In the episode of the Minor League History of today we pay attention to the Mountain States League (not to be confused with the Mountain State League). This competition had two points, one of 1911-1912 and one of 1948-1954.
The first edition of the Mountain States League operated as a class D League and was located in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. The competition started as the Virginia Valley League in 1910, but changed its name in the following season.
Cities represented:
-Asland, Ky & Catlettsburg, KY: Ashland-Cattsburg Twins 1911-1912, moved from Virginia Valley League 1910
-Charleston, WV: Charleston Senators 1911-1912, moved from Virginia Valley League 1910
-Huntington, WV: Huntington Blue Sox 1911-1912, moved to Ohio State League 1913-1914
– Ironton, Oh: Ironton Nailers 1911; Ironton Forgers 1912
-Middleport, OH & Pomeroy, OH: 1911-1912
– Montgomery, WV: Montgomery Miners 1911, moved from Virginia Valley League 1910; Montgomery Miners 1912
– Point Pleasant, WV & Gallipolis, OH: 1911, moved from Virginia Valley League 1910
Williamson, WV: 1912
This competition was disturbed from the first season. Point Pleasant-Galipolis moved to MiddlePoint-Pomeroy on July 1. Teams moving from one city to another was not a sign of a solid foundation of the competition. But it would get worse. The season ended on 12 September when a study was conducted by the National Association, with regard to two cases of incorrect behavior during the late season games to prevent the recently eventful MiddlePort-Pomeroy franchise from won the second half title. These games were deducted during the autumn meeting of the National Association.
According to baseball reference, the Montgomery my workers won the title of 1911, but the 1912 season would not start in Montgomery. Although no information can be found, it may be that the miners of Montgomery moved to Williamson after the 1911 season.
Last classification of the 1911 season:
The 1911 Mountain States League played a split season, in which Huntington won the first half classification and Point Pleasant-Gallipolis/MiddlePort-Pomeroy won the second half classification. However, Montgomery had the best general record and no play -offs were held. Because the National Association’s administrative body did not have play-offs, after a study by the National Association, after the regular season, two cases of incorrect behavior in the late seasonal competitions found that MiddlePort-Pomeroy won the second half title. Because these competitions were later deducted during the autumn meeting of the competition, Montgomery finished as the team with the best general record after the statement of no play -offs for the Mountain States League.
The 1912 season would be a disaster. The competition would hardly bring it halfway through the season. The MiddlePort & Pomeroy franchise moved to Montgomery on 21 June, but only eight days later the club dissolved. That would be the first Domino that falls. On July 1, the Senators of Charleston and seven days later the Twins of Ashland-Cattssburg would dissolved. With three more teams, it was not feasible to continue with the competition.
1948 – 1954 Mountain States League
Three years after the Second World War, a new run of the Mountain States League was light.
The competition started as a class D League, but in the last season it received the class C status. The competition started with six teams in 1948, but in most years of its existence the competition contained eight teams. In 1954 the competition contained an odd number of teams (seven).
Cities represented:
-Big Stone Gap, VA: Big Stone Gap Rebels 1949-1953
-Hharlan, Ky: Harlan Smokies 1948-1954Hazard, KY:
-Hazard Bombers 1948-1952
-Jenkins, KY: Jenkins Cavaliers 1948-1951
-Kensport, TN: Kingssport Cherokees 1953-1954, moved from Appalachian League 1943-1952
-Knoxville, TN: Knoxville Smokies 1953, moved from Tri-State League 1946-1952, moved to Tri-State League 1954
– Lexington, KY: Lexington Colts 1954
-Maryville, TN & Alcoa, TN: Maryville-Alcoa Twins 1953-1954
-Middlesboro, KY: Middlesboro Athletics 1949-1954
-Morristown, TN: Morristown Red Sox 1948-1954; Morristown Twins 1954
-Newport, TN: Newport Canners 1948-1950
-Norton, VA: Norton Braves 1951-1953
– Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge Bombers 1948; Oak Ridge Pioneers 1954
-Pennington Gap, VA: Pennington Gap Miners 1948-1951
The Mountain States League of 1948-1954 was the home of teams from Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee. It was a rather stable competition. In the first season, only one team moved from one city to the other when the Oak Ridge franchise moved to Hazard on 10 June, but in the following years no team moved during the season. Only in the last season, 1954, did the competition seem to be unstable when the Morristown Red Sox dissolved in the season, on May 15, on 15 May. The twins of Maryville-Alcoa filled the gap in Morristown in June, because they moved to Morristown on 19 June. But that movement was not quite fruitful if the club on July 7 because of the financial problems. Later that month, on July 20, the Lexington Colts dissolved, so that the competition stopped.
Champions of the Mountain States League 1948-1954:
1948: Morristown Red Sox
1949 + 1950: Harlan Smokies
1951 + 1952: Hazard Bombers
1953: Knoxville Smokies
According to the website of Stadium Journey, the city of Lexington received a team seventeen days before the 1954 season started. The Lexington Colts were intended as a replacement for the Hazard Bombers who could not establish a team. But according to baseball reference, the Hazard Bombers were not members of the competition in 1953. So it remains doubtful whether the Colts have really replaced the bombers. Perhaps the intention was to introduce a team in Hazard in the 1954 season, but because they couldn’t make it, Lexington came around the corner.
League President, Virgil Q. Wacks came to the city hoping to meet everyone who would exploit a franchise in the DAN-8 League team. Things were quickly moved with negotiations about who would exploit the club and improvements were made to the Blue Grass Athletic Park house of the Lexington Hustlers, a Negro League baseball from the past nine seasons.
Anyway, because of the late addition to the competition, the Lexington Ball Club received help with finding players and a manager, selling tickets and daily activities of the competition and Chandler. Fans were encouraged to name the team, where the winner received two season tickets and ten wrestling tickets in what is now called League Park. Second place would win a book of 25 tickets. People who were interested could buy a limited number of shares from the club.
Despite the short preparation, it looked good when the Ball Club organized its first match on 24 April against Kingsport. The ceremonial crowd released the former baseball commissioner Happy Chandler and the Colts hit a 14-2 victory for 1200 fans in League Park. The victory was hospitable because the team only had four days to practice and get to know each other for manager Zeke Bonura.
Traveling was very expensive for the Colts, because the club was far from the other clubs. Lexington was the northernmost club and 131 miles of the closest rival in Middlesboro. It was further away from Newport (218 Mile) and Kingssport (250 miles) in one way. The weather did not cooperate, because many games fell, leaving the club without income. In the end, the dissolution on July 20 was the last blow for the already difficult competition, which folded the same day.
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