After the 1953 season the Brooklyn Dodgers pulled out of Santa Barbara and turned the franchise over to the California League. A group of Santa Barbara baseball fans approached the Ventura franchise and convinced them to adopt half of the team. The Channel Cities Oilers were born, playing half their home games in Ventura and the other half in Santa Barbara. Low attendance and financial problems forced the team to fold halfway through the 1955 season. Reno was awarded the franchise and began playing as the Reno Silver Sox on July 1, 1955.