Grand Junction Jackalopes

Franchise history

The Butte Copper Kings, named for the owners of Butte's copper mines, began play in the Pioneer League as a co-op team drawing players from the Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers organizations, plus free agents. The franchise was operated by Silverbow Baseball from an unspecified year. Silverbow sold the team to the Goldklang Group to resolve conflict-of-interest issues after Silverbow head Jim McCurdy became President of the Pioneer League.

An attempted 1994 sale to California investors collapsed when it emerged Silverbow owned a smaller share of the franchise than claimed. After a season, the team moved to Casper, Wyoming as the Casper Rockies, later renamed the Ghosts, and affiliated with Colorado. On January 13, 2011, Casper Professional Baseball Club, LLC sold the team to Monfort Investment Group, headed by Colorado Rockies General Partners. On October 17, 2011, Grand Junction city officials approved a lease for Suplizio Field, and the team became the Grand Junction Rockies.

On November 4, 2022, the team announced its new name, the Grand Junction Jackalopes. In 2025, the Jackalopes said they would use the name Grand Junction Humpback Chubs for Wednesday home games. The Jackalopes announced a relocation from Grand Junction in 2026, replaced by a travel team for that season, with the new location undisclosed.