Please note this timeline is a work in progress - as we build our site and publish more stories and photos here (and its sister site/ digital archive which will be public Summer of 2019) it will be filled in with more events and details of the rich history of lacrosse.
| Date | Event | Scope | Region | Links |
| ? - ? | Ball and Stick game played by Nations of the interior of British Columbia
Society of North American Hockey Historians and Researchers |
First Nations | ||
| ~ 1100 | There is evidence that a version of lacrosse played in Mesoamerica or Mexico as early as the 1100s | North America | ||
| 1100 | Deeply rooted in Native American history, the sport dates back to as early as the 12th century when indigenous people played it for community and religious purposes. It was and still is viewed by many as a gift from the Creator; a game intertwined with enjoyment and healing purposes as the medicine game. | First Nations | ||
| ? - ? |
Lacrosse style religious and/or combative events were played in many different parts of North America. Two of these, "Baggataway" and "Tewaarathon" are perhaps the most documented with Baggataway becoming a recreational game with between 60 and 100 players per side. |
First Nations | ||
|
~1400 |
Tyendinaga - Birthplace of the Peacemaker: Pacemaker was later to meet Mohawks | First Nations | Mohawk | |
| 1636 | Jesuit Missionary Jean de Brebeuf documents the game of lacrosse (baggataway) at Georgian Bay, Ontario | First Nations | Hurons | |
| 1630's | There is not much early data on lacrosse and that exists (from missionaries such as French Jesuits in Huron country in the 1630s and later English explorers, such as Jonathan Carver in the mid-eighteenth century Great Lakes area) is often conflicting. | First Nations | ||
| 1630's | There seems to have been three basic forms of lacrosse — the southeastern, Great Lakes, and Iroquoian. | First Nations | Iroquois | |
| 1630's | Among southeastern tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, Yuchi and others), a double-stick version of the game is still practiced. A two-and-a half foot stick is held in each hand, and the soft, small deerskin ball is retrieved and cupped between them. | First Nations | ||
| 1630's | Great Lakes players used a single three-foot stick. terminating in a round, closed pocket about three to four inches in diameter, only a little larger than the ball., In this game, the ball was usually made of wood, charred and scraped to shape. | equipment | ||
| 1630's | The northeastern stick, found among Iroquoian and New England tribes, is the progenitor of all present-day sticks, both in box as well as field lacrosse. The stick for this game was typically more than three feet long and—the shaft ended with a crook which supported a flat triangular surface of webbing | equipment | ||
| 1718 |
Participation of French in lacrosse games noted in great lakes region: Near present day Detroit, Monsieur de Sabrevois, commandant of Fort Pontchartrain, penned a description of the region in 1718. Referring to the Potawatomi village located near the fort, he wrote: In summer they play a great deal at la crosse, twenty or more on each side. Their bat [crosse] is a sort of small racket, and the ball with which they Play is of very Heavy wood, a little larger than the balls we use in Tennis. ... All this is very diverting and interesting to behold. Often one Village Plays against another, the poux [Potawatomi] against the outaouacs [Ottawa] or the hurons, for very considerable prizes. The French frequently take part in these games. (cited in Lacrosse: Michigan's First Team Sport by Larry B. Massie as published in Michigan History Magazine, September/October 1997 available online at: LaxRules.com) |
First Nations |
Potawatomi Outaouacs Hurons |
|
| 1763 | Ojibway Indians use baggataway as a cover to enter and capture Fort Michilimackinac |
First Nations |
Ojibway | |
| 1794 | Match between two native groups results in creation of a basic set of rules |
rules |
||
| 1799 | Salmanaca - Handsome Lake vision occurs | First Nations | ||
| 1815 | Onondaga - Burial place of Handsome Lake | First Nations | ||
| 1834 | Caughnawaga Indians demonstrate the sport at St. Pierre to a large crowd of Montreal spectators and the game is reported by the newspaper. |
First Nations |
Caughnawaga Mohawk |
|
| 1842 | First Montreal Olympic Athletic club lacrosse team. | Club | Quebec | |
| 1843 | First lacrosse game between Indians and non-Indian teams |
First Nations |
Quebec | |
| 1844 | Montreal's Olympic Club organized a team in 1844, specifically to play a match against a Native American team. Similar games were played in 1848 and 1851. |
First Nations |
Quebec | |
| 1856 | The first step toward turning lacrosse into a genuinely organized, modern sport came when the Montreal Lacrosse Club, founded in 1856, developed the first written rules. | rules | ||
| 1858 | Photograph Lacrosse team, Montreal, QC, 1858 | club | Quebec | picture |
| 1859 | Parliament proclaimed lacrosse as the national game of the Dominion of Canada | |||
| 1860 | He also published the first set of lacrosse rules in which the first team to score 3 goals won the match | rules | ||
| 1860 |
Grand lacrosse match in honour of Prince of Wales' visit saw Montreal Locals stage a “Grand Display of Indian Games,” including a match between 30-man Iroquois and Algonquian teams, and another between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teams. The day began with a lacrosse game and included supper. Few Montrealers of the period were vegetarians and the meal included veal, chicken, roasts, game, tongue sandwiches and pickles. The Prince arrived late but danced till 4:00 a.m.. Combined Montreal and Beaver Clubs vs Caughnawaga and St. Regis Indians <a href="http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/M991X.5.1047/" title="More information about this image"><img src="/largeimages/M991X.5.1047.jpg" width="768" height="245" alt="Print | The Grand Ball given by the Mayor and Citizens of Montreal, in Honor of the Prince of Wales, Monday, August 27, 1860 | M991X.5.1047" /></a> |
