Indians of Long Standing

Outside Avista Stadium, Aug-2002.

The field near sunset, with the newish sky boxes visible.

A good look at the view from behind the plate.

Chronological Tour: Stop 230

• Location: Spokane Co. Interstate Fairgrounds, Havana Street, Spokane, Wash. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1958 as Fairgrounds Field
• Additional names: SeaFirst Stadium (1995); Avista Stadium (2001)
• Home team: Spokane Indians, Pacific Coast League (1958-82), Northwest League (1983-present)
• Capacity: 7,162

Rating: 3 baseballs

Most of the stadium consists of conventional stadium seating, although there are some folding chairs in the field boxes and the outer bleacher sections have aluminum benches. The sky boxes you see were installed in the 1990s, during a renovation project.

The field faces southeast, minimizing distraction from the sun at night games. There is plenty of foul territory here.

I had a problem with a blaring sound system during my first game at this park, making me appreciate my trip to Boise the next night a lot more. The sound system seemed to have been turned down by my 2013 visit, although the public address announcer and on-field host occasionally got louder than they needed to be.

Also by 2013, the scoreboard had been replaced, and a short porch had been added in right field to accommodate a new party deck. Concessions had been upgraded, including a stand serving bowls of Oriental food called Intentional Wok, and for the most part the prices were reasonable.

Perhaps more significantly, the club has worked with the Spokane Tribe of Indians, a recognized tribe, to provide an educational and respectful tribute to the region’s aboriginal inhabitants. A secondary logo features the words “Spokane Indians” in a transcription of the native language.

The PCL Indians had arrived in 1958, when the Los Angeles Angels were displaced by the arrival of the Dodgers. When that team left, it went to Las Vegas and adopted the name Stars, a name originally used by their rival club in Hollywood. Immediately, the Northwest League stepped in to fill the void and keep Indians in Spokane.

Avista is a power utility. The prior sponsor, Seafirst, was a bank.