Jamestown Jimmies (minor league baseball)

The Jamestown Jimmies was the final moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Jamestown, North Dakota. Jamestown teams played as members of the Class D level Dakota League in 1922, North Dakota League in 1923 and the Northern League in 1936 and 1937.

Jamestown Jimmies
1922–1937
(1922–1923, 1936–1937)
Jamestown, North Dakota
Minor league affiliations
Class
League
Major league affiliations
Team
Minor league titles
Division titles (1)
  • 1936
Team data
Name
  • Jamestown Jimkotans (1922)
  • Jamestown Jimkotas (1923)
  • Jamestown Jimmies (1936–1937)
BallparkCity Park (1936–1937)

The Jamestown Jimmies were an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1936.

History

Minor league baseball first began in Jamestown, North Dakota when the 1922 Jamestown Jimkotans became members of the eight–team Class D level Dakota League, replacing the Huron Packers franchise in the league. H.E. Ross established the Jamestown Jinkotas. The Jamestown newspaper held a naming contest and "Jimkotans" beat out "Fort Sewards" by five votes. Funds were raised for a grandstand for the ballpark. Jamestown ended their first season of minor league play with a record of 46–51, finishing 5th in the Dakota League standings. Wib Smith was the Jamestown manager, as the team finished 14.0 games behind the 1st place Mitchell Kernels. Mark Koenig played for Jamestown in 1922 at age 17, hitting .253. His manager, Wib Smith had made the major leagues at the age of 17 with the St. Louis Browns and was important to Koenig's development. Koenig would eventually become a member of the New York Yankees' famed 1927 Murderers' Row lineup, where he hit 2nd in the Yankees' lineup, directly in front of Babe Ruth.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

To minimize travel, the Dakota League was divided into the South Dakota League and the North Dakota League in 1923 and each played with four teams, with the North Dakota League maintaining Class D Status. The Jamestown Jimkotas played in the 1923 North Dakota League, with Logan Powell of Jamestown serving as the North Dakota League president. The Jimkotas ended the season with a record of 32–35, placing 2nd, 15.0 games behind the 1st place Minot Magicians. Ed Whiting and Henry Wingfield served as managers, as Wingfield hit .402 to lead the league in hitting. The North Dakota League permanently folded after the 1923 season ended prematurely in August.[11][12][13][10]

In the 1930s, integrated semi–pro baseball thrived in the area and the integrated Jamestown Red Sox team played against other regional teams, with such names as Satchel Paige playing for the local teams.[14][15]

In 1936 minor league baseball returned as the Jamestown Jimmies franchise was founded. The team joined the Class D Northern League and played as an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The "Jimmies" moniker had originated in Jamestown as the moniker for the local University of Jamestown athletic teams beginning in 1925. The 1936 Jimmies won the Northern League pennant. The team ended the 1936 season with a record of 73–50, placing 1st in the Northern League regular season under managers John Anderson, Ernie Olson and Rube Foster, finishing 4.0 games ahead of the 2nd place Eau Claire Bears. In the 1936 Northern League playoffs, the Winnipeg Maroons defeated the Jimmies in seven games.[16][17][18][19][20][21]

In their final season of minor league play, the 1937 Jamestown Jimmies finished the Northern League season with a record of 49–65, placing 5th in the standings. Jamestown finished behind the 1st place Duluth Dukes, who also had become the league's St. Louis Cardinals affiliate. Edward Kraus served as Jamestown manager in 1937. The Jamestown franchise folded from the Northern League after the completion of the 1937 season. Minor league baseball has not returned to Jamestown.[22][23][24][18][20][25]

The ballpark

Possibly, Jamestown played at McElroy Park, which contains Jack Brown Stadium, in 1922 and 1923. The McElroy Park ballpark was built in 1917 and was later renamed. Today, Jack Brown Stadium is home to University of Jamestown and Jamestown High School teams. The address is 1102 3rd Avenue SE, Jamestown, North Dakota.[26][27][28]

In 1936 and 1937, the Jamestown Jimmies played at City Park. It is possible that City Park was actually McElroy Park.[29]

Timeline
Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeagueAffiliate
19221Jamestown JimkotansClass DDakota LeagueNone
19231Jamestown JimkotasNorth Dakota LeagueNone
19361Jamestown JimmiesNorthern LeagueSt. Louis Cardinals
19371None

Year-by-year records
YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffs/Notes
192246–515thWib SmithNone
192332–352ndEd Whiting / Henry WingfieldNone
1936673–501stJohn Anderson / Ernie Olson / Rube FosterLost in 1st round
193749–653rdEdward KrausNone

Notable alumni

References
  1. "1922 Jamestown Jimkotans Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  2. "1922 Dakota League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. "1922 Jamestown Jimkotans Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. "Jamestown Jimkotans - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  5. "Dakota League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  6. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/wib-smith/
  7. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/mark-koenig/
  8. Norman, Keith (July 14, 2015). "Jimkotans bring minor league baseball to city". Jamestown Sun.
  9. Norman, Keith (March 21, 2020). "Jamestown holds a 'Grandstand Raising Bee' in 1922". Jamestown Sun.
  10. "ND once had own pro baseball league". INFORUM.
  11. "1923 Jamestown Jimkotas Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. "1923 Jamestown Jimkotans Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  13. "North Dakota League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  14. "North Dakota baseball way ahead of its time with 1930s integrated teams, including 'Duty'".
  15. "North Dakota Baseball History/Pitch Black Negro League site". July 25, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-07-25.
  16. "1936 Jamestown Jimmies Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  17. "1936 Jamestown Jimmies Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  18. "Northern League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  19. "1936 Northern League (NL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  20. "Jamestown Jimmies - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  21. "Jimmie Traditions". University of Jamestown Athletics Athletics.
  22. "1937 Jamestown Jimmies Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  23. "1937 Jamestown Jimmies Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  24. "1937 Northern League (NL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  25. "1938 Northern League (NL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  26. "Jack Brown Stadium, 1102 3rd Avenue SE, Jamestown, ND (2021)". www.localgymsandfitness.com.
  27. "Jack Brown Stadium's History Runs Deep". February 28, 2019.
  28. "Jamestown Parks and Recreation | Jack Brown Stadium".
  29. "City Park in Jamestown, ND history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
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