The Ranch

Entrance to San Bernardino Stadium, Aug-2004.

The view from the left-field terrace.

Those are the San Bernardino Mountains in the not-too-great distance.

• Location: Between E and G Streets north of Mill Street, San Bernardino, Calif.
• Opened: 1996 as San Bernardino Stadium
• Additional names: Arrowhead Credit Union Park (2001)
• Home team: San Bernardino Stampede (1996-2002), Inland Empire 66ers (2003-present), California League
• Capacity: 5,000

Chronological Tour: Stop 278

Rating: 3 baseballs

When the park first opened, the team was called the Stampede and the stadium gained the nickname “The Ranch”. Since then, it has acquired a corporate sponsor and is now known as Arrowhead Credit Union Park.

The similarity with Lancaster Municipal Stadium of the park having a nickname is not coincidental. This park was built to the same floor plan as Lancaster’s, with the exterior architecture and the paint job being the only significant differences. Even the location of the press box and luxury boxes is identical.

In 2003, the home team renamed itself the Inland Empire 66ers, in an attempt to market the club to surrounding communities such as Riverside and Yucaipa. While San Bernardino was prominently mentioned in the song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66”, ironically Rancho Cucamonga’s park is much closer to the route of the historic highway.