 The modern version of the Northern League was founded by Miles Wolf as a minor professional independent baseball league.This means the league was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the organized minor leagues.The Dukes became one of six original teams that began play in the 1993 season, along with the St. Paul Saints, the Sioux Falls Canaries, the Sioux City Explorers, the Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks and the Rochester Aces (who moved after one season and become the Winnipeg Goldeyes).