1898 Omaha (Omahas)

These renderings are based on written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the renderings.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:
None

Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1898: “The uniforms of the Omaha club have been selected and will be ready for use in due season. They will be gray with red trimmings and stockings.” From the Omaha Daily Bee, March 27, 1898. Research from Ed Morton.

April 1898: “The base ball season will open in this city this afternoon. […] In this game the babes will be out in their brand new clothes, which arrived in the city yesterday [April 20, 1898]. The suits will be gray with maroon trimmings and maroon stockings. These will be worn on the first trip, but when the team opens a second time in this city they will have nice white suits with the trimmings of maroon.” From the Omaha Daily Bee, April 21, 1898. Research from John Rutherford. The article also described the day’s planned activities, including a parade that featured a band and “several tally-hos filled up with the more enthusiastic fans of the city.” The procession was to start at the Barker Hotel “where the local team is stopping” and then proceeded to the “hotel where the visitors are stopping.”

April 1898: “The Omaha uniforms for home games will be pure white with blue trimmings, and those for the road will be gray and red.” From the Kansas City Star, April 5, 1898. Research from Ed Morton. Note that this report described the accent color for the home uniform as blue, not red.

April 1898: “The Omaha suits will be gray with maroon trimmings and maroon stockings. These will be worn on the first trip, but when the team opens a second time in this city they will have nice white suits with the trimmings maroon — Omaha Bee.” From the St. Paul Globe, April 23, 1898, citing the Omaha Daily Bee. Research from Ed Morton and Don Stokes.

Team genealogy: Omaha 1898-1898
Omaha joined the Western League (WL) in 1898 with the transfer of the Grand Rapids team. The reorganized WL operated between 1894 and 1899. On July 7, 1898 the Omaha team was transferred to St. Joseph, MO. Information from wikipedia.com. St Joseph transfer date from Baseball America, Inc., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (1997).