Forgotten Uniforms: The Moose of Juneau Alaska's City League
1927 Moose team. Photograph originally by Elite Studio via Alaska State Library Digital Archives.
Moose may not be the first animal one thinks of when it comes to baseball teams. Sure, there have been a handful of players nicknamed “Moose,” most notably Bill Skowron, and, more recently, Mike Mussina. Perhaps the Mariner Moose will come to mind for some, but its biggest claim to fame involved a “water”-skiing incident that resulted in a fractured ankle during the 1995 ALDS. Seriously, look it up. It happened.
Moose can trot at somewhere around 20mph, and run up to 35mph for short distances. Put a moose on the basepath and it’ll cover 90 feet in just over 10 strides—talk about efficiency!
While conducting other Alaska-related baseball research, I came across a uniform that stuck in mind. Typical for the late-1920s to 1930s, it featured an outlined placket ending in a point at the stomach, a sun collar, and a white base fabric. What made it stick in my head though? The large felt moose head logo prominently displayed on the left breast of the jersey. I saved the photo immediately for future reference.
This particular Moose squad (likely associated with the Loyal Order of Moose) competed in Juneau, Alaska’s City League, with photos from Alaska’s Digital Archive indicating that the team existed from at least 1924 to 1936. Over the years, their uniforms don’t appear to change much, sticking to the same general scheme. Unfortunately I have yet to find any mention of colors, but I personally picture the use of brown and/or green for the hats, logo, and socks.
1927 City League Opening Day. Moose are kneeling in front row, right. Photograph via Alaska State Library Digital Archives.
Not much about the Juneau City League teams is readily available online, but in addition to the photos that appear in this post, there are newspaper articles from the Daily Alaska Empire that chronicle the entirety of the 1927 City League season. The campaign opened on May 15th with a doubleheader featuring all 4 teams - Elks against Alaska Juneau Miners, and Moose against American Legion Vets. The Moose played what appeared to be .500 baseball all season, starting strong and ending with a bit of a rough patch. After the completion of the regular season, it was announced that the Moose and defending champion Elks would battle for a trophy donated by the one and only A.G. Spalding Co. in a best-of-five series.
Clipping from the August 8 edition of the Daily Alaska Empire. Via Library of Congress.
The “Little World’s Series” kicked off on July 31st with the Moose coming out strong, winning the first two games. Their 7-2 victory in Game 1 was aided by a whopping 9 errors committed by the Elks. Game 2 was similar, but more of an even score. Pete Schmitz, pitcher for the Moose, went the entire distance and only allowed one run in what actually should have resulted in a loss. Elks pitcher “Dutch” Bernhofer allowed three runs, but none were earned as the Elks defense once again proved to be their downfall. The Elks were 3-1 winners in Game 3, as their pitcher, Jackson, held the Moose to just 2 hits and 1 (unearned) run. In Game 4, the Moose brought a 4-2 lead into the 9th and almost gave the game away. After racking up two outs, the Elks strung together a hit and a walk. The play that followed was what the Daily Alaska Empire described as “prize boner of the year,” committed by Moose 3B Kearney. On a groundball right at him, he opted not to take the easy force out at the bag (3 feet away), and threw wildly to first, allowing the bases to be loaded. With the Elks just a hit away from tying or even going ahead, a well-played flyout to right field ended the season and gave the Moose the Spalding trophy.
All three team photos (1927, 1930, 1936) feature Art McKinnon as manager, and also coincide with a championship.
Small town teams like the Moose are some of my favorite stories to research. While standings from both major leagues and the Pacific Coast League appeared in the sports section of the Daily Alaska Empire each day, these teams were thousands of miles away. The City League was accessible to baseball fans in Juneau and provided its own action and local heroes.
If you’re interested in the Moose and would like to have this jersey made, or if you’re interested in having a similar forgotten uniform brought to life, reach out to us.
1930 Moose team. Photograph originally by Elite Studio via Alaska State Library Digital Archives.
1936 Moose team. Photograph originally by Elite Studio via Alaska State Library Digital Archives.
A bonus Moose team, also from Alaska, surfaced while I was researching the Juneau City League Moose. This photo of two brothers on opposing teams features James D. Williams (left, wearing a Sitka ANB uniform), and Peter C. Nielsen, a member of the Sitka Moose. This image was taken by Gilbert Truitt and is also part of the Alaska State Library Digital Archives.