# Iowa–South Dakota League

The Iowa–South Dakota League was a minor league baseball circuit that operated from 1902 to 1903 in the states of Iowa and South Dakota. The league was a Class D level league in both seasons. The Sioux Falls Canaries (1902) and Le Mars Blackbirds (1903) won the league championships.

## History

The Iowa–South Dakota League contained six teams in its inaugural season, before being reduced to three in the final season. The Flandreau Indians, Le Mars Blackbirds, Rock Rapids Browns, Sheldon, Sioux City Cornhuskers and Sioux Falls Canaries were the charter members in 1902.
The Sioux Falls Canaries won the championship in 1902, with the Le Mars Blackbirds capturing the 1903 Iowa–South Dakota League final championship.
The 1903 president of the Iowa–South Dakota League was J. U. Sammism, a Le Mars, Iowa attorney.

## Cities represented

* Council Bluffs, Iowa: Council Bluffs Bluffers (1903)
* Flandreau, South Dakota: Flandreau Indians (1902)
* Le Mars, Iowa: Le Mars Blackbirds (1902–1903)
* Rock Rapids, Iowa: Rock Rapids Browns (1902)
* Sheldon, Iowa: Sheldon (1902)
* Sheldon, Iowa and Primghar, Iowa: Sheldon-Primghar Hyphens (1903)
* Sioux City, Iowa: Sioux City Cornhuskers 1902; Sioux City Soos (1903)
* Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Sioux Falls Canaries (1902–1903)

## Standings & statistics

1902 Iowa–South Dakota League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
| Sioux Falls Canaries | 65 | 24 | .730 | – | Charles Craig |
| Flandreau Indians | 51 | 19 | .729 | 4.5 | NA |
| Sioux City Cornhuskers | 56 | 40 | .583 | 12.5 | Ed Kirby |
| Le Mars Blackbirds | 43 | 48 | .473 | 23.0 | Bob Black |
| Rock Rapids Browns | 32 | 59 | .352 | 34.0 | Grandpa Greene |
| Sheldon | 14 | 71 | .165 | 49 | NA |
Flandreau joined on June 20, and was awarded a record of (9–9), which made its overall first-half record 31–22. Flandreau won the second half and folded before the playoff against Sioux Falls.
Player statistics :
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| Dorman | Flandreau | BA | .314 | Harry Swalm | Sioux Falls | W | 23 |
| Moose Baxter | Sioux City | Runs | 63 | Jack Corbett | Sioux Falls | Pct | .882; 15–2 |
| Moose Baxter | Sioux City | HR | 21 |
1903 Iowa–South Dakota League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
| Le Mars Blackbirds | 48 | 34 | .585 | – | Bob Black |
| Council Bluffs Bluffers / Sheldon-Primghar Hyphens | 44 | 35 | .557 | 2.5 | Buck Keith / John McBurney / Bud Jones |
| Sioux City Soos | 44 | 41 | .518 | 5.5 | Frank Lohr |
| Sioux Falls Canaries | 40 | 42 | .488 | 8.0 | Charles Craig |
Council Bluffs folded on June 20 with a record of 1–22. On June 25, Council Bluffs transferred to Sheldon–Primghar, which was awarded a record of 14–11.
Player Statistics :
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| Tony Fremmer | Sheld-Prim | BA | .325 | Fred Helmsdorfer | Sheld-Prim | W | 19 |
| Frank Lohr | Sioux City | Runs | 62 | Ralph Hutchinson | LeMars | Pct | .909; 10–1 |
| Jim Metcalf | LeMars | Hits | 100 |

## MLB alumni

* Bob Black (Cornhuskers/Sioux)
* George Bristow (Blackbirds)
* Jim Buchanan (Blackbirds)
* Fred Carisch (Canaries)
* Bill Carney (Indians)
* Homer Hillebrand (Indians)
* Pete Lister (Blackbirds)
* Bill Moriarty (Cornhuskers)
* Peaches O'Neill (Blackbirds)
* Branch Rickey (Blackbirds)
* Shag Shaughnessy (Soos)
* Dan Stearns (Indians)
* Babe Towne (Browns)

## References/Sources

* Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Baseball America (Third edition). ISBN 978-1-93-239117-6
* Baseball Reference – Iowa-South Dakota League (D) Encyclopedia and History
* ↑ "1902 Iowa-South Dakota League". Baseball-Reference.com.
* ↑ "1903 Iowa-South Dakota League (ISDL) minor league baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
* 1 2 3 Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
* ↑ "There's no place like home (plate)". Le Mars Daily Sentinel. August 10, 2010.
vteProfessional baseball leagues :