Midwest League History

The Cities of the Midwest League

The League's history is a history of cities. Teams have home towns, and team names generally reflect those homes. Within their city, teams are objects of pride, of joy, of dismay. You might consider this page a brief map of each city's baseball history.

These tables list every city which has hosted a team in the Midwest League or its predecessors, the Illinois State and Mississippi-Ohio Valley Leagues. The table includes information about the years each town hosted an MWL team, and shows each town's participation in other leagues.

New
19jan97
Changed
3jan09
Major Change
21sep07

As best I can manage, these lists are complete within the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (i.e., the "official" minor leagues) and for teams under the National Agreement which controlled minor league ball prior to the formation of the Association. Recent participation in independent leagues is indicated for Lafayette, Madison, Rockford, and Springfield.

Some of these towns' teams may also have participated in "outlaw" leagues, in the minor Negro leagues, or have had representation in other leagues. I'll add any such information I may encounter.

The All American Girls Professional Baseball League (A League of Their Own) played mostly in MWL cities. The Midwest League towns which hosted AAGPBL teams are indicated on the table.

Three MWL cities (Fort Wayne, Rockford, and Keokuk) were members of the National Association, the original major league; these, too, are marked on the table in appropriate places.

Notes

I've counted the teams with regional names within their local town (i.e., Battle Creek instead of Michigan or Southwest Michigan, and Appleton for both Wisconsin and Fox Cities).

Ballparks I recognize as suburban are marked in the Notes column.

I've counted Quad City as a Davenport team, but have included information about Rock Island and Moline, the other Quad Cities towns which have hosted minor league teams, in their places. I've treated Michigan's Tri-Cities (Midland, Bay City, Saginaw) similarly.

Two teams collapsed in mid-season, and moved to other towns; those are marked with asterisks in appropriate places and with comments in the Notes column. (One collapse consequence is that Dubuque hosted two teams for the last month of the 1962 season.)

History

Overview
Predecessors
1947-59
1960-69
1970-79
1980-89
1990-99
2000-07
Cities
Spring

Illinois

City	Years	Years Active	Other Leagues	Notes
Belleville	3	1947-49
Canton	*1	1952*	Illinois-Missouri, 1908-13	succeeded Vincennes in June 1952
Centralia	6	1947-52	Eastern Illinois, 1907
Danville	12	1951-54 1970-76 1982	Central Interstate, 1888 Central, 1900 Kitty, 1906 Eastern Illinois, 1908 Three-I, 1910-14, 1922-32, 1946-50
Decatur	23	1952-74	Central Interstate, 1888 Illinois-Indiana, 1889 Central, 1900 Three-I, 1901-09, 1911-15, 1922-32, 1935, 1937-42, 1946-50 Northern Association, 1910
Geneva	16	1991-present		aka Kane County, 1991-present
Marion	2	1947-48		Frontier, 2007
Mattoon	11	1947-57	Kitty, 1906 Eastern Illinois, 1907-08	aka Mattoon-Charleston, 1906
Moline	*0		Three-I, 1914-17, 1919-23, 1937-41 Mississippi Valley, 1924-32 Central Association, 1947-48	see Rock Island see Davenport (Quad City)
Mount Vernon	8	1947-54	Southern Illinois, 1910
Paris	10	1950-59	Eastern Illinois, 1907-08
Peoria	24	1983-present	Northwestern, 1883-84, 1891 Central Interstate, 1888-90 Illinois-Iowa, 1892 Western Association, 1894-98 Central, 1900, 1904, 1917, 1934 Western, 1902-03 Three-I, 1905-17, 1919-32, 1935, 1937, 1953-57 Mississippi Valley, 1933 AAGPBL, 1946-51
Quincy	14	1960-73	Northwestern, 1883-84 Central Inter-State, 1889-90 Illinois-Iowa, 1891-92 Western Association, 1894-99 Iowa State, 1907 Central Association, 1908-10 Three-I, 1911-17, 1925-32, 1946-56 Mississippi Valley, 1933
Rock Island	*0		Illinois-Iowa, 1892 Western Association, 1894, 1898-99 Eastern Iowa, 1895 Three-I, 1901-11, 1916-17, 1920-21 Central Association, 1914 Mississippi Valley, 1922-33 Western, 1934-37	see Davenport (Quad City) aka Rock Island-Moline, 1892, 1894
Rockford	12	1988-99	*National Association, 1871* Northwestern, 1879 Central Inter-State, 1888 Illinois-Iowa, 1891-92 Western Association, 1895-97, 1899 Three-I, 1901-04, 1915-17, 1919-23 Wisconsin-Illinois, 1908-14 Central Association, 1947-49 Frontier, 2002-present AAGPBL, 1943-54
Springfield	15	1950 1982-95	Northwestern, 1883 Central Interstate, 1889 Western Association, 1895 Central, 1900 Three-I, 1903-14, 1925-32, 1935, 1938-42, 1946-49 Mississippi Valley, 1933 American Association, 1978-81 Frontier, 1996-2001 AAGPBL, 1948
West Frankfort	4	1947-50

