was an American actor, writer, and poet. Biography Dickerson was born July 25, 1933, in Topeka, Kansas, to George Graf Dickerson, a lawyer, and Elizabeth Dickerson (née Naumann) ...

(1917) * Pete Dowling (1902–1903, 1904) *

Carl Druhot Carl A. "Collie" Druhot (September 4, 1881 – February 5, 1918) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1906 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1906 and 1907. References External links Carl Druhotat SABR Sa ...

(1911–1912) * Tom Fitzsimmons (1916) *

Ned Garvin Virgil Lee GarvinGarvin is known as Ned in most modern references, but sources frequently used his given name during his playing career. (January 1, 1874 – June 16, 1908), nicknamed "the Navasota Tarantula", was an American pitcher In base ...

(1907) * Roy Grover (1916) * John Halla (1914) *

Truck Hannah James Harrison "Truck" Hannah (June 5, 1889 – April 27, 1982) was an American Major League Baseball catcher who also had a lengthy minor league career. Hannah played three seasons with the New York Yankees (1918–1920). He had 173 career hits ...

(1911) * Spec Harkness (1908) * Jerry Harrington (1892) * Eddie Hickey (1908) * Jesse Hoffmeister (1904) * Ducky Holmes (1914, MGR) * Lefty Houtz (1902) *

Ben Hunt Benjamin Hunt (born 27 March 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League and as a for the Queensland Maroons at State of Origin series, State of Origin leve ...

(1917) * Jake Kafora (1912–1913, 1917) *

Rudy Kallio Rudolph Kallio (December 14, 1892 – April 6, 1979) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for two different teams between and . Listed at 5' 10", 160 lb., Kallio batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Portland, Ore ...

(1913) * Al Kellogg (1913) * Jack Killilay (1907) *

Ed Kippert Edward August "Kickapoo" Kippert (January 23, 1879 – June 3, 1960) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played in two games for the Cincinnati Reds in . He also played in the minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues ...

(1916) * Ralph Kreitz (1908) *

Dan Lally Daniel J. Lally (August 12, 1867 – April 14, 1936), was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the 1891 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1897 St. Louis Browns of the National League. In addition to his two brief appearances in the Majors, he h ...

(1904) * Elmer Leifer (1917) *

Harry Lochhead Robert Henry "Harry" Lochhead (March 29, 1876 – August 22, 1909), sometimes spelled "Lockhead", was an American baseball shortstop. A native of Stockton, California, he played professional baseball from 1896 to 1903, including two years in Ma ...

(1900) *

Con Lucid Cornelius Cecil Lucid (February 24, 1874 – June 25, 1931) was a 19th-century Irish born Major League Baseball pitcher and coach. He played from 1893 to 1897 in the National League. Lucid's minor league baseball career spanned the period of 189 ...

(1892) * Jack Lundbom (1903) * Mike Lynch (1903) * Lefty Marr (1892) * Joe Marshall (1902, 1911–1913) *

Joe Mathes Joseph John Mathes (July 28, 1891 – December 21, 1978) was an American Major League Baseball infielder. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics during the season, the St. Louis Terriers during the season, and the Boston Braves The Bo ...

(1911–1912) *

(1902, 1911, MGR) * Ed McCreery (1913–1914) * Jim McHale (1902, 1904) * Steve Melter (1914) *

Chief Meyers John Tortes "Chief" Meyers (July 29, 1880July 25, 1971) was an American Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants, Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves, and Brooklyn Robins from 1909 to 1917. He played on the ...

(1907) * Dan Minnehan (1892) *

Tony Mullane Anthony John Mullane (January 30, 1859 – April 25, 1944), nicknamed "Count" and "the Apollo of the Box", was an Irish professional baseball player who pitched for seven major-league teams during 1881–1894. He is best known as a switch pitch ...

(1892)

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is an entity established by Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds franchise that pays homage to the team's past through displays, photographs and multimedia. It was instituted in 1958 to recognize th ...

John Munyan John B. Munyan (November 14, 1860 – February 18, 1945) was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played all or part of three seasons in the majors, between and , for the Cleveland Blues, Columbus Solons, and St. Louis Browns The S ...

(1892) *

Nig Perrine John Grover "Nig" Perrine (January 14, 1885 – August 13, 1948) was an American professional baseball infielder. Perrine started his professional baseball career in 1902, at the age of 17. In 1906, he batted .308 in the American Associati ...

(1911) * Jim Powell (1892, 1900 MGR) * Eddie Quick (1904) * Alex Remneas (1911) * Skel Roach (1902–1903) *

Solly Salisbury William Ansel Salisbury (November 12, 1876 – January 17, 1952), commonly known as Solly Salisbury, was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in with the Philadelphia Phillies. He batted and threw right-handed. Salisbury had a 0–0 r ...

(1902) * Owen Shannon (1912–1913) *

Jim St. Vrain James Marcellin St. Vrain (June 6, 1871 – June 12, 1937), a native of Ralls County, Missouri, was a Major League Baseball pitcher. The left-hander played for the Chicago Orphans in 1902. St. Vrain made his major league debut in a road game a ...

(1900) *

Jud Smith Grant Judson Smith (January 13, 1869 – December 7, 1947) was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds (1893), St. Louis Browns (1893), Pittsburgh Pirates (1896 and 19 ...

(1892) * Charley Stis (1907–1908) * Jesse Stovall (1912, MGR) * Charlie Swindells (1903–1904, 1906) * Jake Thielman (1900) * Bill Tozer (1903) * George Treadway (1902) * Cal Vasbinder (1904) * Piggy Ward (1902–1903) *

Farmer Weaver William B. "Farmer" Weaver (March 23, 1865 – January 23, 1943), was a professional baseball player in the Major Leagues from 1888 to 1894, for the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. Primarily an outfielder (649 games), he also played 7 ...

(1902) *

Joe Werrick Joseph Abraham Werrick (October 25, 1861 – May 10, 1943) was a professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for four seasons in the 19th century. Werrick made his professional debut in for the Winona Clippers of th ...

(1892) *

(1903,–1904 MGR) * Les Wilson (1916) * Bill White (1892) *

Bill Wilson William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was an American businessman who conceived and co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), with fellow co-founder Bob Smith. AA is an internation ...

(1892) * Dave Zearfoss (1902) *

Butte Fruit Pickers players In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French word , meaning ' ...

Butte Miners players In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French word , meaning 'k ...

Butte (minor league baseball) players In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French word , meaning 'kn ...

Butte Smoke Eaters players In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French word , meaning 'k ...

References

External links

Butte - Baseball Reference
*
Stats Crew
{{Teams in the Pacific Northwest League Baseball teams established in 1892 Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Montana Baseball teams disestablished in 1917 Defunct baseball teams in Montana Butte, Montana 1892 establishments in Montana 1917 disestablishments in Montana Pacific National League teams Northwestern League teams

History

Montana State League 1892, 1900

Pacific Northwest/National League 1902–1904 / Montana State League 1905

Northwestern League 1906–1908

1909 Inter-Mountain League, Montana State League / Union Association 1911–1914

Northwestern League 1916–1917

Final Seasons

The ballpark

Timeline

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ... alumni

Notable alumni

References

External links

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
alumni