The French Lick Plutos were an early independent

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

club, which was based in

French Lick, Indiana French Lick is a town in French Lick Township, Orange County, Indiana. The population was 1,807 at the time of the 2010 census. In November 2006, the French Lick Resort Casino, the state's tenth casino in the modern legalized era, opened, drawing ...

, from 1912 to 1914. They were alternately known as the Red Devils.

Founding

The Plutos were based in

, at the

French Lick Springs Hotel The French Lick Springs Hotel, a part of the French Lick Resort complex, is a major resort hotel in Orange County, Indiana. The historic hotel in the national historic district at French Lick was initially known as a mineral spring health spa an ...

and frequented the

West Baden Springs Hotel The West Baden Springs Hotel, formerly known as the West Baden Inn, is part of the French Lick Resort and is a national historic landmark hotel in West Baden Springs, Orange County, Indiana. It is known for the dome covering its atrium. Prior t ...

in nearby West Baden Springs. Their name derived from a bottled water produced at the Hotel. The Hotel bordered on a local

salt lick A mineral lick (also known as a salt lick) is a place where animals can go to lick essential mineral nutrients from a deposit of salts and other minerals. Mineral licks can be naturally occurring or artificial (such as blocks of salt that farm ...

and

mineral spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underg ...

and the minerals from the spring made the water act as an effective and marketable natural

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

. The product was branded as " Pluto Water" with an image of a red devil on the label. Their frequent rivals, the

West Baden Sprudels The West Baden Sprudels were an early Negro league baseball team that played as an independent club owned by the Burnett-Pollard-Rogers Baseball Club Company, where Edward Rogers was the Chief Officer. Founding The Sprudels appear to have been ...

, came from a hotel on that took water from the very same spring, and sold it as " Sprudel Water".

Players

Throughout their history, the Plutos' roster included players such as

Todd Allen Todd Allen (born May 31, 1979, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a comedian, writer and producer based out of Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, California. Personal Todd Allen grew up in Victoria, British Columbia with one year stints living i ...

Mule Armstrong George Isaac "Mule" Armstrong (July 28, 1885 – April 27, 1954) was a Negro leagues catcher for several years before the founding of the first Negro National League. While catching for the Buxton Wonders, a traveling team from Buxton, Io ...

Bingo Bingham William Horace "Bingo" Bingham (born April 16, 1885) was a Negro leagues outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fiel ...

, Sam Crow,

Dizzy Dismukes William "Dizzy" Dismukes (March 15, 1890 – June 30, 1961) was an American pitcher and manager in Negro league baseball and during the pre-Negro league years. Career Dismukes was a right-handed submariner, who is considered by many historians t ...

Bingo DeMoss Elwood "Bingo" DeMoss (September 5, 1889 – January 26, 1965) was a baseball player and manager in the Negro leagues from 1905 to 1943. Early life DeMoss was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1889 and began his playing career in 1905 with the Topeka ...

, Henry Hannon, Dan Kennard and Harry Moore, among many others who would go on to become members of the Negro National League.

Sources

*Riley, James A (1994). ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues''. Carroll & Graf. Negro league baseball teams 1912 establishments in Indiana 1914 disestablishments in Indiana Baseball teams established in 1912 Baseball teams disestablished in 1914 Professional baseball teams in Indiana Orange County, Indiana Defunct baseball teams in Indiana {{Negro-league-baseball-team-stub