A View of Wrigley in 1938

Milling around the Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, I came across old aerial orthophotography from 1938. Here's a snippet of a photo that was shot on 11/24/38. It's kind of cool to look at.

• Since it's November you can see that the stadium was set up for football at the time (the Bears played at Wrigley from 1921 to 1970).

• This photo was also taken just a year after the bleachers were rebuilt. Before 1937 Wrigley had wooden bleachers. The new outfield wall of the concrete bleachers would be adorned with the famous ivy we know now.

• You can also see that the bleachers extended through the area which is now the "batter's eye". Those sections of the stands were open to spectators until around the late 1940's when they were then closed off.

• The railroad running adjacent to the stadium appears to still be intact. The rail right-of-way is now used as the player's parking lot.

Look at that. I think that's the first time the Saloon has ever been educational.