Talk:Flambeau League

Soo League Overlap

As promised, here are some other notes I am finding on the Soo League in relation to Flambeau. A quick note first:


- Prentice would have been in the 3-C until 1943, so they were not in Flambeau until 1943 at the earliest.

- Fifield's primary high school mascot was the Vikings. The Falcons were used for baseball only.

- As you'll see in my notes below, Tripoli was in and out of leagues (and in and out of independent status) a lot. My suggestion is to reach out to the Knox Creek Heritage Center for more information on them (https://www.facebook.com/knoxcreekheritagecenter). I think they will have a bevy of info on most or all of these leagues, assuming they have all the yearbooks.


Now, on to my further notes. As I mentioned, there were several leagues that were called Soo Line League or Soo League. I will try to distinguish them based on the counties they primarily showed up in, or the league they would have overlapped with.

Soo League (Flambeau/Ashland County)

1938-1939: A meeting was held in spring 1938 at Mellen involving Mellen, Glidden, Butternut, Fifield, Park Falls and Phillips around a "Soo Line League" to be formed for baseball and pouch football https://www.newspapers.com/image/872007/?match=1&terms=soo%20athletic%20league%20mellen. It did not reference basketball, and was likely not a league (with said teams) per Mellen's 1938-39 season schedule: https://www.newspapers.com/image/1990232/?match=1&terms=mellen%20basketball

1939-1940: Park Falls schedule is fairly spread out. Most likely another independent https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/136275?page=60

Also in this season, Tripoli is listed as being a "Soo Line League" member https://www.newspapers.com/image/1123272232/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20line%20conference%22. Later in the season, they play their last conference game against Fifield. https://www.newspapers.com/image/10098618/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20basketball. I know in some older newspapers, "conference" is the same as regular season, but given the reference to Soo Line, Tripoli likely was in one. There was an earlier Soo Line League in Rusk/Price County that Tripoli was in, so there was some question as to their league (notes on that in next reply)

1940-1941: Fifield schedule. https://www.newspapers.com/image/54866769/?match=1&terms=fifield%20drummond%20blue%20gold Includes many of the teams in the 1950s Flambeau. Prentice would have been nonconference. Phillips is uncertain, but likely in the Soo given they were in the "Flambeau Soo" in mid 1940s.

1941-1942: Tripoli out of the conference, in something called the "T" conference (https://www.newspapers.com/image/1122570156/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20tony%20t-tournament) Confirmed from Tony 1942 Yearbook (https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182727848?page=60). More on this league later, related to the Soo Line (Rusk/Price) League. This was also the year Winter referenced the Flambeau, which by the wording, I figured the league had at least 3 years of existence to that point https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/92437?page=67

1942-1943: Gas ration season. Many teams in the state did not play their regular conference schedules. The Flambeau Soo, which we saw for 1944-1946, probably came about from this. Phillips schedule a bit of a hodgepodge, but I think referencing Draper as blue and gold suggests some familiarity you wouldn't mention without regularly playing them before https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182955235?page=37

1943-1944 Tripoli season schedule. Independent. No T tournament teams https://www.facebook.com/knoxcreekheritagecenter/posts/pfbid02pUwhtwpgorhc36otQgtxSV6kTXgLs8djRE13eAwwQs416cNqXderQbGk3q56UfW4l Prentice was also out of 3-c by then and moved to play teams up north (so it seemed). https://www.newspapers.com/image/266992798/?match=1&terms=3-c%20loyal

1944-1945 Flambeau-Soo in existence. Phillips was undefeated, so this meant the league did NOT have Park Falls, Medford, Westboro, and likely not Tomahawk. Winter/Draper maybe had some connection. The dual membership wasn't referenced til the next year https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182955210?page=40

1945-1946 Both Butternut https://www.newspapers.com/image/518376049/?match=1&terms=butternut%20flambeau%20soo and Glidden https://www.newspapers.com/image/396964353/?match=1&terms=flambeau%20soo%20butternut referenced as dual members of the Flambeau and Flambeau Soo. Prentice 7-1 champs of the Flambeau Soo (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10207244864355521&set=pcb.2785036258258220)

1946-1947 Iron Belt Schedule, which includes a "some Indian Head league, some Soo Line League" teams. The IH were Saxon and Mellen. The Soo Line would be Butternut and Glidden. Mercer and Lac du Flambeau (aka Flambeau in many sources) were independent. https://www.newspapers.com/image/55141151/?match=1&terms=iron%20belt%20schedule. That is latest reference I find to a "Soo Line League" out of teams located in Ashland County

1947-1948 Prentice listed as the Flambeau champs https://www.newspapers.com/image/55141151/?match=1&terms=iron%20belt%20schedule. 14-2 overall record. At this point, I think the Flambeau Soo was done, and maybe had been after 1946. As to who is in the Flambeau is unclear, however.




