In 1919, chewing gum mogul William Wrigley Jr. (1861-1932) purchased Santa Catalina from the Banning family for some $3 million. A native of Philadelphia, Wrigley moved to Chicago in 1891 to sell scouring soap. He started offering pieces of gum as premiums to attract buyers… and the rest is juicy-fruity history. The Wrigley family bought a winter residence in Pasadena in January 1914 and became full-time Californians in 1919, a few months after the Catalina deal. Wrigley effectively transformed the island into what it is today, bringing in infrastructure, housing, the iconic Casino, and even his Chicago Cubs (you’ve probably heard of the Windy City’s Wrigley Field) for spring training. Although Wrigley moved to Phoenix in 1929, he was buried in the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden here on Catalina. When the island was closed off for military training during WWII, his body was transferred to Forest Lawn Glendale.
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