 | |
  Lewiston Location in the United States  Lewiston Location in Idaho | |
| Address | 11th Avenue & 14th Street |
|---|---|
| Location | Lewiston, Idaho, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 46°24′32″N 117°00′40″W / 46.409°N 117.011°W |
| Owner | Lewiston School District |
| Capacity | 3,500 (baseball) |
| Field size | Left Field – 335 ft (102 m) Center Field – 411 ft (125 m) Right Field – 308 ft (94 m)[1] |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1934 |
| Opened | November 12, 1934[2][3] |
| Tenants | |
| Lewiston High School 1934–present Lewiston Broncs (NWL) 1955–1974 Lewiston Broncs (WIL) 1952–1954 Lewiston Indians (Pio. L.) 1939 Lewiston Indians (WIL) 1937 | |
Bengal Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, located in Lewiston, Idaho. Opened 90 years ago in 1934 as a multi-sport athletic field,[2][3] it is currently the football stadium for Lewiston High School, formerly located a few blocks to the northwest. The natural grass field runs conventionally north-south, with the main grandstand on the west sideline. The elevation of the field is approximately 860 feet (260 m) above sea level.
It was formerly a minor league baseball park, the home field of the Lewiston Broncs from 1952 through 1974.[4][5] The Broncs were in the Western International League (WIL) for the first three seasons and the Northwest League (NWL) for the following two decades, which changed to short-season play in 1966.
Bengal Field also hosted the Lewiston Indians for two seasons, one in the Class B WIL in 1937,[6][7] and in the Class C Pioneer League in 1939.[8][9][10][11] The first night game at the park was the opening game in 1937 on April 27.[6][12] The WIL franchise moved northwest to Bellingham for the 1938 season,[13][14] and the Pioneer League team was moved to Idaho Falls in eastern Idaho in 1940, closer to the rest of the league.[15]
The baseball diamond at Bengal Field had an unorthodox southwest alignment,[16][17] with the setting sun in right field; the recommended orientation (home plate to center field) is east-northeast.[18] Owned by the school district,[19] the ballpark was also the home field for high school and American Legion baseball. It hosted the American Legion World Series in 1973.[20]
It transitioned into a football-only venue in the 1980s.[17][21][22] The LHS Bengals last played baseball there in 1983,[23] and used two venues in 1984, Harris Field at Lewis–Clark State College and Clearwater Park (46°25′23″N 116°59′46″W / 46.423°N 116.996°W), on the north bank of the Clearwater River.[21] They now play at Dwight Church Field (46°22′48″N 116°57′43″W / 46.38°N 116.962°W) in the southeast end of the city, about two miles (3 km) east of the Lewiston–Nez Perce County Airport,[24] while American Legion baseball is played at Harris Field. Church (1925–94), LHS class of 1943, was the longtime head coach of the high school and Legion baseball programs.[25][26][27][28][29]