Badgeractuary (talk) 20:02, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Part 2, which will include the Soo Line of Rusk/Price/Lincoln Counties. Given that Prentice, Westboro, and Tripoli are involved, I'm bringing that documentation here, but note Tony, Hawkins, and I-GF will also be referenced.
Soo Line (Rusk/Price/Lincoln Counties)
1925-1926: Hawkins schedule, looked similar to 1928. Overlaps include Tripoli, Prentice, Rib Lake
1927-1928: Hawkins yearbook references "conference game" against Westboro https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182727643?page=32&searchTerm=hawkins%20conference They also played Tripoli, Rib Lake, and Prentice twice. Rib Lake had a similar "conference" schedule in 1928, but only played Westboro once, with a second game against Hawkins cancelled (as stated in yearbook) https://www.newspapers.com/image/265970407/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20westboro%20hawkins. No name is ever given to this conference, whatever it was.
1928-1929: Rib Lake's schedule looked much different https://www.newspapers.com/image/265917249/?match=1&terms=rib%20lake%20basketball They would join the 3-C the following year.
1931-1932: New conference formed with Tripoli, Tony, Prentice, Westboro, Hawkins. https://www.newspapers.com/image/12116184/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20tony%20prentice%20hawkins
1933-1934: Westboro joins 3-C
1934-1935: Hawkins, Prentice, Tripoli tied for first in (you guessed it...) the Soo Line League https://www.newspapers.com/image/1123155140/?match=1&terms=prentice%20hawkins%20tripoli
1935-1936: Prentice joins 3-C. This Soo Line down to Tony, Hawkins, Tripoli, unless there's realignment somewhere...
1937-1938: Hawkins schedule includes Winter, Draper, Tripoli, Tony. Cornell would be non-conference. No reference to conference in general. https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182727367?page=67
1938-1939: Hawkins schedule. Not much for pattern or conference. https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182727356?page=61. Repeats included Draper, Tony, Tripoli, Holcombe, Cornell, Winter.
1939-1940: Tripoli in a Soo Line, but not clear which one. https://www.newspapers.com/image/10098618/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20basketball. Hawkins basketball schedule, which included Fifield, Tony, Draper, Tripoli. Weyerhaeuser, Gilman, Phillips would be non-conference https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182727355?page=53
1940-1941: Hawkins schedule. Very hard to read, but included Tripoli, Tony, Weyerhaeuser, I-GF (not much else it seemed). https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182727365?page=57
1941-1942: T-Tournament/Conference includes Tripoli, Tony, Hawkins, I-GF https://www.newspapers.com/image/1122570156/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20tony%20t-tournament. References to first high ratings in 11 years for Tripoli calls back the Soo Line league membership from 1931 (how I read it at least). Tripoli then may not have been in much a conference before that either. Knox Creek may help.
Tony was playing Winter and Draper as well in 1942, the same year Winter referenced Flambeau League. No reference to that league in the yearbook however https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182727848?page=60
1943-1944: Independent schedule for Tripoli https://www.facebook.com/knoxcreekheritagecenter/posts/pfbid0krAVLCQcR1qjVftart1NypbLaeWLrV7okmo6T2qKPjA7roXYqW3viLx5NYfb5dsFl
So once again, it seems this Soo Line was done early. I do wonder now if Flambeau included some teams from the future Flambeauland early on, and Soo Line was more of the Glidden/Butternut/Fifield teams, with a merger then happening eventually, but it's inconclusive at this point. Badgeractuary (talk) 20:47, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

