Spokane Indians

• Location: Spokane, WA
• League: Pacific National League 1903-1904; Northwestern League 1905-1917; Pacific Coast International League 1918, 1920; Western International League 1940-1942, 1946-1954; Northwest League 1955-1956; Pacific Coast League 1958-1971; Northwest League 1972; Pacific Coast League 1973-1982; Northwest League 1983-present
• Affiliation: Brooklyn Dodgers 1947; Philadelphia Phillies 1953; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1972; Texas Rangers 1973-1975, 2003-present; Milwaukee Brewers 1976-1978; Seattle Mariners 1979-1981; California Angels 1982; San Diego Padres 1983-1994; Kansas City Royals 1995-2002
• Ballpark: Ferris Field 1940-1942, 1946-1956; Avista Stadium 1983-present

[edit] Team History

The name Spokane Indians, traditionally adopted by ball teams from Spokane, WA is probably a corruption of Inlanders, a reference to the city's geographic location. That was the "official" name of Spokane's entry in the 1904 Pacific National League, but it was soon shortened to Indians by fans and sportswriters alike. There is no indication that the 1903 edition of the team had a nickname, but it has retroactively been referred to as the Indians as well. In any case, the name has stuck to Spokane ever since, through a variety of leagues and affiliations.

The 1905 Indians began the season in Victoria, BC as the Victoria Legislators. They moved to Spokane on July 11, 1905.

On June 24, 1946, the club, playing in the Western International League was the victim of one of the deadliest accidents in American sports history. The team bus, carrying 16 players, crashed on Highway 10 in the Snoqualmie Pass on its way from Spokane to Bremerton, WA. The bus rolled into the ravine along the highway and caught fire, killing manager Mel Cole and eight players, severely injuring three others.

In 1985, brothers George Brett, Ken Brett, Bobby Brett and J.B. Brett bought the Indians.

[edit] Year-by-Year Record

[edit] Further Reading

• Beth Mary Bollinger: Until The End Of The Ninth, Rooftop Publishing, 2007 (a novel based on the true story of the 1946 bus crash and its aftermath).
• Jim Price: "Devastating crash reverberates 60 years later", in Mark Armour, ed.: Rain Check: Baseball in the Pacific Northwest, Society for American Baseball Research, Cleveland, OH, 2006, pp. 92-94.
• Jim Price: "Stars leapt to bigs through Spokane", in Mark Armour, ed.: Rain Check: Baseball in the Pacific Northwest, Society for American Baseball Research, Cleveland, OH, 2006, pp. 84-91.

[edit] Related Sites

• Official Team Website
• Newspaper account of the 1946 bus crash