First Nations, royalty |
Caughnawaga St. Regis Quebec |
|
| 1860 |
In September 1860, one month after the Prince’s visit, a young dentist named Dr. William George Beers wrote a pamphlet that set out some rules and instructions for the game, which until then had had no written regulations. |
rules
|
story | |
| 1860 | Montreal Lacrosse Club merged with Hochelaga Club to form Lacrosse Club of Montreal | club | Quebec | |
| 1860 | Probably the first lacrosse game of 12 players per side saw The Beaver play the Young Torontos club |
rules |
||
| 1861 |
Shortly after the start of the American Civil War, the supposed possibility of invasion caused the formation of a number of militias in Canada. In Montreal, members of the Beaver Lacrosse Club formed the Victoria Rifles Company on September 20, 1861. <a href="http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/II-88853/" title="More information about this image"><img src="/ObjView/ii88853.jpg" width="385" height="306" alt="Photograph | No. 6 Company, Victoria Rifles, Montreal, QC, composite, 1889 | II-88853" /></a> |
Quebec | picture | |
| 1862 | Ottawa Lacrosse Club Formed | Club | Ontario | |
| 1864 | https://oldschoollacrosse.wordpress.com/2016/06/13/the-earliest-lacrosse-photograph/ | |||
| 1866 | November 24, the Montreal Lacrosse Club beats the Chuawanaga Indians in three successive games to win the Canadian Lacrosse Championship |
Championship |
Caughnawaga | |
| 1866 | The Champion Lacrosse Club (1866), Montreal, QC, 1866 Photograph | club | Quebec | picture |
| 1867 |
Dr. W. George Beers of the MLC rewrote the rules thoroughly in 1867. His rules called for 12 players per team, and named the positions: Goal, point, cover point, first defense, second defense, third defense, centre, third attack, second attack, first attack, out home, and in home. This code of rules forms the foundation of the modern game of lacrosse. Dr. W.G. Beers (supplemental) |
rules | story | |
| 1867 | Beers, who is now known as " the father of lacrosse," also replaced the hair-stuffed deerskin ball with a hard rubber ball and designed a stick that was better suited to catching the ball and throwing it accurately. | equipment | ||
| 1867 | The first game played under Beers' rules was at Upper Canada College in 1867, with Upper Canada College losing to the Toronto Cricket Club by a score of 3–1. |
rules game |
Ontario | |
| 1867 | First major lacrosse league formed | league | ||
| 1867 |
St. Regis Lacrosse Club (Akwesasne), Montreal, QC, 1867 Photograph.William Notman (1826-1891). 1867, 19th century
|
First Nations | Akwesasne | picture |
| 1867 |
Montreal Lacrosse Club, QC, 1867 Photograph William Notman (1826-1891) 1867, 19th century
<a href="http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/I-29210/" title="More information about this image"><img src="/ObjView/i29210.jpg" width="299" height="385" alt="Photograph | Montreal Lacrosse Club, QC, 1867 | I-29210" /></a> |
club | Quebec | picture |
| 1867 |
Kahnawake Lacrosse Club, Montreal, QC, 1867 Photograph <a href="http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/I-29100.1/" title="More information about this image"><img src="/ObjView/I-29100.1.jpg" width="385" height="277" alt="Photograph | Kahnawake Lacrosse Club, Montreal, QC, 1867 | I-29100.1" /></a> |
First Nations | Kahnawake | picture |
| 1867 | First convention of he National Lacrosse Association, was held in Kingston Ontario where the first uniform code of playing rules were adopted. |
rules Association |
Canada | |
| 1867 |
Engraving, Emblem of National Lacrosse Association of Canada. John Henry Walker (1831-1899) about 1867, 19th century <a href="http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/M930.50.1.742/" title="More information about this image"><img src="/ObjView/M930.50.1.742.jpg" width="385" height="325" alt="Engraving | Emblem of National Lacrosse Association of Canada | M930.50.1.742" /></a>
|
Association | picture | |
| 1867 | Captain W.B. Johnson of Montreal toured with a team of Caughnawaga Indians, appearing at Windsor Castle before Queen Victoria, who found the game “very pretty to watch.” |
First Nations royalty |
Caughnawaga England |
|
| 1867 | Caughnawaga Lacrosse Team with Dr. George Beers & Henry Beckett, about 1867 Photograph |
First Nations |
Caughnawaga | picture |
| 1867 | First Dominion lacrosse title contested; Montreal Lacrosse club vs Caughnawaga with the winner (Caughnawaga) considered the World Champions |
championship |
Canada Caughnawaga | |
| 1867 |
The First lacrosse "trophy" the "Claxton Flags" (officially named the "Champion Lacrosse Flags") were donated by J. Claxton for challenge competition between amateur teams of Montreal |
trophy | Quebec |
story |
| 1867 | By November it was estimated that there were 80 lacrosse clubs with approximately 2,000 players in Canada. |
|
Canada | |
| 1867 | Saratoga Springs - first lacrosse demonstration in US | origins | USA | |
| 1868 | First Canadian National Tournament - Paris | tournament | Canada | |
| 1868 | White players in Upstate New York began to play lacrosse about this time and during the 1870's several teams were organized in metropolitan New York. | USA | ||
| 1868 | First international lacrosse match (at Ogdensburg) between teams of white players; Canadian residents of Buffalo, NY played a team from Prescott Ontario |
international |
USA Canada |
|
| 1868 | A New York Times story of July 11th reports that the Mohawk Lacrosse Club (of Troy) and the Senior American Lacrosse Club are to appear in Montreal on the 28th to 'gain some insight' on the game as played in Montreal. | international |
Mohawk USA |
|
| 1868 | A New York Times story of August 23rd reports that "The Canada National Game of Lacrosse, which is to be played the coming week on the Capitoline Grounds, is rather difficult to describe. " Later in the story, it is allowed that the team is composed of "...young gentlemen of respectable families." A partial pdf of the story can be found here. | international | USA | |
