Chicago Cubs records, 1873-1966, bulk 1873-1873

Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Most of this collection was purchased from Mr. R.C. Kuhn, whose father, Charles S. Kuhn, was superintendent of Cubs Park (accession # 1969.0007).

Chicago Cubs records (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Correspondence, unbound and in letterbooks; ledgers, cash books, attendance data, and other papers relating to the administration and management of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, a member of the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs. The correspondence is chiefly letterpress copies of outgoing letters by club officers Albert G. Spalding and William A. Hulbert concerning game arrangements, schedules, and other matters. The collection contains 19 volumes; begins in the era when the team was known as the White Stockings; and contains some items relating to the board of directors of the Chicago Cubs, National League baseball club. The collection also has one Chicago Cubs stock certificate dated 1966.

The Chicago Cubs baseball team, originally named the White Stockings, was organized in 1870. In 1871, the team became part of the National Association and then missed the next two years due to the Great Fire. The team later joined the National League (NL), which was organized in 1876 by team president William Hulbert. The White Stockings won their first NL pennant in 1882 under the leadership of pitcher-manager Albert G. Spalding. Spalding became the team president and chief stockholder in 1882. The team had continued NL success under player and manager Adrian “Cap” Anson (1879–1897), winning five NL pennants (1880, 1881, 1882, 1885, and 1886).

After playing at five other ballparks, the team moved to the second West Side Park at Polk and Lincoln (now Wolcott) in 1893. After Anson’s departure, the team became known as the Orphans. In 1902, it was briefly referred to as Selee's Colts in honor of manager Frank Selee. By 1905, the team was known as the Nationals or Cubs and was sold to its press agent, Charles W. Murphy. In 1906, manager Frank Chance (1905–1912) led the Cubs to a 116–36 record but lost the World Series to the Chicago White Sox. The team officially adopted the Cubs name in 1907 and went on to win three straight NL pennants (1906, 1907, and 1908), two world championships (1907, 1908), and another NL pennant in 1910. The team next won an NL pennant and world championship in 2016.

Sources consulted: Riess, Steven A. Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago, s.v. “Cubs.” Chicago: Chicago Historical Society, 2005. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/247.html (accessed August 6, 2015).

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include Chicagoans United for a Baseball Series (C.U.B.S.) records and the Clarence Rowland (Pants Rowland) papers, the Hulbert family papers and many Chicago Cubs photograph collections.

• Subject
  • Baseball--United States--19th Century
  • Baseball teams--Illinois--Chicago
• Names
  • Hulbert, William Ambrose, 1832-1882
  • Spalding, A.G. (Albert Goodwill)
  • Chicago Cubs (Baseball team)--Archives
  • Chicago White Stockings (Baseball team : National League)
  • National League of Professional Baseball Clubs
• Geographic Coverage
  • Chicago (Ill.)--Commerce
  • Chicago (Ill.)--Social life and customs--19th century

The collection is arranged in one series.

Series 1. Chicago Cubs correspondence and administrative materials, 1873-1893, 1966

This series contains correspondence, financial records, and other materials relating to the administration and management of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Box 7 is stored separately from the rest of the collection.