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| Chicago Unions | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| League |
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| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Established | 1887 |
| Disbanded | 1900 |
| Nickname(s) |
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TheChicago Unions were a professional, blackbaseball team that played in the late 19th century, prior to the formation of theNegro leagues.
Organized as the Unions in 1887, the club was led byAbe Jones (1887–1889) and byW.S. Peters (1890–1900). In 1899, they lost a series for the western championship to theColumbia Giants, also based in Chicago.
The Unions, along with theCuban Giants, are the only Negro teams to survive the political and economic crisis that eventually lead to thePanic of 1893. Every other significant Negro team which operated prior to the Panic ultimately ceased to exist.
During1901 and 1902,Frank Leland created theChicago Union Giants by hiring many players from the Chicago Unions andColumbia Giants. The Union Giants "were recognized as the top team in the West, but lost a challenge playoff to theAlgona Brownies in 1903 for the western championship" (Riley 168). The Union Giants were renamedLeland Giants in1905.
| The Chicago Unions and theChicago Columbia Giants merged for the 1901 season creating theChicago Union Giants, who later changed their name to the Leland Giants. The Leland Giants then split into two teams for the 1910 season creating theChicago Giants and the new Leland Giants, who later changed their name to theChicago American Giants. |