Indiana

City	Years	Years Active	Other Leagues	Notes
Fort Wayne	14	1993-present	*National Association, 1871* Northwestern, 1883-84, 1891 Indiana State, 1890 Western, 1892 Western Inter-State, 1895 Inter-State, 1896-1900 Western Association, 1901 Central, 1903-04, 1908-15, 1917, 1928-30, 1932, 1934, 1948 Inter-State Association, 1906 Three-I, 1935 AAGPBL, 1945-54
Kokomo	7	1955-61	Indiana State, 1890, 1896, 1900 Northern State of Indiana, 1909
Lafayette	3	1955-57	Central Interstate, 1888 Illinois-Iowa, 1889 Western Inter-State Association Northern State of Indiana, 1909-11 Great Central, 1994 Mid-America, 1995 Heartland, 1996-98
Michigan City	4	1956-59
South Bend	19	1988-present	Central, 1903-12, 1916-17, 1932 Southern Michigan Association, 1914-15 AAGPBL, 1943-54
Vincennes	*3	1950-52*	Kitty, 1903-06, 1910-11, 1913 Eastern Illinois, 1908	moved to Canton, 7 June 1952

Iowa

City	Years	Years Active	Other Leagues	Notes
Burlington	45	1962-present	Central Interstate, 1889-90 Illinois-Iowa, 1890 Eastern Iowa, 1895 Western Association, 1895-98 Iowa State, 1904-07 Central Association, 1908-16, 1947-49 Mississippi Valley, 1924-32 Three-I, 1952-61
Cedar Rapids	45	1962-present	Illinois-Iowa, 1890-91 Eastern Iowa, 1895 Western Association, 1896-97, 1899 Three-I, 1901-09, 1920-21, 1938-42, 1950-61 Central Association, 1913-17, 1949 Mississippi Valley, 1922-32 Western, 1934-37
Clinton	53	1954-present	Easern Iowa, 1895 Iowa State, 1906 Three-I, 1907-08, 1937-41 Northern Association, 1910 Central Association, 1914-17, 1947-49
Davenport	47	1960-present	Northweatern, 1879 Western Association, 1888 Central Inter-State, 1888-89 Illinois-Iowa, 1891 Three-I, 1901-06, 1909-16, 1946-52, 1957-58 Mississippi Valley, 1929-33 Western, 1934-37	aka Quad Cities/Quad City, 1961-present see Rock Island see Moline
Dubuque	*18	1954-68 (1962*) 1974-76	Northwestern, 1879 Central Inter-State, 1888 Illinois-Iowa, 1890 Eastern Iowa, 1895 Western Association, 1895-99 Three-I, 1903-15 Central Association, 1917 Mississippi Valley, 1922-32	also hosted Keokuk's successor, "Midwest", after Keokuk failed in 1962
Keokuk	*5	1958-62*	*National Association, 1875* Western, 1885, 1935 Iowa State, 1904-07 Central Association, 1908-15, 1947-49 Mississippi Valley, 1929-33 Three-I, 1952-57	failed on 7 August 1962 (to Dubuque)
Waterloo	36	1958-93	Eastern Iowa, 1895 Iowa State, 1904-07 Central Association, 1908-09, 1913-17 Three-I, 1910-11, 1938-42, 1946-56 Mississippi Valley, 1922-32 Western, 1936-37

Kentucky

City	Years	Years Active	Other Leagues	Notes
Paducah	2	1949-50	Central, 1897 Kitty, 1903-06, 1910-14, 1922-23, 1935-41, 1951-55

