A Step Back in Time: Chicago Cubs on Catalina Island

The First Wrigley Field

While many know Wrigley Field as the iconic marquee-sporting ballpark on the North Side of Chicago, the first Wrigley Field had its home on Catalina Island. In 1916, William Wrigley Jr. bought a share of Chicago's National League baseball team, the Chicago Cubs. As he steadily increased his stake over the next five years, he also set his sights on other business ventures. In 1919, Wrigley purchased Catalina Island, and in 1921, when he was finally the majority stakeholder for the team, he brought these two ventures together and the Cubs began holding their spring training on the island. As the team set up their field and clubhouse in Avalon, the local townspeople started calling the field "Wrigley Field." The Cubs trained on this field from 1921 to 1951, only stopping from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Nineteen Hall of Fame players trained with the Cubs on Catalina Island, including such legends as Grover Cleveland Alexander, Dizzy Dean, Roger Hornsby, Joe McCarthy and Hack Wilson.

W Flag

The "W Flag" also has its origins in Catalina. William Wrigley owned the Wilmington Transportation Company, founded in 1877 by the Banning brothers, the original owners of Catalina Island. The company operated several vessels that transported visitors from mainland ports to Catalina Island, including the S.S. Catalina and S.S. Avalon. The Wilmington Transportation Company's logo was a blue flag with a white W. In 1983, the W flag became a symbol for the Chicago Cubs' wins or losses. With a game win, a white flag with a blue W was hoisted up the flagpole to signal Wrigley field passersby of a win and a blue flag with a white L signaled a loss for the Chicago team. #FlytheW