| 1868 | Crescent Lacrosse Club, Montreal, QC, 1868 Photograph | club | Canada | picture |
| 1868 | Messrs. Beers and Stevenson playing lacrosse, Montreal, QC, 1868 | Canada | ||
| 1868 | US Second Club - Buffalo | club | USA | |
| 1869 | A Montreal publisher produced the first book on the sport in 1869. Lacrosse: The National Game of Canada was written by Beers and illustrated with posed photos of players by the famous Notman Gallery. | rules | Canada | story |
| 1869 | New York - First Nations demonstration by Mohawk and Blackfoot |
origins First Nations |
USA Mohawk Blackfoot |
|
| 1869 | Men from the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake (Caughnawaga) were the Canadian Lacrosse Champions in 1869 |
First Nations Championship |
Kahnawake | picture |
| 1870 | The New York Times (August 27) reports in "Outdoor Sports" that the Knickerbocker Lacrosse Club of NY faced the Toronto Club in Buffalo. Toronto took the decisive fifth game after the Knickerbocker club won the 3rd and fourth games to tie the series. | international | USA | |
| 1870 | On November 25th, The New York Times reports that the Knickerbocker Club is the winner of a tournament to determine the United States Championship |
Championship |
USA | |
| 1870 | Lacrosse Match Between the Montreal Club and Caughnawaga Indians Print Anonyme - Anonymous 1870, 19th century | First Nations | Caughnawaga | |
| 1870 | Prince Rupert's Lacrosse Club formed: the first in Manitoba | Club | Manitoba | |
| 1870 | John Flannery was the father of USA lacrosse in 1870s | origin | USA | |
| 1871 | Montreal Lacrosse Club, Montreal, QC, 1871-72 Photograph Wm. Notman & Son | club | Quebec | |
| 1874 | Lacrosse tried on indoor ice in a Montreal rink - the ball bounced so much that players broke $300 worth of window panes. | game | Quebec | |
| 1875 | Dr. Beers and H. Becket, lacrosse player, Montreal, QC, 1875. Photograph | Quebec | picture | |
| 1875 | A lacrosse ball, with the top and bottom cut off, is the first recorded use of the modern form of the puck in a hockey game - until then rubber balls had been used. (Montreal on March 3rd, 1875 @ the Victoria Rink) | equipment | Quebec | |
| 1875 |
Toronto Lacrosse Club defeated Montreal Shamrocks for NLA championship; this was the first NLA championship by other than a Montreal Team <a href="http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/M986.89.270.1/" title="More information about this image"><img src="/largeimages/M986.89.270.1.jpg" width="768" height="555" alt="Print | The Toronto Lacrosse Club, Champions of Canada. General View of the Lacrosse Grounds | M986.89.270.1" /></a> |
championship | Canada | |
| 1876 | Captained by Dr. W. G. Beers of Montreal, the honorary president of the National Lacrosse Association of Canada, Montreal Club with Caughnagawa Indians tour England. This tour is said to have started the game in "the old country" |
First Nations International |
England Caughnagawa Quebec Canada |
|
| 1876 |
Caughnawaga lacrosse team, Montreal, QC, 1876 Photograph Notman & Sandham 1876, 19th century Photograph |
First Nations | Caughnawaga | picture |
| 1876 | Home Canadian lacrosse team, Montreal, QC, 1876 Notman & Sandham 1876, 19th century | Club | Quebec | picture |
| 1876 | Canadian and European Lacrosse Teams in playing positions, composite, Montreal, QC, 1876 Photograph | international | picture | |
| 1876 | Queen Victoria watched and "endorses" a lacrosse game in Windsor, England and is quoted as noting "The game is very pretty to watch." | royalty |
England Canada |
|
| 1876 |
In April of 1876 the pioneer of lacrosse in Victoria (and Australia as a whole) was a Canadian Lambton L Mount who had come to theVictorian goldfields as a fourteen year old with his family in 1853.In 1875 he was moved to revive his early boyhood memories of lacrosse and thus he wrote to the Australasian Newspaper to announce that he was arranging to import forty lacrosse sticks from Canada and intended to start lacrosse and establish the Melbourne Lacrosse Club. He succeeded and the first practice match of this club took place on 22 June 1876 between 15-20 players at Albert Park. |
club | Australia | |
| 1877 | New York University and Manhattan College played the first U. S. intercollegiate game on November 22, 1877, and other colleges in the Northeast soon took up the sport, including Boston University, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and Stevens Institute. | college | USA | |
| 1878 | Lacrosse team, Montreal, QC, 1878 Photograph | club | Quebec | picture |
| 1878 | From 1878-1883 lacrosse was started in area by Baltimore A.C. followed by Druids A.C. and the beginning of Johns Hopkins L.C. |
club college |
USA | |
| 1879 | The U. S. Amateur Lacrosse Association, founded in 1879, adopted the Canadian rules. | USA | ||
| 1879 |
By 1879, four clubs had been formed in Australia with some 120 players. These four clubs Melbourne, Fitzroy, South Melbourne and Carlton formed the Victorian Lacrosse Association in July 1879 for the purpose of coordinating matches and His Excellency, the Govenor of Victoria, The Most Hon G A C Phipps was the inaugural Patron |
Association | Australia | |
| 1880 | One of the first night games to be played under the new "Electric Light" was played in August of 1880 at the Shamrock Lacrosse Field in Montreal. In order to help the fans follow what was occurring on the field at night, in a second game the promoters decided to coat the ball with phosphorous. (note the more famous first game under lights in Baseball was 50 years later in 1930!) | equipment | Quebec | |
| 1880 | Emblem of Shamrock Lacrosse Club 1850-1885, 19th century Engraving John Henry Walker (1831-1899) | club | Quebec | picture |
| 1880 | The first Indian Lacrosse World Championship (professional) held; won by Caughnagawa Indians. |