Michigan

City	Years	Years Active	Other Leagues	Notes
Battle Creek	12	1995-2006	Michigan State, 1895, 1902 Southern Michigan, 1906-09 Southern Michigan Association, 1910-15 Michigan-Ontario, 1919-21 AAGPBL, 1951-52	aka Michigan, 1995-2003 aka Southwest Michigan, 2005-06
Bay City	*0		Northwestern, 1883-84, 1891 Ohio-Michigan, 1893 Michigan State, 1897, 1926 Interstate Association, 1906 Southern Michigan, 1907-09 Southern Michigan Association, 1910-15 Michigan-Ontario, 1919-26	see Midland (Great Lakes)
Grand Rapids	13	1994-present	Northwestern, 1883-84, 1891 Michigan State, 1889-90, 1902, 1926, 1940-41 International Association, 1890 Western, 1894-97, 99 Inter-State, 1898-99 International, 1900 Western Association, 1901 Central, 1903-17, 1920-22, 1926, 1934, 1948-51 Michigan-Ontario, 1923-24 AAGPBL, 1945-54	aka West Michigan, 1994-present Ballpark in Comstock Park.
Lansing	11	1996-present	Michigan State, 1889-90, 1895, 1897, 1902, 1940-41 Southern Michigan, 1907-09 Southern Michigan Association, 1910-14 Central, 1921-22
Midland	0	2007-present		aka Great Lakes, 2007-present see Bay City see Saginaw
Saginaw	*0		Northwestern, 1883-84 Michigan State, 1889, 1897, 1902, 1926, 1940-41 International Association, 1890 Ohio-Michigan, 1893 Inter-State, 1896 International, 1898, 1900 Inter-State Association, 1906 Southern Michigan, 1906, 1908-09 Southern Michigan Association, 1910-15 Michigan-Ontario, 1919-26 Central, 1948-51	see Midland (Great Lakes) aka Saginaw-Bay City, 1890

Missouri

City	Years	Years Active	Other Leagues	Notes
Hannibal	4	1952-55	Illinois-Missouri, 1908 Central Association, 1909-1912, 1947-48 Three-I, 1916-17

Ohio

City	Years	Years Active	Other Leagues	Notes
Dayton	7	2000-present	Ohio Association, 1884 Inter-State, 1885, 1897-1900 Tri-State, 1889-90 Northwestern, 1891 Western Association, 1901 Central, 1903-17, 1928-30, 1932, 1948-51 Middle Atlantic, 1933-42 Ohio State, 1946-47

Wisconsin

City	Years	Years Active	Other Leagues	Notes
Appleton	45	1962-present	Wisconsin State, 1891, 1940-42, 1946-53 Wisconsin-Illinois, 1909-14 Three-I, 1958-61	aka Fox Cities, 1963-66 aka Wisconsin, 1995-present 1995-present: Ballpark in Grand Chute.
Beloit	25	1982-present	Wisconsin Association, 1905
Kenosha	8	1984-92	Frontier, 2003 AAGPBL, 1943-51
Madison	13	1982-94	Wisconsin State, 1907 Wisconsin-Illinois, 1908-14 Three-I, 1940-42 Northern League, 1996-2000
Wausau	16	1975-90	Wisconsin Association, 1905-06 Wisconsin State, 1907, 1946-53 Wisconsin-Illinois, 1908, 1912-14 Minnesota-Wisconsin, 1909-11 Northern, 1936-42, 1956-57
Wisconsin Rapids	21	1963-83	Wisconsin State, 1940-42, 1946-53

Sources:

Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff, eds, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, Durham, Baseball America, 1993; 2nd ed, 1997, 3rd ed, 2007.
Peter Filichia, Professional Baseball Franchises, New York, Facts on File, 1993.
Assorted Baseball America Almanacs.
All American Girls Professional Baseball League website.
Assorted news sources have provided more recent information.

MWLguide.com Website
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The Midwest League plays Single-A, professional baseball in America's agricultural and industrial heartland. 14 teams play a 140 game schedule which begins in early April and ends Labor Day weekend.

Disclaimers:
This website is a private project and has no official relation with or sanction from the Midwest League or Minor League Baseball.
The opinions expressed on this page are mine, and are worth about that.