The Anaconda Serpents, based in Anaconda, Montana, played the 1900 season in the Montana State League and were the only professional baseball team the city ever hosted. They finished 34-37, third in a four-team league, playing home games at Mountain View Park.
The Serpents finished behind the Great Falls Indians at 39-32 and the Helena Senators at 39-33, and ahead of the Butte Smoke Eaters at 30-40. The club went through two managers in its single season. Player-manager John Grim resigned partway through to take a job as a league umpire and was replaced by Dad Clarkson, one of three brothers who pitched in the major leagues, along with Hall of Famer John Clarkson and Walter Clarkson.
Not everyone in town wanted the name. When Serpents was floated in the spring of 1900 it drew protests from Anaconda residents, and the Anaconda Standard dismissed the objectors as people taking a small thing too seriously. The paper argued that the name was short, musical and too good a play on the city's own name to avoid, and predicted that the other clubs in the league would use it whether Anaconda liked it or not. Smeltermen was the leading alternative. The Standard preferred Serpents, noting that serpents are proverbially wise and never let grass grow under their feet.
Anaconda existed because of copper. Marcus Daly built the town in the 1880s to house the smelter that processed ore from the Butte mines twenty-six miles away, and the town, the smelter and the company all took the Anaconda name. The 1900 league put Anaconda, Butte, Great Falls and Helena in the same four-team circuit, which meant the state's copper industry supplied three of the four clubs.
The Montana State League ran in scattered seasons between 1892 and 1925 and was made up entirely of Montana clubs in every year but 1909. In the 1800s and first half of the 1900s, teams existed in thousands of small towns across the United States, as Americans looked for recreational activities and entertainment in the era before TV.
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 crewneck sweatshirts are classics that anyone is sure to recognize. They are thick, durable Gildan brand crews. They are a cotton/poly blend that stands the test of time.
Size Guide: True to size
- Made with a medium-heavy fabric blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyester (8.0 oz/yd² (271.25 g/m²)), this sweatshirt feels cozy and is the perfect choice for those colder months.
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- Made using 100% ethically grown US cotton. Gildan is also a proud member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol ensuring ethical and sustainable means of production. The blank shirt's dyes are OEKO-TEX-certified dyes with low environmental impact.
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F); Non-chlorine: bleach as needed; Tumble dry: low heat; Do not iron; Do not dryclean.