First Nations Championship Professional |
Caughnagawa | |
| 1880 | National Lacrosse Association became an amateur organization; Indians (professionals) were barred. | Association | ||
| 1881 | The first intercollegiate tournament is held at Westchester Polo Grounds in New York | College | USA | |
| 1881 | Match held between Montreal Shamrocks and the New York Lacrosse Team for the "Championship of America" |
International Championship |
Canada USA |
|
| 1881 | Sketch Canadian Illustrated News | picture | ||
| 1882 | Seven colleges formed the first Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. in the United States | College | USA | |
| 1882 | Lacrosse equipment is available in Edmonton, Alberta | Alberta | ||
| 1882 | Philips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire) and the Lawrenceville School (New Jersey) were the USA's first high school teams in 1882. | High School | USA | |
| 1882 | Mr. Polin, lacrosse player, Montreal, QC, 1882 with NLA Championship Banner Photograph Notman & Sandham February 28, 1882, 19th century | championship | Canada | picture |
| 1882 |
On a trip to visit the Garry Lacrosse Club of Winnipeg, the Montreal Lacrosse Club visits Chicago and St. Paul, At various times the club acknowledges pleasant memories of "fraternal courtesies" received at various times from the athletes and/citizens of New York, Boston, Portland, Baltimore, Washington, Newport, St. Albans and other places |
international club |
Manitoba Quebec USA |
|
| 1882 | Tthe National Lacrosse Association was renamed the National Amateur Lacrosse Association. | Association | ||
| 1883 |
1883 edition of The Boy's Own Paper, contains a report on a three month tour of Great Britain and Ireland by a group of Canadians led by Dr. W.G. Beers of Montreal. The tour is said to have given lacrosse "its second wind" with 60 or more clubs now in existence. |
international club |
England Ireland Canada |
|
| 1883 | The Canadian Lacrossers from the pages of The English Lacrosse Association's website comes this fascinating glimpse into how lacrosse came to England ... by way of few visiting 'colonials' including an Iroquois professional team, that was arranged by Dr. W.G.Beers of Montreal. | international | England | |
| 1883 | Canadian lacrosse team, European competitors, Belfast, Ireland, 1883 Photograph | international | Ireland | picture |
| 1883 | Canadian lacrosse team and friends, Queens Hotel, Belfast, Ireland, 1883 | international | Ireland | picture |
| 1883 | Canadian lacrosse team, European competitors, on board the "Oregon," Belfast Lough, Ireland, 1883 | international | Ireland | picture |
| 1883 | Canadian and Kahnawake lacrosse teams, European competitors, Oxford, England, 1883 | international |
England Canada Kahnawake |
picture |
| 1883 | Canadian lacrosse team, European competitors, Scarborough, England, 1883 | international | picture | |
| 1883 | Big John" and the Kahnawake lacrosse team, European competitors, Scarborough, England, 1883 | First Nations | Kahnawake | picture |
| 1883 | Canadian and Kahnawake lacrosse teams competing at the Zoological Gardens, Clifton, England, 1883 | First Nations |
Kahnawake Canada England |
picture |
| 1883 | Lacrosse on the Ice, on the Tank at Montreal Anonyme - Anonymous | Quebec | picture | |
| 1883 | Melbourne University Lacrosse club formed in Australia | College | Australia | |
| 1883 | In March, the Edmonton Lacrosse Club was organized but, because of a lack of competition, it disbanded in 1885 | Club | Alberta | |
| 1883 | Lacrosse in Victoria, B.C. | Club | BC | |
| 1883 |
Lacrosse Team in Victoria is recorded in photo available from the BC Archives. (dated Feb. 19. 1883; Photographer Spencer and Hastings) Players shown in the photo are: W. Wadhams, A. Cameron, A.D. Crease, W. and R. McDonald, M. Walker (Captain), R. Finlayson, H. Smith, T. Bryden, H. Beaven, William Beaven, R. Harvey. The Photo shows Christ Church Cathedral in the background. |
Club | BC | picture |
| 1883 |
Another tour of the British Isles by Canadian team, captained by W.G. Beers, and Indian team captained by Big John (Scattered Branches). By arrangement with Dominion Government, tour members acted as "emigration agents" to attract settlers to Canadian West, and over 500,000 special copies of "Canadian Illustrated News" were distributed at matches, together with 150,000 sundry other publications on Canada |
international | England | |
| 1884 |
The Calgary Lacrosse Club was organized in 1884 with Captain Boynton serving as the club's first president. The club's membership swelled to thirty, with games among the club members being held periodically on weekends and, on several occasions, competitions took place between the citizens and the police. After lagging interest, the Calgary Lacrosse Club was re-organized in 1887 when Mr. Boag, a teacher who was to be elected as the club's president, organized a lacrosse meeting at the school house. The Calgary Lacrosse Club operated in a local manner for several years. |
Club | Alberta | |
| 1885 | Young Canadians" of Richmond Hill | Club | Ontario | |
| 1886 | Despite the 1883 picture cited above, most sources suggest that the first recorded game in British Columbia was played at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria between teams from Victoria and Vancouver | Club | BC | |
| 1886 | The New York Times reports that an Irish team are to meet crack players of the US and Canada and that "Great care has been shown in the selection of the Irish lacrosse team now on the Etruria, and expected here this morning. It is composed of the most prominent players of the principal clubs in Ireland. " The story is can be found here. (pdf) | International | Ireland | |
| 1886 | Irish Lacrosse Team, Montreal, QC, 1887 Wm. Notman & Son | international | Ireland | |
| 1887 | Victoria Lacrosse Club, Montreal, QC, 1887 | club | Quebec | picture |
