the Big Sky was founded on July 1, 1963, with six members in four states;{{cite news cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WXYzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZvcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4093%2C6223691|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|location=Washington|title=Big Sky is ready for league action|date=February 26, 1963|page=13}}}} four of the charter members have been in the league from its founding, and a fifth returned in 2014 after an 18-year absence.

The name "Big Sky" came from the popular 1947 western novel