The Northwestern League was a professional

sports league A sports league is a group of individual athletes, sports teams or clubs who form a league to compete against each other and gain points in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among them ...

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

that operated from 1905 to 1917. It was represented by teams based in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. The league became the

Pacific Coast International League The Pacific Coast International League was a minor league baseball league that played between 1918 and 1922. The Class B level league franchises were based in the Northwest United States and British Columbia. History The Pacific Coast Internatio ...

in 1918.

Teams

21 teams played in the league throughout its existence. Those teams include the:

Aberdeen Black Cats The Aberdeen Black Cats were a minor league baseball team, based in Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The cit ...

(1905, 1917), Bellingham Gillnetters (1905), Everett Smokestackers (1905),

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Co ...

(1905–1917), Vancouver Horse Doctors (1905, 1907), Victoria Legislators (1905), Butte Miners (1906–1908, 1916–1917),

Grays Harbor Lumbermen Grays or Greys may refer to: Places * Grays Bay, Nunavut, Canada * Grays, Essex, a town in Essex, England ** Grays railway station ** Grays School * Grays, Kent, a hamlet in Kent, England * Rotherfield Greys or Greys, a village in Oxfordshire, E ...

(1906),

Tacoma Tigers Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mou ...

(1906–1917), Seattle Siwashes (1907–1908), Grays Harbor Grays (1908–1909),

Vancouver Beavers The Vancouver Beavers were a Class-B minor league baseball team based in Vancouver, British Columbia that played on and off from 1908 to 1922. The team played in the Northwestern League, Pacific Coast International League, Northwest International L ...

(1908–1911, 1914, 1916–1917),

Portland Colts The Portland Colts were a minor league baseball team based in Portland, Oregon for five seasons (1909, 1911–14) in the Class B Northwestern League. The Colts served as an unofficial farm team for the Portland Beavers and the Cleveland Indians. ...

(1909, 1912–1914),

Seattle Turks The Seattle Turks were a minor league baseball team based in Seattle, Seattle, Washington that played in the 1909 Northwestern League (1905-1917), Northwestern League season. In their only year with the Turks name, the team won the league title w ...

(1909),

Seattle Giants The Seattle Giants were a minor league baseball team that played in various leagues from 1910 to 1920. Based in Seattle, Washington, United States and owned by Dan Dugdale, they played in the Northwestern League from 1910 to 1917, the Pacific Coa ...

(1910–1917),

Portland Pippins Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

(1911),

Victoria Bees Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

(1911–1915),

Vancouver Champions Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Met ...

(1912, 1915),

Vancouver Bees Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Met ...

(1913),

Ballard Pippins The Ballard Pippins were a minor league baseball team briefly based in Ballard, Washington. In 1914, the Pippins played a partial season as members of the Class B level Northwestern League in their only season of play. Ballard hosted minor league ...

(1914), a

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the List of cities and towns in Montana, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

team (1916) and

Great Falls Electrics The Great Falls Electrics were a minor league baseball team that operated out of Great Falls, Montana. The team was formed in 1911 as part of the old Union Association league. They also played in the Northwestern League from 1916 to 1917. The te ...

(1917).

League champions

For most of the league's history, there were no official playoffs following the regular season. The only season with a playoff was 1915. Therefore, the team that finished in first place was often the de facto league champion. The Everett Smokestackers were the league's first champions, finishing in first place in the four team league in 1905. In 1906, the Tacoma Tigers finished in first place, and in 1907, the Aberdeen Black Cats took the crown. The Vancouver Beavers finished in first place in 1908 and again in 1911 and 1914. The Seattle Turks won in 1909 and the Spokane Indians in 1910. In 1912, the Seattle Giants were first, while in 1913 the Vancouver Bees finished on top. In 1915, the league played its only official playoff, which matched the first-place Seattle Giants against the second-place Tacoma Tigers. The Giants won the playoff three games to two, though it was presumably supposed to be at least a seven-game series - however, the playoff was abandoned during game six when a dispute broke out. The Spokane Indians finished in first place in 1916 and the Great Falls Electrics finished in first place in 1917.

Cities represented

Aberdeen, WA Aberdeen ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 census. The city is the most populous in Grays Harbor County and the region's economic center, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and ...

1907, 1915;

Aberdeen Grays Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeenshire, but is now separate from the council area of Aberdeenshire. Aberd ...

1908–1909 *

& Hoquiam, WA: Grays Harbor Grays 1906 * Ballard, WA:

1914 *

Bellingham, WA Bellingham ( ) is the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, to the northwest and Seattle to the south. The population was 91,482 at t ...

: Bellingham Yankees 1905 *

Butte, MT Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...

: Butte Miners 1906–1908, 1916–1917 *

Everett, WA Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-most populo ...

: Everett Smokestackers 1905 *

Great Falls, MT Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, ...

1916–1917 *

Portland, OR Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

1909, 1912–1914;

1911 *

Seattle, WA Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

: Seattle Siwashes 1907–1908;

1909;

1910–1917 *

Spokane, WA Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

1905–1917 *

Tacoma, WA Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

1906–1917 *

Vancouver, BC Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Met ...

: Vancouver Horse Doctors 1905, 1907;

1908–1911, 1914, 1916–1917;

1912, 1915;

1913; *

Victoria, BC Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

: Victoria Legislators 1905;

1911–1915

Standings & statistics

1905 Northwestern League

schedule pt 1

pt 2
br> Victoria (14–38) moved to Spokane July 11.
The season was shortened to September 11.
Playoffs: None. The first half finished in a tie and it was decided that if Everett won the second half, the championship would be awarded to Everett. Everett won the second half.

1906 Northwestern League

schedule
Grays Harbor represented Aberdeen–Hoquiam, Washington.

1907 Northwestern League

schedule

1908 Northwestern League

schedule

1909 Northwestern League

schedule

1910 Northwestern League

schedule

1911 Northwestern League

schedule

1912 Northwestern League

schedule

1913 Northwestern League

schedule

1914 Northwestern League

schedule
Portland (36–60) moved to Ballard July 20.

1915 Northwestern League

schedule
Victoria and Aberdeen withdrew with league permission, August 1.
Playoff: Seattle 3 games, Tacoma 2; abandoned when the sixth game broke up in a dispute.

1916 Northwestern League

schedule

1917 Northwestern League

schedule
The season was shortened to July 15 with National Association approval.

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Dave Bancroft David James Bancroft (April 20, 1891 – October 9, 1972) was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Robins ...

, 1913

Stan Coveleski Stanley Anthony Coveleski (born Stanislaus Kowalewski, July 13, 1889 – March 20, 1984) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for four American League (AL) teams between and , primarily the Cleveland Indians ...

, 1913–1914

Harry Heilmann Harry Edwin Heilmann (August 3, 1894 – July 9, 1951), nicknamed "Slug", was an American baseball player and radio announcer. He played professional baseball for 19 years between 1913 and 1932, including 17 seasons in Major League Baseball wit ...

, 1913

* George Kelly, 1914–1915

Joe McGinnity Joseph Jerome McGinnity (March 20, 1871 – November 14, 1929) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the late 19th and early 20th century. McGinnity played in MLB for ten years, pitching for the National League's ...

, 1913–1915

, 1916–1917 Butte Miners, 1917

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northwestern League (1905-17) Baseball in Oregon Sports leagues established in 1905 Sports leagues disestablished in 1917 1905 establishments in the United States Baseball leagues in Montana Baseball leagues in Oregon Baseball leagues in Washington (state) Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Defunct baseball leagues in Canada