| 1887 | The Toronto Lacrosse Club breaks away from the National Amateur Lacrosse Union leading to the formation of the Canadian Lacrosse Association. | Association | ||
| 1887 | Canadian Lacrosse Championship (J. Allan Lowe Cup) held between C.L.A. (Western Ontario) and N.A.L.A. (Eastern Ontario and Quebec) | Championship | ||
| 1888 |
N.A.L.A. introduced a very important rule change: fixed time limit for lacrosse matches replaced previous "best 3 out of 5" games format (note: 1 goal = 1 game in the old rules). |
rules | ||
| 1888 | The first lacrosse tournament was held in Kamloops with Victoria beating Vancouver in the final game. | BC | BC | |
| 1889 | National Amateur Lacrosse Union formed by 5 senior teams from Montreal, Toronto, Cornwall and Ontario. | Association | Canada | |
| 1889 | N.A.L.A now controlled only junior clubs | Association | Canada | |
| 1890 |
St Leonards claims to be the first girls' school to have played lacrosse. Records give details of the House matches played during the Spring Term 1890. The hour long games featured teams of eight. An earlier letter, from the schools first Headmistress, Miss Louisa Lumsden, (later to become Dame Louisa) home from White Mountains, New Hampshire that is dated September 6th 1884 tells of her visit to watch the Caughnawaga Indians , play lacrosse against the Montreal Club. In it she notes: "It is a wonderful game, beautiful and graceful. (I was so charmed with it that I introduced it at St Leonards)". History of Lacrosse at St Leonards Scotland |
School Womens |
Scotland | |
| 1890 |
British Columbia Amateur Lacrosse Association incorporated on March 22, 1890 with three teams: Victoria, Vancouver and New Westminster |
Association | BC | |
| 1890 |
Constitution and Rules British Columbia Amateur Lacrosse Association adopted March 22nd, 1890, revise April 8th 1899 Includes Rules and Historical Information about early lacrosse in British Columbia Including Conventions and Officers of the BCALA ffrom 1890 through 1899 (image of each page may be scrolled through) |
Asssociation | BC | story |
| 1890 | New Westminster Salmonbellies Lacrosse Club Formed | Club | BC | |
| 1890 | During the 1890 season, Johns Hopkins did away with the traditional long passes from defense to offense, opting instead for short passes and a greater emphasis on running while in possession of the ball. | College | USA | |
| 1890 | First recorded lacrosse game in Maritimes; probably played at Saint John, N.B. | club | N.B. | |
| 1891 | Literally days before Dr. James A. Naismith invented basketball in 1891, he tried out different sports in the Springfield College gymnasium including an attempt to play lacrosse indoors | College | USA | |
| ~ 1890s |
Nass River, O.M.S. Kincolith Lacrosse Team. A photo showing an early Indian team can be found in the BC Archives here |
First Nations | Kincolith | picture |
| 1896 | Western Canada Lacrosse Association Formed, for Prairie provinces | Association | Canada | |
| 1898 | Johns Hopkins began changing their sticks to make them more position-specific: attackmen were given shorter sticks with small nets, defenders were given long sticks significantly lightened to improve speed and accuracy, and goalies were given sticks with very large nets. | equipment | USA | |
| 1892 | The sport became quite popular in Bristol, Cheshire, Lancashire, London, Manchester , and Yorkshire, and the English Lacrosse Union was organized in 1892. | Association | England | |
| 1896 |
Constitution and by-laws of the Capital Lacrosse Club : adopted May 15th, 1896, Victoria, B.C.
|
Association | BC | story |
| 1900 | Lacrosse Club, Montreal, QC, about 1900 | club | Quebec | |
| 1900 |
Important lacrosse rules changes: goal nets introduced baggy" stick to permit easier catching and carrying of the ball |
rules | ||
| 1901 |
Lord Minto, the Governor General of Canada, donated a silver cup to become the symbol of the championship of Canada for amateur teams. Within three years the cup became symbolic of professional Champions of Canada. The Minto Cup, today the symbol of supremacy in the Junior ranks, remains one of the proudest prizes of Lacrosse. |
Trophy | Canada | story |
| 1901 | The Duke and Duchess of York (later King George V and Queen Mary) were present at the first game played for the Minto Cup between the Capitals of Ottawa and Cornwall in 1901 (winners Ottawa Capitals) | Royalty championship | Canada | |
| 1901 | Ottawa Capitals defeated New York Crescents at Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo to win North American Championship | international |
Canada USA |
|
| 1903 | Kamloops Star Lacrosse Team (photo in British Columbia Archives) | Club | BC | picture |
| 1904 |
Lacrosse was an Olympic sport in St. Louis (Canada, England, USA were the only participants) Canada took the Gold medal (Shamrock L.C. Winnipeg) Mohawk Indians (Brantford) took the Bronze |
Olympics First Nations |
Canada USA England Mohawk |
|
| 1904 |
Shamrock Lacrosse Club, 1904. (with the Minto Cup) The Champions of the World. [Centre: Thos. O'Connell. Inside group: J. Currie, P.F. Brennan, J. Kavanagh, H. Hoobin. Outside group: E. Robinson, J. Howard, W. Hennessey, P. O'Reilley, J. Brennan, Jos. Valois, J. McIlwaine, M. Kenny, J. Hogan, H. Smith.] |
Club | Quebec | picture |
| 1904 | A photo in the British Columbia Archives shows a 1904 Kamloops youth lacrosse team | BC | picture | |
| 1907 | Canadian Lacrosse Association's Ontario All-Star team, then playing across Canada on their way to Vancouver, as part of an around-the-world trip promoting the national game. | |||
| 1907 | Australia's first international lacrosse match against Canada was played at the famous Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG) before a crowd of 30,000 |
international |
Australia | |
| 1908 | Alberta Lacrosse Association formed |
Association |
Alberta | |
| 1908 | Lacrosse was an Olympic sport in 1904 in London (Canada, England were the only participants). This was the first truly representative Canadian Lacrosse team. Canada takes the Gold medal |
Olympic
