THE BLUE SHIRTS OF SAINT PAUL

On May 18, 1883, a group of Minnesota railroad and industry workers gathered at the Merchants Hotel in Saint Paul to organize what would become the first Minnesota- based lacrosse club. About thirty men attended, most of them Canadian immigrants who had come to work on the railroads.

They elected officers that day: Dr. MacDonald as President, Thomas McCann as Vice President, G.W. Purdy as Secretary, F. Conaughton as Treasurer, and A.A. Dennie as Captain.

Just one month later, on June 20, 1883, Minneapolis organized a rival club of its own.

The first intrastate match followed quickly: June 30, at 4 p.m., on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Tenth Street South in Minneapolis. Saint Paul took the victory, 3–0.

That fall, Saint Paul looked beyond state lines. On September 15, 1883, they challenged the Chicago Calumets, one of the strongest clubs in the Midwest. It washere that the first detailed description of the Saint Paul uniform appeared. A telegram from Chicago reported: “The St. Paul boys were attired in blue hats, white knit shirts, gray knee breeches with blue stockings and rubber-soled lawn tennis shoes. The costume was picturesque, and the young men were in fine form. The Chicagos were costumed in white hats, striped shirts, yellow breeches, and blue stockings.”

From that day forward, Saint Paul became associated with blue and white. By the early 1900s, newspapers referred to them simply as “The Blue Shirts.” They remained fixtures of Minnesota lacrosse until the First World War. After that, their name disappeared from the record. However, their legacy as Minnesota’s first lacrosse club endures.

SEPTEMBER 23 - Youth

2032 - 2033: 6:00 - 7:15pm

2030 - 2031: 7:15 - 8:30pm

SEPTEMBER 25 - High School

2026 - 2029: 6:00 - 7:30pm BOYS

2026 - 2029: 7:30 - 9:00pm GIRLS

Veteran's Memorial Community Center, IGH

$25 registration fee

• All players are required to wear full equipment & have a valid US Box Lacrosse Registration (see below).
• Box is played with short sticks.
• Turf shoes or tennis shoes required for practices.
• Turf shoes or cleats for games at Toca.

Players must have an active US Box Lacrosse Membership for league play.