The Clear Lake Fish Eaters were a minor league baseball team based in

Clear Lake, Iowa Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,687 at the 2020 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related ...

. Clear Lake teams played as members of the

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

level

Iowa State League 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 Stat ...

in 1912 and the Class D level

Central Association The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. It began operations in 1908, as it was essentially renamed from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association ran continuously through 1917. It was reorganized thirty yea ...

in 1917, with the 1917 team playing a brief season as the "Rabbits.". Both teams hosted home minor league games at the Clear Lake City Ball Park.

History

Clear Lake, Iowa first began minor league baseball play in 1912, when the Clear Lake Fish Eaters became members of the 1912

. The league had reformed as a five–team Independent League, playing a split–schedule. The

Emmetsburg Emmetsburg is a city in Palo Alto County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,706 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Palo Alto County. Emmetsburg is located around the southern bay of Five Island Lake. History The tow ...

Estherville Estherville is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,904 in the 2020 census, a decline from 6,656 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County. History Emmet County was initially created by an act of th ...

, the Fort Dodge Boosters, and Mason City Cementmakers teams joined Clear Lake in beginning league play on may 23, 1912. The Fish Eaters finished the with a record of 11–24 in the first–half standings, playing under managers Dick Wells and M. Bacon. Clear Lake played two games in the second–half before the franchise folded on July 12, 1914. The Iowa State League folded permanently after the 1914 season. In 1917, Clear Lake resumed minor league play during the season. The Clear Lake Rabbits became members of the Class D level

. On July 24, 1917, the Central Association member

Cedar Rapids Rabbits Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

moved to Clear Lake with a 38–48 record. Based in Clear Lake the team compiled a 1–4 record in finishing the remainder of the season. The Cedar Rapids/Clear Lake team ended the season with an overall record of 39–52. The Rabbits placed 4th in the Central Association standings, playing the season under managers Bill Collins, Doc Andrews and Doc Shanley. The Central Association folded after the 1917 season. Clear Lake, Iowa has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

Both Clear Lake teams played at Clear Lake City Ball Park. The ballpark was located within the City Park, located on the lakefront and near downtown. City Park is still in use today as a public park. The address of the ballpark was 1st Avenue North & North 3rd Street, Clear Lake, Iowa. Clear Lake Waterfront

Timeline

Year-by-year records

Notable alumni

* Bill Collins (1917) *

Ray French Raymond James French, MBE (born 23 December 1939) is an English former rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. French played at international level in both codes. He won four caps for England in rugby union ...

(1917) * Walt Meinert (1917) * Doc Shanley (1917)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Stats Crew
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Iowa Clear Lake, Iowa Cerro Gordo County, Iowa Central Association teams Defunct baseball teams in Iowa Baseball teams established in 1912 Baseball teams disestablished in 1912 1912 establishments in Iowa 1912 disestablishments in Iowa Iowa State League teams