Louis Sockalexis was a Maine Native American who was the first Native American to play professional baseball! He was born on Indian Island in Orono in 1871 and was known as a very strong boy. He could throw a baseball over 600 feet and if you haven't tried that, it is a long throw. He amazed people in the area with his ability as a baseball player.

He went to college at Holy Cross College in Worchester, Massachusetts. He played on the baseball team there did very well. He played there for two years and also played summer baseball. Then he moved to Note Dame University and played there also. A baseball scout noticed how well he played and he then became a professional baseball player for the Cleveland Spiders.

Louis was a great player. Even though some of the fans yelled at him and teased him about being a Native American, he played very well. The first time he was up he hit a home run. He was very fast and stole quite a few bases. He became known as Deerfoot of the Diamond. He was also well known for his throws from the outfield. He became famous and the Cleveland team was called the Cleveland Indians because of Louis being on the team!

Louis only played for a short time. He was not used to city life. People made fun of him. Others tried to cheat him. He began to drink too much. In 1899 he played only a few games and he made several errors. His very promising baseball career was soon over. Some people thought that Louis Sockalexis could have been one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Louis left the city and went back to Indian Island.

Back at home he did some coaching and some of his players went on to play in the New England League. He worked as a woodsman. Sadly, a few years later Louis had tuberculosis and heart disease. He died at the age of 41 in 1913.

It was after his death that he became even more famous. He was selected to the Holy Cross College Hall of Fame and the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1915, the name of the Cleveland baseball team was officially changed to the Cleveland Indians from the Cleveland Spiders. In his hometown the ice arena was named for him.

Adams, Herb and Verde, Tom. Maine's Claim to Fame. Augusta: Maine Department of Education, date on publication not available.