1945-46 Standings For Flambeau and Flambeau-Soo Leagues

Well this changes things (from Superior Evening Telegram, 1945-46): https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241174409/?match=1&terms=%22flambeau%20league%22 Badgeractuary77 (talk) 21:27, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Other related notes:
Butternut 1940-41 schedule is rather haphazard, but Flambeau League as seen above (plus Tripoli) is possible: https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241083940/?match=1&terms=glidden%20butternut%20tripoli
1943: Prentice leading Soo Line League (they would have left 3-C in 1942 then): https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241110212/?match=1&terms=glidden%20%22soo%20league%22
1943-44: Park Falls also in Soo Line league, it seems, along with Prentice, Glidden, Butternut, Phillips: https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241206833/?match=1&terms=glidden%20%22soo%20league%22
1946-47 roster listed here: https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241484525/?match=1&terms=%22flambeau%20league%22 Prentice may have been in the league as well, just not listed. They were in the league for sure for 1947-48: https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241337571/?match=1&terms=%22flambeau%20league%22 Badgeractuary77 (talk) 21:47, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Looks like Phillips was gone from the conference by the 1947-48 school year at the latest, and the conference was referred to as the Flambeau League: Dec 22, 1947, page 13 - The Evening Telegram at Newspapers.com Moserjames79 (talk) 21:24, 13 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I think Phillips was out of it by 1946-47. My suspicion is that there was some continuance of the UWC/Soo League in the late 30s/early 40s, and it merged with the Flambeau League for 2 years into a dual membership league ("Flambeau-Soo"). The Flambeau-Soo then ultimately became what was the Flambeau of the late 40s on.
In relation to the Flambeau then, I'm looking into how the Flambeau existed before 1941. My hunch is that Tony, Hawkins, Tripoli may have been involved in some fashion with Winter and Draper in the late 1930s, before trailing off again. More to come... Badgeractuary77 (talk) 23:59, 13 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Tripoli makes its first appearance in the 1950-51 season standings: Feb 10, 1951, page 10 - The Evening Telegram at Newspapers.com Moserjames79 (talk) 13:02, 14 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Soo League(s), Flambeau, and Flambeau-Soo

As promised, I did a bit more digging now that we have more information from the Superior Evening Telegram. I've divided this into several sections, based on the different leagues or teams involved. Some of this rehashes in my prior notes, but let me know if this helps:

Little Seven/Little Eight (or what I call the “Southern” Soo Line League)

1931-32:  New conference announced with Tripoli, Tony, Westboro, Prentice, Hawkins  https://www.newspapers.com/image/12116184/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20tony%20prentice%20hawkins

Holcombe and Gilman listed as members of “Little Seven”:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/416985168/?match=1&terms=holcombe%20gilman%20%22little%20seven%22

1932-33:  Holcombe and Gilman now joined by Weyerhaeuser, but listed as “Little Eight”:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/416807200/?match=1&terms=holcombe%20weyerhauser%20%22little%20eight%22  and https://www.newspapers.com/image/416812156/?match=1&terms=holcombe%20gilman%20%22little%20eight%22

Note in the first link that Tony and Westboro are referenced above.  That is because they make up part of the “Little Eight.”  The Little Seven/Eight included Tripoli, Tony, Westboro, Prentice, Hawkins, Holcombe, Gilman, and Weyerhauser, but was alternatively called…the Soo Line League:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1240953299/?match=1&terms=holcombe%20gilman%20%22soo%20line%22

1933-34:  After the 1933 season, Holcombe and Gilman left for the Cloverbelt, and Westboro left for the 3-C.  This left 5 teams in 1933-34.  Weyerhaeuser won the title that year:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1240942618/?match=1&terms=weyerhauser%20%22soo%20line%22

1934-35:  Weyerhaeuser left for the Lakeland after the 1933-34 season, but the Soo Line kept going with only 4 teams (Tony, Hawkins, Prentice, Tripoli):  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1123124673/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20tony%20prentice%20hawkins

Prentice left for the 3-C after this season.  There may have been an abbreviated/updated version of the Soo (see notes on Hawkins, Tony, Tripoli later, the last 3 teams).  There’s also some possibility Phillips joined from 1935-1937 (see Miscellaneous section below).

Old UWC (i.e. “Northern”  Soo Line)

1937-38:  Phillips joins Soo League, with references to teams from Butternut, Glidden, Park Falls, and others.  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241083351/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20line%20league%22%20phillips  No reference to standings found.

1938-39:  Soo Line League organized with Mellen, Butternut, Glidden, Phillips, Park Falls:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241155619/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20line%20league%22%20phillips  Those teams (save for Phillips) would have a touch football league in the fall:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241103624/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20line%20league%22

1939-40:  The only reference possibly of a Soo Line Conference member from the UWC is Fifield, as they played in Tripoli’s last conference game:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1123272232/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20line%20conference%22 and https://www.newspapers.com/image/10098618/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20fifield%20hawkins   Two possibilities with this:  either a “conference game” just references a regular season, or Fifield and Tripoli were both in the same actual conference…just don’t know which one. With the latter theory, it would be worth watching for any references of the Flambeau League as Soo League as well

Also, Park Falls (https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/136275?page=60 ) and Phillips https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241186647/?match=1&terms=phillips%20basketball%20hurley schedules were scattered.  The Soo Line as it was would have been no more in this year

1942-43:  Soo League appeared to have re-organized, likely during war ration times, with Prentice, Phillips, Fifield, Park Falls, and Glidden:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241110212/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20league%22%20phillips.  Prentice would have left the 3-C in 1942 then

