The Hutchinson Salt Packers wore the identity of Hutchinson, Kansas, a city that sits on top of one of the largest rock salt deposits on earth. The Salt Packers name first appeared in 1906, carried by a club that played in the Western Association and Kansas State League, won the 1910 Kansas State League championship, and survived its home grounds, Cook Athletic Park, burning down in 1910.
The name's Western League chapter in 1918 arrived through one of the strangest transactions in minor league history: a same-day franchise swap. On June 2, 1918, Hutchinson's struggling club moved to Oklahoma City, and on the very same day the Topeka franchise moved into Hutchinson and took up the Salt Packers name. The relocated Salt Packers played well, sitting in second place at 37-31, five and a half games behind Wichita, when the season stopped for good. The federal government's World War I "work or fight" order, requiring men to take war-essential jobs or face the draft, forced the entire Western League to fold in early July.
Professional baseball returned to Hutchinson under the Wheatshockers name in the 1920s and 1930s, but the Salt Packers name stayed in 1918, frozen mid-pennant race by the war.
The Western League was a Class A circuit for most of its life, operating from 1900 through 1937 and again from 1947 through 1958, fielding teams across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states, including Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, and later Texas and New Mexico. For its first decade it stood just one step below the major leagues. An earlier league of the same name, which ran from 1885 to 1899, renamed itself the American League in 1900 and lives on today as one half of Major League Baseball.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our premium lightweight shirts are the hugely popular Bella+Canvas brand 3001 tees. They are much lighter and thinner feeling than a traditional heavyweight tee. They also are more form fitting and feel more snug. These are generally 90% to 100% cotton, although please note that heather colors in this item are 52% cotton.
Size Guide: Fit is true to size or a little snug. Considering ordering one size up if you are normally between sizes.
Brand: Bella Canvas | Product ID: 3001
- Made with 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, a lightweight fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)) that is easy to layer, breathable. Perfect for active and leisure wear.
- The retail fit that is perfect for casual and semi-formal settings. The crew neckline adds a classic, neat style that's perfect for accessorizing.
- Bella+Canvas manufactures all its products in the US and internationally in humane, no-sweat-shop, sustainable way and is part of the Fair Labor Association as well as Platinum WRAP certified.
- The tear-away label minimizes skin irritations.
- Fabric blends: Ash and Heather Prism colors - 99% cotton, 1% polyester; Heather and Solid Blend colors - 52% cotton, 48% polyester; Athletic Heather and Black Heather - 90% cotton, 10% polyester.
