Name That Team!

SPOTLIGHT ON THE SPOKANE REGION

Hi Everybody!  I am Kris Krell, and I am preparing to entertain you with interesting stories about the Spokane Region through the EWGS Blog.

My goal is to do a weekly post (at a minimum), so please stay tuned and send any comments, kudos, or suggestions to me at krellkb1@gmail.com

Kris

Name That Team!

                     Picture is 1904 team

It may seem that the Spokane Indians baseball team may be a modern team, but the team got it's name in 1903 as a result of a Spokesman Review naming contest.  John Sloane Barnes, a Midwest baseball promoter, moved to Spokane in 1890 traveling by train.  His job was to help build the Pacific Northwest League with teams in Portland, Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma.

Spokane's first professional game May 3, 1890, brought in1,662 fans!  Spokane hosted the game with Portland.  Spokane lost the game but won the championship that first season.

Before the team got the Spokane Indians name, they were called:  Bunchgrassers, Blue Stockings, Smoke-Eaters, and the Hawks.

Source:  The Spokesman Review May 17, 2015, Spokane Historical app