1943-44:  Butternut added to make the Soo Line 6 teams:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1240987870/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20league%22%20phillips

1944-45 and 1945-46:  Butternut and Glidden are dual members of the “Flambeau-Soo” and Flambeau Leagues.  No Park Falls.  Phillips won F-S title in 1945, and Prentice won F-S in 1946.  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241174409/?match=1&terms=%22flambeau-soo%22

Fifield was a dual member as well, except in 1945-46. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241175426/?match=1&terms=fifield%20glidden%20flambeau

1946-47:  Flambeau-Soo (also called “Soo Line”) continues without Phillips. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241484525/?match=1&terms=%22flambeau%20league%22%20winter%20draper Prentice not originally named as a member, but was included eventually for this season:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241332753/?match=1&terms=%22flambeau%20league%22%20prentice

This roster stays in place until 1950-51, when Tripoli is admitted:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241431046/?match=1&terms=%22flambeau%20league%22%20tripoli

Flambeau League

1935-36:  Draper schedule, only posted to show there likely wasn’t a Flambeau League then https://www.newspapers.com/image/267103468/?match=1&terms=draper%20ojibwa%20%22stone%20lake%22

1939-40:  Glidden was 6-8 this season, and the only games I could track were two each against Mellen, Phillips and Park Falls.  The tourney preview said they had no victories against other district teams.  I could see the other 8 games being Winter, Draper, Fifield, Butternut https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241129489/?match=2&terms=saxon%20glidden%20basketball

1940-41:  No reference to Flambeau directly, but Butternut schedule and Fifield schedules give some clues.  Butternut:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241083940/?match=1&terms=butternut%20basketball%20schedule and Fifield:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/54866769/?match=1&terms=fifield%20tripoli

1941-42:  First references in print from Winter yearbook:  https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/92437?page=67 and the Evening Telegram (Glidden as a member):  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241070213/?match=1&terms=glidden%20%22flambeau%20league%22

Given the statements in the yearbook, this would be at least the 3rd season the league was in existence

1942-44: No references to Flambeau League directly, but Glidden had won the 3rd league title of the Flambeau in a row in 1946, meaning the league existed in 1943-44:   https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241175426/?match=1&terms=fifield%20glidden%20flambeau  Fifield would have also been in the league at this point.  This also means that dual membership with Flambeau and Soo indeed occurred

1944-46:  All members of the Flambeau were in the Flambeau-Soo as well (see links above)

1946-48:  League adopts the “Flambeau-Soo” name after dropping Phillips, but eventually reverts to Flambeau League name for good (Latest reference of F-S name):  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241338969/?match=1&terms=%22flambeau-soo%22

My running assumption: the league started no later than 1939-1940 season with (at least) Winter, Draper, Butternut, Glidden, Fifield.  I can’t confirm without more detail

Miscellaneous (i.e. what to do with Tony, Tripoli, Hawkins, Glen Flora)

Glen Flora:  Not much info on them, as they only started playing in the WIAA in the late 30s.  Hawkins played them every year from 1938 on, except for 1939-40.

Hawkins:  Hawkins schedule is limited here, from 1936-37:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241478637/?match=1&terms=hawkins%20tony%20tripoli  Their games with Phillips in that year were listed as “conference games” (https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241106038/?terms=phillips&match=1 ) but the only common games with Phillips were Tony and Tripoli:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241479131/?match=1&terms=%22winter%20high%20school%22%20basketball

The pattern of hodgepodge continued, per the Hawkins yearbooks on Classmates.  The only consistent opponents from 1936-1941 were Tony, Tripoli, and Ingram-Glen Flora (save one year).  They never played Butternut nor Glidden in that time.

Tony:  I only have information on their 1942 and 1946 season, from their yearbooks.  The 1942 yearbook referenced a “T-conference” or “T-Tournament” with Tony, Tripoli, Hawkins, and Glen Flora. The news article can be found here as well:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1122570156/?match=1&terms=tripoli%20tony%20championship%20basketball

Tripoli:  Tripoli was listed as a “Soo Line conference” member for 1939-40 season, per this article:  https://www.newspapers.com/image/1123272232/?match=1&terms=%22soo%20line%20conference%22.  It’s unclear if this is the Soo Line of the north or the old Soo Line they were members of in the early 30s, or even if this was just an error on the newspapers part. It’s also possible that the Soo Line conference stayed put with 3 teams, expanded to include I-GF by 1942, then (as this 1944 schedule seems), was stopped.   https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1692546947539973&set=a.645212865606725 Tripoli was indeed independent for much of the 1940s, regardless.  Badgeractuary77 (talk) 20:01, 19 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]

allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Flambeau_League