Iowa State League Explained

Iowa State League
Sport:	Minor League Baseball
Replaced:	Central Association
President:	Frank S. Norton (1904-1905) L.S. Peckham (1906-1907) D.M. Conroy (1912) James Williams (1912)
Inaugural:	1904
Teams:	15
Country:	United States of America
Continent:	or
Continents:	-->
Folded:	1912
Most Champs:	2 Ottumwa Snappers (1904–1905)
Classification:	Class D (1904–1907) Independent (1912)

The Iowa State League was a minor league baseball league that played from 1904 to 1907 and in 1912. The Class D level league had franchises based in Illinois and Iowa. The Ottumwa Snappers won league championships in 1904 and 1905. The Iowa State League evolved into the Central Association.

History

The Iowa State League began play in 1904 as an eight-team Class D level minor league in and around Iowa, United States. The league played four seasons and ceased operations following the 1907 season. Seven of the eight 1907 Iowa State League teams formed the Central Association in 1908. The Iowa State League had the formal name as the Iowa League of Professional Baseball Clubs.^[1] ^[2]

The Iowa State League reformed in 1912 as an Independent league. Estherville defeated Fort Dodge in the league playoffs to claim the championship. The league permanently folded after the season.^[3]

Cities represented

Boone, Iowa – Boone Coal Miners (1904), Boone Greyhounds (1905), Boone Miners (1906)
Burlington, Iowa – Burlington River Rats (1904), Burlington Flint Hills (1905), Burlington Pathfinders (1906–1907)
Clear Lake, Iowa – Clear Lake Fish Eaters (1912)
Clinton, Iowa – Clinton Miners (1906)
Emmetsburg, Iowa – Emmetsburg (1912)
Estherville, Iowa – Estherville (1912)
Fort Dodge, Iowa – Fort Dodge Gypsum Eaters (1904), Fort Dodge Gypsumites (1905–1906), Fort Dodge Boosters (1912)
Jacksonville, Illinois – Jacksonville Lunatics (1907)
Keokuk, Iowa – Keokuk Indians (1904–1907)
Marshalltown, Iowa – Marshalltown Grays (1904–1905), Marshalltown Brownies (1906), Marshalltown Snappers (1906)
Mason City, Iowa – Mason City Cementmakers (1912)
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Oskaloosa Quakers (1904–1907)
Ottumwa, Iowa – Ottumwa Snappers (1904–1905), Ottumwa Champs (1906), Ottumwa Packers (1907)
Quincy, Illinois – Quincy Gems (1907)
Waterloo, Iowa – Waterloo Microbes (1904–1906), Waterloo Cubs (1907)

Standings & statistics

1904 to 1907

1904 Iowa State League
schedule

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Attend	Managers
Ottumwa Snappers	70	36	.660	-	17,630
	64	43	.598	6.5	18,695	James Myers / Charles Cole
	60	49	.550	11.5	23,117	Robert Warner
Keokuk Indians	58	50	.537	13.0	15,741	Tom Hackett
Ft. Dodge Gypsum Eaters	57	52	.523	14.5	13,582	Frank Boyle
	50	61	.450	22.5	16,581	Thomas Reynolds / Walter Holcomb / O.P. DePew
Oskaloosa Quakers	38	69	.355	32.5	16,620
	36	73	.330	35.5	21,352	F.L. Sullivan / George Stovall / Bob Black

**Player statistics** !Player!! Team!!Stat!! Tot!!!!Player!!Team!!Stat!!Tot
Snapper Kennedy	Ottumwa	BA	.325		Louis Schaub	Ottumwa	W	23
Snapper Kennedy	Ottumwa	Hits	142		Louis Schaub	Ottumwa	SO	298
Joe Beaver	Ottumwa		Runs	76		Louis Schaub	Ottumwa	Pct	.767; 23-7
Al Spencer	Ottumwa	Runs	76

