The Calumet Aristocrats 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 ...

team based in

Laurium, Michigan Laurium (; or ) is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan, in the center of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 1,977 at the 2010 census. The village is mostly surrounded by Calumet Township, wi ...

. The city was called "Calumet" in the era. The Calumet Red Jackets preceded the Aristocrats, playing in 1890 and 1891 as members of the Upper Peninsula League in 1890 and 1891. The Aristocrats were members of

Copper Country Soo League The Copper Country Soo League was a minor league baseball league which operated in four Michigan cities in . The league had four teams in their lone season. Three Major League Baseball players, Donie Bush, Fred Luderus, and Pat Paige, are know ...

in 1904 and 1905 and

Northern-Copper Country League The Northern-Copper Country League (NCCL) was a Minor League Baseball league in operation for two seasons, 1906 and 1907. The league featured clubs representing cities in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba. On March 18, 1906, the Cop ...

in 1906 and 1907. Calumet hosting minor league home games at Larium Park and Athletic Park. Calumet teams won league championships in 1891 and 1906.

History

Calumet, Michigan began minor league play in 1890. Calumet hosted the Calumet Red Jackets team in the

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 Upper Peninsula League. In their first season of play, the Red Jackets finished with a record of 13–20 to place fourth, playing under manager Jack Halpin. Houghton ended the season with a 23-12 record to win the championship, finishing 4.0 games ahead of the second place

Ishpeming Ishpeming ( ) is a city in Marquette County, Michigan, United States. Located in the Upper Peninsula, the population was 6,140 at the 2020 census, less than it was in the 1950s and 1960s when the Iron ore mines employed more workers. A statue ...

team, who were followed by the Marquette Undertakers and Calumet Red Jackets. The Calumet use of the "Red Jackets" moniker corresponds to the city of Calumet originally being named "Red Jacket," beginning in 1864. Until 1895, the current town of Laurium, Michigan was named Calumet. In 1891, the Calumet Red Jackets won the Upper Peninsula League championship. With a final record of 36–24, the Red Jackets finished 5.0 games ahead of the second place Marquette Undertakers in final standings of the four–team league. Jack Halpin again managed Calumet, who also finished ahead of the third place Ishpeming and fourth place Houghton teams. After playing in the 1904 Copper County League with no records known, in 1905, the Calumet Aristocrats won the pennant playing in a new league. Playing as members of the four–team Class D level

, Calumet finished the season with a record of 61–36 to finish in first place. Playing under manager Charles Fitchel, the Aristocrats finished 2.0 games ahead of the second place Lake Linden Lakers. In the playoff, Lake Linden swept Calumet in four games. In 1906, the Calumet Aristocrats became charter members of the eight–team Class C level

. In their first season of play in the new league, the 1906 Calumet Aristocrats won the Northern-Copper Country League championship. Beginning play on May 17, 1906, the first place Calumet Aristocrats finished the season with a final record of 61–37, playing under manager G.W. Orr. The Aristocrats finished ahead of Houghton Giants (56–65),

Winnipeg Maroons The Winnipeg Maroons were a minor League baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, which played in the Northern League from 1902–1942. Their home field from 1906 to 1922 was Happyland Park, which had a seating capacity of 4,000. The ...

(57–38),

Duluth White Sox The Duluth White Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Duluth, Minnesota, that played from 1903 to 1916, and in 1934. The team played in the Northern League (1903–1905, 1908, 1913–1916, 1934), Northern-Copper Country League (1906–1 ...

(52–44),

Lake Linden Sandy Lakes A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

(40–56) and Fargo Trolley Dodgers (35–59) in the final standings. The Hancock Infants (29–34) and

Grand Forks Forkers Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), s ...

(13–40) teams folded during the season. The Calumet Aristocrats played their final season in 1907. The 1907 Northern-Copper Country League played as a four–team Class D level league. Beginning play on May 14, 1907, the Houghton Giants placed fourth in the 1907 the Northern-Copper Country League standings, when the season ended early on September 2, 1907. Houghton ended the 1907 season with a 47–55 record, playing under managers M.O. Taylor and Pat Flaherty. The Giants finished 25.5 games behind the first place

(70–27), 2nd place

(49–53) and ahead of the 4th place Calumet Aristocrats (34–65) in the final standings. The

permanently folded after the 1907 season. Laurium, Michigan has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballparks

For the duration of their minor league play, Calumet teams played home games at Athletic Park. The park was later renamed Agassiz Park. The ballpark was referenced to have been located at 4th Street & Elm Street. Today, Agassiz Park is still in use as a public park. In 1890, 1891 and 1905, the Calumet teams were noted to have hosted some home minor league games at Laurium Park. The ballpark was referenced to have been located on 3rd Street at the Railroad Tracks, Laurium, Michigan.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

* Dad Clarke (1905) * Biddy Dolan (1906–1907) *

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 ...

(1906) * Tom Leahy (1906) * Doc Miller (1906) * Pat Paige (1905) * Bert Sincock (1907) *

Hosea Siner Hosea John Siner (March 20, 1885 – June 10, 1948) was a Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National Leagu ...

(1906)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Calumet - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Michigan Baseball teams established in 1904 Baseball teams disestablished in 1907 Houghton County, Michigan