Aug. 8, 1964 - The Los Angeles Angels signed a contract today committing them to transfer their American League baseball franchise to Anaheim for the 1966 season.
Robert O. Reynolds, the president of the Golden West Baseball Company which owns the Angels, and Mayor Odra L. (Chuck) Chandler signed a contract under which Anaheim promised to build a $20 million, 45,000-seat stadium for the club.
The Angels, a product of the American League’s expansion in 1961, have been fretful tenants of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles since 1962 when the Dodger president, Walter O’Malley, completed his $18 million park in Chavez Ravine.
The Angels’ attendance has been far below that of the Dodgers, and the move to Anaheim was aimed at creating a public image of their own. The Angels were launched in the league on the funds of Gene Autry, the cowboy movie singer and radio-television star.
Anaheim has been known mainly for Disneyland, the world-famous amusement park which draws about one million patrons a year. The site for the new stadium is about 25 miles southeast of L.A. in an area accessible from half a dozen freeways.
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