1905 Iowa State League
schedule

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Attend	Managers
Ottumwa Snappers	74	45	.621	-	22,261
	73	49	.599	2.5	19,270	Frank Boyle
	65	54	.546	9.0	19,588	Frank Haller
Oskaloosa Quakers	65	56	.537	10.0	22,256	Howard Cassiboine
Keokuk Indians	59	62	.488	16.0	18,931	Ned Egan
	55	66	.454	20.0	NA	Bobby Warner
Waterloo Microbes	56	69	.448	21.0	19,754	Harry Meek / Frank Lohr
	37	83	.368	37.5	26,635

**Player statistics** !Player!! Team!!Stat!! Tot!!!!Player!!Team!!Stat!!Tot
Harry Meek	Waterloo/Boone	BA	.320		Harry Corns	Boone	W	25
Harry Meek	Waterloo/Boone	Hits	152		Melvin Blexurd	Keokuk	SO	207
John Bassey	Boone		Runs	83		Fred Steel	Oskaloosa	Pct	.857; 18-3
Red Fisher	Boone	Runs	83

1906 Iowa State League
schedule

Team Standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Burlington Pathfinders	83	39	.680	-	Ned Egan
	75	49	.605	9.0
	68	49	.581	12.5	Frank Boyle
Marshalltown Brownies	65	55	.542	17.0	Rollo Brown
Keokuk Indians	53	67	.442	24.0	Pat McAndrews
	46	70	.397	34.0	William Wooley / Pat Ryan / Harold Johnson
Waterloo Microbes	48	76	.387	36.0	Charlie Frisbee / Ernest G. Anklam
	44	77	.364	38.5	William Niles / William Everett

Boone moved to Clinton July 14.

**Player statistics** !Player!! Team!!Stat!! Tot!!!!Player!!Team!!Stat!!Tot
Bill Davidson	Ft. Dodge	BA	.344		Frank Shaw	Oscaloosa	W	29
Cy Neighbors	Burlington	Hits	161		Joe Bills	Keokuk	SO	209
Cy Neighbors	Burlington		Runs	96		Frank Dick	Marshalltown	Pct	.857; 18-3

1907 Iowa State League
schedule

Team Standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Attend	Managers
Waterloo Cubs	79	45	.637	-	27,992	Frank Boyle
	77	51	.602	4.0	43,420	Ned Egan
	70	55	.560	9.5	22,585
Jacksonville Lunatics	63	61	.508	16.0	29,448	Frank Belt
Marshalltown Snappers	62	61	.504	16.5	14,992
	61	66	.480	19.5	37,000	Harry Hofer
Ottumwa Packers	51	74	.408	28.5	24,974	Jack Corbett
	39	89	.305	42.0	20,760	Cy Black / Charles Yeager

**Player statistics** !Player!! Team!!Stat!! Tot!!!!Player!!Team!!Stat!!Tot
John House	Burlington	BA	.308		Frank Green	Burlington	W	28
John House	Burlington	Hits	158		Fred Steel	Oscaloosa	Pct	.817; 9-2
John House	Burlington		Runs	91

1912

1912 Iowa State League
schedule

Team Standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Mason City Cementmakers	38	27	.585	-	Frank Barber
Fort Dodge Boosters	34	25	.576	1.0	Connie Collins
Estherville	28	22	.560	2.5	Harry Welch
Emmetsburg	24	38	.387	12.5	Ed Smithson
	11	24	.314	NA	Dick Wells / M. Bacon

Clear Lake folded July 14
Playoffs: Estherville 4 games, Fort Dodge 1.^[3]

References

Johnson, Lloyd and Miles Wolff, editors, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, Second Edition (1997), pp. 142,146,151,155. Baseball America, Inc. .
Web site: Iowa League of Professional Baseball Clubs (D) Encyclopedia and History. Baseball-Reference.com.
Book: The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball . Lloyd . Johnson . Miles . Wolff . Third . . 2007 . 978-1932391176.