|
Canada England |
|
| 1908 | New Westminster wins its first Minto Cup (then given to the top senior team in Canada) | championship | Canada | |
| 1908 | Photo of the New Westminster Salmonbellies "Champions of the World" is available on the BC Archives here | Club | B.C. | picture |
| 1910 | University of Toronto lacrosse team won Intercollegiate Championship of North America (thos team on the same title in 1910) |
College International |
Canada USA |
|
| 1910 |
The Mann Cup, donated by Sir Donald Mann, chief architect of the Canadian Northern Railway, donated a gold cup (valued at $2,500) to be awarded, as a challenge trophy for the Canadian amateur senior champion team. The first winners were Young Toronto Club. |
Trophy | Canada | story |
| 1910 |
In 1910, Glenn "Pop" Warner, Athletic Director at the Carlisle Indian School, (and now famous for the "Pop Warner Youth Football program) replaced baseball with lacrosse as the school's Spring sport because of the "evils of professional baseball" and the fact that many Carlisle Indian School students had been lured away from school into "temptations and bad company by professional baseball offers." He is also quoted as saying "Lacrosse is a developer of health and strength. It is a game that spectators rave over once the understand it." The famed US Olympic hero James Thorpe played lacrosse at the School. |
School | USA | |
| 1910 | Squamish Lacrosse Team 1910-1930, 20th century Photograph | First Nations | B.C. | picture |
| 1910 |
Oxford University Lacrosse Team ca. 1910 - 1911 / Oxford, England Canadians: First row: Laurent Beaudry (right) Second row: A. Yates (second from left), Gustave Lanctot (right), F.E. Hawkins (second from right) Third row: S. Johnson, E.A. Munro, H.T. Logan (left to right) |
College | England | picture |
| 1911 | Vancouver Athletic Club wins the first of 4 consecutive Mann Cup Championships | Championship | Canada | |
| 1911 |
The Vancouver Lacrosse Club Front row: M. Barr, N. Carter, A. Adamson, B. Fitzgerald, E. Lalonde, D. Phelan, S. Nichols, S. Sumner, B. Allen. Back row: H. Cowan, H. Woodman, B. West, G. Matheson, F. Ion, H. Godfrey, C. Jones, H. Pickering, H. Griffith, B. Clark, P. Muldoon, L. Yorke. |
Club | B.C. | picture |
| 1911 | National Professional Lacrosse Union Formed | professional | Canada | |
| 1912 | North Shore Lacrosse Team About 1912, 20th century |
First Nations |
Squamish | picture |
| 1912 | The PCALA grew to four teams with the addition of Vancouver Fairview |
League |
B.C. | |
| 1912 | Canadian Amateur Lacrosse Association formed, as part of Amateur Athletic Union of Canada | Association | Canada | |
| 1912 | Dominion Lacrosse Association (professional union) formed | professional | Canada | |
| 1913 | High School Lacrosse in New Westminster | School | B.C. | |
| 1913 | John Robson High School (New Westminster) youth lacrosse team photo on the BC Archives here | School | B.C. | picture |
| 1913 | Girls lacrosse teams at St. Leonards have expanded to 12 a side by this time | School | Scotland | |
| 1915 | New Westminster Salmonbellies win the first of 3 consecutive Mann Cup Championships (after a two year break they would win another 6 in a row from 1920-1925 and then win once more in 1927 before going on a decade long drought) | Championship | Canada | |
| 1925 | C.A.L.A re-formed as central controlling body to re-introduce unified rules and national championships, in effort to revive amateur lacrosse. | Association | Canada | |
| 1925 | The Canadian Lacrosse Association ( l'Association canadienne de crosse), founded in 1925 is the governing body of lacrosse in Canada | Association | Canada | |
| 1925 | Mann Cup series became regular national amateur competition, alternating between east and west each year. | championship | Canada | |
| 1926 | Rosabelle Sinclair reestablishes women's lacrosse in the United States when she starts a team at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore. | School | USA | |
| 1928 | Lacrosse was a demonstration sport at the Olympics in 1928 in Amsterdam. The New Westminster Salmonbellies field lacrosse club represented Canada with the result being a three-way, one win-one loss tie with each of the three competing teams having scored 12 goals. The U.S. suggested a three-way playoff to decide a single victor; Canada agreed but England refused. The Olympic committee then declared all three teams gold medal winners. | Olympic |
Canada England USA |
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| 1928 | The Salmonbellies Olympic team toured Holland, France, Germany, Belgium, England, Scotland and the Eastern United States | international | ||
| 1930 | North Shore Athletics Lacrosse team Photograph Gift of Squamish Indian Band Office | First Nations | Squamish | |
| 1930 | Joseph Lally Trophy, emblematic of North American Amateur field lacrosse championship, presented first time: won by Oshawa, Ontario team. |
championship International |
Canada USA |
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| 1930 | First box lacrosse ("boxla") league formed with 2 Ontario and 2 Montreal clubs | box |
Ontario Quebec |
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| 1931 |
Although its origins are somewhat shrouded, Box Lacrosse was first played about this time. Some maintain that the game just naturally evolved around 1929 0r 1930 in Ontario when some lacrosse players in Ontario noticed hockey rinks sitting empty in the summer an moved in just to shoot the ball around. However according to Cleeve Dheenshaw (Lacrosse 100: One Hundred Years of Lacrosse in B.C. 1990. Victoria: Orca Book Publishers) some sources give the credit to a British Columbian, Jim McConaghy: ...[Jim McConaghy] apparently read a newspaper account of lacrosse being played in Australia with just seven men a side instead of the twelve men used in Canada, and that the Australians were playing the game in an enclosed indoor box instead of outdoors. Strangely enough, the story turned out to have no shred of truth in it whatsoever, but some old-timers insist it gave McConaghy the idea to go to the Canadian Amateur Lacrosse Association in 1931 with the idea for box lacrosse, |
