Catalina Island History

Introduction
William Wrigley Jr. of chewing gum fame, purchased a share in the Chicago Cubs in 1916 and slowly increased his stake in the team. His love of baseball and the team prompted Wrigley to gain controlling interest in 1921. Two years prior he had purchased Santa Catalina Island and was extremely invested in improving the Island as a tourist destination. He decided to combine his two passions, the Cubs and Santa Catalina Island, by bringing his players to the Island for spring training. In 1921, the pitchers and catchers traveled to the Island for training and the entire team made the trip the following year. The Chicago Cubs trained on the Island each spring through 1951, excpt for a few years during World War II.

Spring Training
The players spent 2 to 7 weeks on the Island each spring and stayed at the Hotel St. Catherine in Descanso Bay. Mr. Wrigley built a diamond and ballfield in Avalon Canyon, with the dimensions matching those of Wrigley Field in Chicago and a clubhouse was built adjacent to the field (now the Catalina Island Visitors Country Club). A typical spring visit for the Cubs began in mid-February, when pitchers, catchers and rookies arrived. The rest of the team followed a week later. In mid-March the club would break camp and sail for Los Angeles for two weeks of exhibition games across the Southwest and then back to Chicago.

Community Interaction
The players and coaches became an important part of the Island community and residents looked forward to their visit and the exhibition games each year.