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Triple-A baseball came to Iowa's capital city in 1969, as the Iowa Oaks of the American Association began play. The Oaks were affiliates of the Oakland Athletics (1969-73), the Chicago White Sox (1973-74 and 1976-80), and the Houston Astros (1975). In 1981 the team affiliated with the Chicago Cubs and adopted the nickname of the parent team, although it is often shortened to the "I-Cubs" by fans and media to avoid confusion with its parent. The team became part of the Pacific Coast League in 1998 after the dissolution of the American Association.
Their home park is Principal Park (formerly Sec Taylor Stadium), located at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. The franchise attendance record of 540,055 was set in 2004.
Many future Cubs stars have played in Des Moines before they were called up to Wrigley Field. Some notable I-Cubs alumni include Greg Maddux, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark Grace, Kerry Wood, and Mark Prior. Wood and Prior both made rehabilitation starts for the I-Cubs in 2004 before returning to the Chicago Cubs' active roster.