box | Canada | |
| 1931 | The first box lacrosse games in BC were played at the PNE (in the old Horse Show Building) and at Queens Park Arena. | box | B.C. | |
| 1931 | C.A.L.A adopted box lacrosse as its official game |
box rules |
Canada | |
| 1932 | Lacrosse was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Teams from Canada and the United States played three games, with the team from the United States winning the series 2 games to 1. Games were played in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in front of large crowds of about 75,000 people. | Olympic |
USA Canada |
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| 1932 | The NY Times, in its May 10th edition, reports under the title "The Gentle Pastime of Box Lacrosse" that a game will be played at the Gardens between Newsy Lalonde's professional champions, the Canadians of Montreal and the Maple Leafs of Toronto. |
professional box |
Canada | |
| 1932 | 80,000 people watched a lacrosse match between Johns Hopkins University and Canada | international |
USA Canada |
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| ~ 1930's | Promoters in Canada married the two most popular games, Lacrosse and Hockey, and created Indoor Lacrosse, also known as Box Lacrosse or Boxla. By the mid 30's the field game had been almost completely replaced by Boxla and the box version became the official sport of the Canadian Lacrosse Association. | Box | Canada | |
| 1933 | Interest in the final game of the Mann Cup championship was so high that the final game (won by the eastern champion Hamilton Tigers) had to be moved by the Host New Westminster Salmonbellies to the Denman Arena of Frank Patrick where 11,000 fans took in the boxla match. The display of talent in this series is said to have cemented the position of Box Lacrosse in British Columbia. | Championship |
Canada B.C. |
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| 1933 |
Leo Nicholson made first radio broadcasts of box lacrosse in Vancouver |
Box | B.C. | story |
| 1936 | North Shore Aboriginals lacrosse team. Photograph North Shore Aboriginals lacrosse team 1936, 20th century | First Nations | Squamish | picture |
| 1937 | Robert Pool introduces the first double-walled wooden stick, an early prototype for today's plastic sticks. | equipment | ||
| 1937 | Pamphlet Official Box-LaProgram - Inter City League Hastings Park Vancouver 20 July 1937, 20th century | Box | B.C. | picture |
| 1937 | Minto Cup placed in junior competition | Championship | ||
| 1939 | Box Lacrosse professional International League formed, with teams from Vancouver, New Westminster, Seattle plus an Indian team. |
Box professional international |
Canada USA | |
| 1947 | The men's field game positions change from goalkeeper, point, cover point, first defense, second defense, center, second attack, first attack and in home to goal keeper, attack, midfield and defense. | rules | ||
| 1948 | Lacrosse was a demonstration sport at the Olympics in 1948 (London). Only England and the United States participated. | Olympics |
England USA |
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| 1954 | Peterborough Trailerman set Mann Cup record by being the first team to win 4 Nabb Cup titles in a row. | championship | ||
| 1957 | Ontario Minor Lacrosse Association formed, to develp and administer age categories | association | Ontario | |
| 1960 | Development of Minor Lacrosse | Youth | Canada | |
| 1961 | The only shutout in the history of Mann Cup play -- Don Hamilton's blanking of Brampton 13-0 on September 23, 1961 | championship | Canada | |
| 1967 |
First International Lacrosse Foundation (ILF) sanctioned World Cup held in Toronto. Won by USA, Canada placed third. This World Feld Lacrosse Championship really began the concept of international play. |
international championship |
USA Canada |
|
| 1967 |
The Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame was the brain child of Tom Gordon. He was ably supported by Jack Fulton, Harry McKnight, Art Daoust, and Bill Ellison. It was first proposed in 1963 at a Canadian Lacrosse Association Annual Meeting, and adopted at the next CLA AGM. It was registered with the BC Societies Act in 1965. At the CLA AGM in Montreal on January 19, 1966, forty-eight first members were inducted to the Hall. As a result of continued effort by Jack Fulton, supported by Harry McKnight and Don Benson, the official opening of the Hall as part of New Westminster Parks Board, took place on May 17, 1967. |
Association | Canada | story |
| 1968 | Professional lacrosse league formed with 8 teams | League |
Canada USA |
|
| 1969 | First National PeeWee Tournament | Youth | Canada | |
| 1969 | For the first time, organized lacrosse leagues in all provinces and both territories | League | Canada | |
| 1969 |
Oshawa, Ontario, team won Minto Cup for record seventh consecutive year. Perhaps no team at any level has so dominated its sport as the Oshawa Green Gaels did from 1963-1969 with its 7 consecutive Minto Cup Canadian Championships. The Green Gaels definately not only achieved a high level of achievemen but also brought recognition of the sport at the national level. |
Championship | Canada | story |
| 1974 | Second ILF sanctioned World Cup held in Melbourne Australia. Canada tied second (with Australia and England) | Championship |
USA Canada Australia England |
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| 1974 | Eagle Professional Box Lacrosse League Formed | Professional | ???? | |
| 1977 | First official Canadian Girl's Lacrosse Championship held in Toronto | Championship | Canada | |
| 1978 | Box Lacrosse was the demonstration sport at the Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton with Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand participating. Canada placed first | international |
