Ontario in San Bernardino County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Ontario Baseball Park

Jay Littleton Ball Park

— Built 1935-1937 —

Ontario Ball Park Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker

1. Ontario Ball Park Marker

Inscription.
Constructed in 1935 at a cost of $30,000, and was a WPA project. The ball park was the spring training home of Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League from 1937 until 1942. The first game was played on March 14, 1937 between the Angels and the Ontario Merchants in front of a crowd of approximately 3,000. The Angels won 8 to 6. The ball park has also been home to local youth baseball organizations. The ball park was renamed for recognition of Jay Littleton's contributions to Ontario youth baseball.
Ontario Historic Landmark No. 74, designated on September 16, 2003.

Jay Littleton Ball Park
Joe P. Littleton - "The Jay Bird" - November 22, 1923 to July 5, 2003.
This ballpark honors a man who dedicated his life to the sport of baseball and the youth of Ontario.
November 7, 1998

Erected by City of Ontario California. (Marker Number 74.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Sports. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects

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series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1937.

Location. 34° 4.618′ N, 117° 37.715′ W. Marker is in Ontario, California, in San Bernardino County. It is at the intersection of Grove Avenue and 4th Street, on the right when traveling north on Grove Avenue. Located in John Galvin Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1076 N Grove Ave, Ontario CA 91764, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles,

in the Inland Empire,

in the Peninsular Ranges,

and specifically in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hitching Post (approx. 1.1 miles away); Graber Olive House (approx. 1.1 miles away); Central School (approx. 1.1 miles away); Rosewood Court Historic District (approx.

Jay Littleton Ball Park Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 18, 2023

2. Jay Littleton Ball Park Marker

1.3 miles away); College Park Historic District (approx. 1.3 miles away); El Morado Court Historic District (approx. 1.3 miles away); Oakley House (approx. 1.3 miles away); Bethel Congregational Church (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ontario.

More about this marker. Notable movies with scenes filmed here include Eight Men Out, The Babe Ruth Story, and A League of Their Own.

Regarding Ontario Baseball Park. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
NRHP Registration Form excerpts:
The ballpark was constructed in 1936-37 under a local assistance program of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Ontario Baseball Park is situated on 3.85 acres of land in the northeast area of Galvin Park, and is located southeast of the intersection of Grove Avenue and 4th Street. Two contributing resources include the grandstand and baseball field. The grandstand is a wood frame building constructed on a poured concrete foundation with concrete piers and footers to support vertical structural members such as the roof supports and exterior wood frame walls.

Ontario Baseball Park is in

Jay Littleton Ball Park and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 18, 2023

3. Jay Littleton Ball Park and Marker

good condition and has been in continual use since 1937. The property retains all aspects of historic integrity.

The grandstand is comprised of bleacher seating under a gable roof with an extended rear roof slope.

Using construction technology dating back hundreds of years, the grandstands and roof were designed using basic pole and truss construction methods.

The stepped bench seats would have originally been constructed with wide wood plank boards. They were replaced in 2004 with metal bench seats that are from the Ontario Speedway.

The playing field appears to be the standard regulation dimensions for a professional ballpark with the outfield fence at 378 feet from home plate. The playing field was originally enclosed by a six-foot-tall wood plank fence. Replacement cyclone fencing is well covered with English ivy. Night game lighting fixtures and support poles, upgraded in 2005, are placed around the edges of the playing field.

Ontario Baseball Park - with its associated covered grandstands, locker room, dugout, and landscape - was constructed without the benefit of power tools or sophisticated equipment. By its very design

Jay Littleton Ball Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 18, 2023

4. Jay Littleton Ball Park

of a simple grandstand built on a concrete pad, with most of the framing exposed to view, the workmanship of the original builders is on display. The grandstand has the capacity to convey the construction techniques and design elements brought together by labor organized under a local relief program and paid for by federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds sent through the State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA) program.

Ontario Baseball Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 18, 2023

5. Ontario Baseball Park

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 15, 2024

6. Jay Littleton Ball Park

Destroyed by fire in 2024. Rebuilding plans are being considered.

Baseball Park Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 16, 2024

7. Baseball Park Building

Credits. This page was last revised on August 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 894 times since then and 169 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 25, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 23, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 5. submitted on August 18, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 6. submitted on September 15, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 7. submitted on September 27, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.