Des Moines then rejoined the reborn Western circuit when Senator Edwin C. Johnson from Colorado founded it in 1947; this team, a Chicago Cubs affiliate called the Des Moines Bruins, then played for the final 12 years of the league's existence.
The Western League reformed in 1947 with six teams: Denver Bears, Des Moines Bruins, Lincoln A's, Omaha Cardinals, Pueblo Dodgers and Sioux City Soos.
The WL expanded to eight teams in 1950, adding the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and Wichita Indians,[2] but the encroachment of televised baseball and major league franchise shifts into former AAA cities hit the league hard.
In 1955, the Western League's two strongest franchises, the Denver Bears and the Omaha Cardinals, were admitted to the AAA American Association.
Its last champion, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, attracted only 61,000 fans for the season.
In addition to the founding clubs and the Sky Sox, the postwar WL had teams in Albuquerque, Amarillo, Topeka, and Wichita.
Charter teams were the Denver Grizzlies, Des Moines Hawkeyes, Omaha Omahogs, Pueblo Indians, Sioux City Cornhuskers and St. Joseph Saints.
Teams from Kansas City, Missouri, and Minneapolis, Minnesota moved from the American League.
New teams in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Peoria, Illinois, formed and joined the League.
Denver defeated the Minneapolis team of the American Association 4 games to 1.
New teams in Sioux City, Iowa, and Topeka, Kansas, formed and joined the League.
The League suspended operations on July 7 due to World War I.
Wichita's Joe Wilhoit had a 69-game hitting streak, which remains the professional baseball record.
Tulsa beat Mobile of the Southern Association 4 games to 1, with 1 tie Sioux City moved to the Tri-State League.
Springfield of the Three-I League led Des Moines 3 games to 1 when the series was cancelled due to bad weather.
Waco of the Texas League beat Tulsa 3 games to 2, with 1 tie.
Tulsa beat Oklahoma City 4 games to 1, with 1 tie, for the championship.
Des Moines Demons beat Wichita 4 games to 2 for the championship.
Oklahoma City beat Tulsa 2 games to 1 for the second half title.
The teams from Hutchinson, Kansas and Springfield, Missouri joined from the American Association.
New teams in Joplin, Missouri, and Topeka, Kansas, formed and joined the League.
St. Joseph lost to the Davenport Blue Sox from the Mississippi Valley League 4 games to 2.
Bartlesville, Joplin, Muskogee, and Springfield moved to the Western Association.
New teams formed in Omaha, Nebraska, and Waterloo, Iowa, and joined the League.
1940 Western League Sioux City moved to Mitchell July 24.
1949 Western League Playoffs: Denver defeated Pueblo 5-3 for second place.
Wichita defeated Des Moines in a one-game playoff for third place.