The Eau Claire Bears was the primary nickname of the minor league baseball teams from Eau Claire, Wisconsin . Eau Claire was a member of the Class C Northern League (1933-1942, 1946–62) and were affiliates of the Boston Red Sox (1936), Chicago Cubs (1937-1939) and the Boston Braves (1947-1962). The team played its home games at Carson Park in Eau Claire. Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Hank Aaron, Joe Torre and Ford C. Frick Award recipient Bob Uecker played for Eau Claire.
8-879: Originally named the Eau Claire Cardinals , the team adopted its most enduring nickname when new owners bought the team in July of its first season. Beginning in 1954, the Eau Claire Bears were renamed the Eau Claire Braves after the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee. The Bears, along with the rest of the Northern League , did not play the 1943-45 seasons due to World War II. In 1998, an amateur team in Eau Claire began using
16-571: A contract with the Braves on June 15 for $ 350 per month. Aaron played shortstop and breaking from his cross-handed style of batting, was selected to play in the 1952 Northern League All-Star Game. He was selected as the league's Rookie of the Year at the conclusion of the season. Aaron hit .336 with 9 Home Runs for Eau Claire, helping the team to a 72-53 record. Today, there is a statue of Aaron and plaque in front of Carson Park to honor his achievements. Aaron
24-791: The Winnipeg Maroons , Crookston Crooks , Fargo, Devil's Lake, Grand Forks and Cavalier. In 1906, the league merged with the Copper Country Soo League to become the Northern-Copper Country League (1906–1907). A second Northern League was attempted in 1908, but did not finish its first season. The third Northern League appeared when the Central International League of 1912 expanded and changed its name in 1913. This third Northern League would last until 1917, when it
32-626: The Bears name and has been a member of the Chippewa River Baseball League ever since. Along with many league titles, they also won the Wisconsin Baseball Association (WBA) state championship in 2005, 2008, and 2009. From 1933-1938 Eau Claire played at Chappell Field, which seated 2,000 with temporary bleachers. From 1937-1962 teams played at Carson Park , which still exists today. Built in 1937,
40-486: The Northern League in its various incarnations began as an independent loop in 1902, it was Class D (1903–1905, 1908, 1917, 1933–1940) and Class C (1913–1916, 1941–1942, 1946–1962) under the antiquated classification system for Minor League Baseball . The league operated as Class A (1963–1971) under the modern minor league classification system. When the league folded after the 1971 season, the remaining teams were
48-507: The park had a capacity of 3500. It is located at 1 Carson Park Drive. Today, Carson Park is home to the Eau Claire Express of the summer collegiate Northwoods League and the new Eau Claire Bears of the Chippewa River Baseball League. The most accomplished player in the team's history was Hall of Famer Hank Aaron , who made his minor league début with the team in 1952. Aaron arrived to the team in mid June, 1952, after signing
56-522: Was forced to disband due to a lack of players as a result of World War I. The league did not re-emerge until 1933, when it began play with the Brainerd Muskies, Brandon Grays, Crookston Pirates , East Grand Forks Colts , Eau Claire Cardinals , Fargo-Moorhead Twins , Superior Blues and Winnipeg Maroons. The league did not operate between 1943 and 1945 because of a lack of manpower during World War II, and finally folded again in 1971. While
64-560: Was present for the statue dedication ceremonies on August 17, 1994. Northern League (baseball, 1902%E2%80%9371) The Northern League was a name used by several minor league baseball organizations that operated off and on between 1902 and 1971 in the upper midwestern United States and Manitoba , Canada. The name was later used by the independent Northern League from 1993 to 2010. The Northern League name represented four leagues in this time frame: The first Northern League operated between 1902 and 1905. Charter members were
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