One of the goals on the Moss Back Base Ball Club is to help promote local history and one of the ways to do that was to choose a locally historic significant name, hence Moss Back.

So what is a Moss Back?

The term Moss Back was given to the homesteaders of Charlevoix and Emmet counties, in the beginning years of white settlement. These homesteaders were called Moss Backs, because their first temporary homes were dugouts, built into a hillside and to repel rain, they covered the roof dirt with moss.

The name Moss Back almost played a huge role in the history of Petoskey High School. Before Fred Lovelace, a sports writer for the local newspaper coined the term "Northmen" as the school’s nick name the school board was considering using the name "Moss Backs". Can you imagine going to Curtis Field or the Central School Gym and rooting on the "Fighting Moss Backs!"