Idaho Falls Chukars Professional Baseball

Baseball has been played in Idaho Falls since the early 1900s. In fact, an Idaho Falls club belonged to the short-lived Utah-Idaho League between the years of 1926-1928. It wasnt until 1940 that the Idaho Russets joined the relatively new Pioneer League. The Russets replaced one of the inaugural teams of the Pioneer League, the Lewiston Indians. Two years later, play was suspended for just about all of Minor League Baseball for World War II. Baseball officially started again in 1946. In 1955, the Idaho Falls Russets became a Farm Club for the first time; no longer being locally owned. An invention from baseballs infamous Branch Rickey, the farm system would allow Major League teams to partially own, or support financially, several minor league teams. In return, those minor league teams would develop and train players for that particular Major League club. Idaho Falls became a farm club for the Detroit Tigers, which whom they would remain with until 1959. Highland Par...