Canada England New Zealand Australia |
|
| 1978 |
Third ILF Sanctioned World Cup Held in Stockport, England. In the finals, in what the international lacrosse community dubbed "...what must be ranked as one of the most surprising comebacks since Lazarus strode from the crypt" Team Canada captured the Championship with a 17-16 double overtime win over the U.S. team. Canadian team wins its first World Lacrosse Championship in Stockport, England (Changed the future of international lacrosse and the creation of Pro Leagues) |
championhsip international |
England Canada USA |
story |
| 1980 |
First World Box Lacrosse Championship - 'Nations in 80 held in Vancouver. Canada West (Coquitlam Adanacs) placed first |
international championship |
Canada Australia | story |
| 1982 |
Fourth ILF sanctioned World Cup held in Baltimore, Maryland. Canada placed third |
championship international |
USA Canada |
|
| 1982 |
First Senior Women's World Cup held in Nottingham, England. Canada placed third Canada sends its first Women’s Field Lacrosse National Team to first World Championship tournament in Nottingham, England. This signifies the beginning of Women’s Field Lacrosse in Canada |
championship |
England Canada |
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| 1984 | Major Indoor Lacrosse League formed in eastern USA | League | USA | |
| 1986 | Fifth ILF sanctioned World Cup held in Toronto. Canada placed second | Championship | Canada | |
| 1986 | Second Senior Women's World Cup held in Philadelphia, USA.Canada placed fourth | championship |
USA Canada |
|
| 1987 | Beginning of National Lacrosse League (box) which led to the MLL and other leagues | league | ||
| 1988 | First International Junior Men's World Cup held in Adelaide, Australia. Canada placed second | championship |
Australia Canada |
|
| 1989 | Third Senior Women's World Cup held in Edinburgh, Scotland. Canada placed fourth. | championship |
Scotland Canada |
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| 1990 | Sixth ILF Sanctioned World Cup held in Perth, Australia. Canada placed second. | Championship |
Australia Canada |
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| 1992 | Second International Junior Men's World Cup held in New York | Championship |
USA Canada |
|
| 1992 | National Lacrosse League (NLL) four team circuit formed in Ontario | League | Ontario | |
| 1993 | Fourth Senior Women's World Cup held in Edinburgh, Scotland. Canada placed fourth | Championship |
Scotland Canada |
|
| 1994 | Parliament proclaims Lacrosse Canada's National Summer Sport (Bill C-212) | Canada | ||
| 1994 | Field Lacrosse was the demonstration sport at the Commonwealth Games (held in Victoria) | international |
England Canada |
|
| 1994 | Seventh ILF Sanctioned World Cup held in Manchester, England. Canada placed third | championship |
England Canada |
|
| 1995 | Fifth Senior Women's World Cup held in Haverford, USA. Canada placed fourth | Championship | USA Canada | |
| 1996 | Third Junior Men's World Cup held in Tokyo, Japan. Canada placed third. | championship |
Japan USA Canada |
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| 1998 | ILF sanctioned World Cup held in Baltimore, Maryland, Canada placed second (losing by one goal in overtime) | championship | USA Canada | |
| 1998 | At NCAA tournament Gary Gait first took his famous "Air Gait" shot | college | USA | story |
| 2001 | The IFWLA World Cup is played in High Wycombe, England where the U.S. defeated Australia for the cup | championship |
USA England Australia |
|
| 2002 | The International Lacrosse Federation World Championship is played in Perth, Australia. The U.S. defeats Canada for the championship. |
championship international |
USA Canada Australia |
|
| 2003 | The ILF and IFWLA U-19 World Championships are held in Towson, Maryland. | championship | USA | |
| 2003 |
The World Indoor Lacrosse Championship Canada hosts first ever sanctioned FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championship was contested by six nations at four sites in Ontario, Canada. Canada won the championship in a final game against the Iroqouis, 21-4.and wins Gold. Canada has won all of the Indoor Championships including 2007, 2011 and 2015. (6 Countries then - 20 countries by 2017) |
championship international |
Canada Iroqouis |
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| 2005 | The IFWLA World Cup is played in Annapolis, Maryland (U.S.) and won by Australia, which defeated the U.S. 14-7 in the gold medal game. |
championship international |
Australia USA | |
| 2006 |
The International Lacrosse Federation World Championship is played in London, Ontario (Canada). Canada wins the title with a 15-10 victory over the U.S. in the gold medal game, snapping the American men's 38-game winning streak, dating back to 1978. This was the Canadian Men’s Field Lacrosse Team second FIL championship (Not a miracle like in 1978 - a coming of age for our field lacrosse program) |
championship |
Canada USA |
story |
| 2007 |
The 2007 WILC was held in Halifax, Canada. Teams from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, England, Ireland, Iroquois Nationals, Scotland and the United States competed. The Canadian team beat the Iroquois Nationals, 15-14 in overtime for the championship |
championship |
Canada Iroquois USA |
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| 2014 | Canadian Men’s Field Lacrosse Team wins its third FIL championship (Shut down and dominated US in championship game) |
Championship International |
Canada USA |
|
| 2015 |
Lacrosse Comes Home: FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championship hosted by HaudenosauneeNation. Gold Medal - Canada; Silver Medal - Iroquois |
championship international |
Canada Iroquois USA |
story |
| 2015 | Canada wins its first FIL Women’s U19 World Championship in Edinburgh, Scotland. (The first international gold medal for Canadian Women.) |
championship international |
