Tombstone
Born: November 1939 – The Lewiston Indians relocate to Idaho Falls, ID1ASSOCIATED PRESS.”Idaho Falls Orders Poles”. The Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT). November 14, 1939
Affiliation Change: 1962 (Idaho Falls Yankees)
First Game: April 26, 1940 (L 10-4 @ Pocatello Cardinals)
Last Game: September 4, 1961 (W 7-2 & W 6-3 @ Boise Braves)
Pioneer League Champions: 1952
Stadium
Highland Park (3,500)21951 Billings Mustangs Program
Opened: 1940
Dimensions (1951): Left: 350′, Center: 408′, Right: 35031951 Billings Mustangs Program
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners:
- 1940-1941: Sam Collins
- 1942: Lou Garland, Oscar Garrett, Fred Ring, Earl Nelson, John Hart & Andrew McCauley
- 1946: Earl Nelson, Lou Garland, et al.
- 1947: Lou Garland, Oscar Garrett, John Hart, Art Koster
- 1950-1955: E.F. McDermott, et al.
- 1956: Russet Baseball Council (W.C. Kyle, President)
Major League Affiliations:
- 1940-1941: New York Yankees
- 1942: Independent
- 1946-1947: Independent
- 1948: Brooklyn Dodgers
- 1949-1951: New York Giants
- 1952-1953: Sacramento Solons (Pacific Coast League)
- 1954-1958: Detroit Tigers
- 1959: Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1960-1961: Chicago White Sox
Background
Idaho Falls joined Minor League Baseball’s historic Class C Pioneer League for the circuit’s second season in the spring of 1940. The team arrived at the expense of another Idaho community, Lewiston, who lost their last place Lewiston Indians franchise to Idaho Falls shortly after the Pioneer League’s debut season concluded in September 1939.
Incredibly, Idaho Falls has fielded a Pioneer League club every year since, with the exception of the years 1943-1945, when the loop ceased operations during World War II, and 2020 when all of Minor League Baseball shut down due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Not that there weren’t other close calls along the way. Once the Pioneer League re-opened for business in 1946, the Russets routinely ranked at or near the bottom of league attendance standings. Even in 1952, when player-manager Red Jessen’s club won the Russets’ only Pioneer League crown, Idaho Falls bested only last-place Ogden at the turnstiles. In late 1955, community boosters had to marshal a$30,000 “Save The Russets” campaign, selling stock for $10/share, to keep the team in town after an ownership group headed by Idaho Falls Post-Register publisher grew financially exhausted and threw in the towel.4NO BYLINE. “Idaho Falls Launches Spud Drive”. The Tribune (Salt Lake, UT). September 27, 1955
Name Change
The Russets began play as a New York Yankees farm club in 1940 and 1941. After numerous subsequent changes in Major League affiliation, the Yankees cycled back to Idaho Falls as parent club in 1962. The return of the Yankees marked the end of the Russets era as the team became the Idaho Falls Yankees for the 1962 season.
Idaho Falls Russets Shop
Links
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