(Pittsburg Replacement Depot;
Pittsburg Replacement and Reclassification Depot)
Camp Stoneman, June
1942 (National Archives)
The Camp Stoneman site is located in Northern
California, in Contra Costa County, in the City of Pittsburg,
40 miles northeast of the city of San Francisco. The site was
used as a staging area and rifle range for troop training by
the United States Army, and was established as a Class I installation
(later used as a personnel replacement and reclassification depot).
The site was also used as a facility of the San Francisco Port
of Embarkation, known as the West Garrison Area of Camp Stoneman.
The site was also known as Camp Stoneman
Military Reservation; Camp Stoneman Military Reservation, Contra
Costa; Pittsburg Staging Area; Central Valley Project; Camp Stoneman,
Pittsburg; Rancho Los Medanos; Pittsburg Replacement Depot; Pittsburg
Replacement and Reclassification Depot; Camp Stoneman Replacement
& Reclassification Depot & Rifle Range; Camp Stoneman
West Garrison Rifle Range; Camp Stoneman Rifle Range; Camp Stoneman
U.S. Army Reserve Center; Camp Stoneman Military Reservation
Pittsburg; and West Garrison Rifle Range, Camp Stoneman, CA.
In 1942, the War Department acquired 1831.41
fee acres, 5.61 easement acres, 0.33 license acre, 0.03 permit
acre, and 1004.16 leased acres. The total acreage acquired was
2841.54. Of the fee acres, 17.07 were acquired from the City
of Pittsburg and 1814.34 were acquired from the private owners.
The easement acres were acquired from private owners. Of the
license acres, 0.28 was acquired from Contra Costa County, and
the remaining 0.05 was acquired from private owners. The 0.03
permit acre was acquired from the State of California, Division
of Highways. Of the lease acres, 897.01 were obtained from private
owners and the remaining 107.15 were acquired from the City of
Pittsburg.
The 1004.16 leased acres were terminated
prior to 29 May 1958 (no indication of restoration). On 29 October
1954, a total of 1.46 fee acres were reported excess to General
Services Administration (GSA), and were conveyed to the Pittsburg
Unified School District by quit claim deed on 20 January 1955.
A total of 8.94 fee acres (used for a reserve center) were conveyed
to GSA on 15 May 1964 and later turned over to private individuals
by quit claim deed. The remaining 1821.01 fee acres were sold
to various individuals and city and state agencies between 1959
and 1962. There is no information regarding restoration for the
fee acres.
Camp Stoneman Barracks,
June 1942 (National Archives)
History
by
Chuck Wullenjohn
Though the sound
of thousands of marching feet is but a memory today, not so very
long ago Camp Stoneman was the principal "jumping off point"
for more than one million American soldiers destined for military
operations in the Second World War's Pacific Theater, and again
several years later during the Korean War. Consisting of more
than 2,500 sprawling acres, Camp Stoneman sprang to life near
the town of Pittsburg in 1942 to act as the San Francisco Port
of Embarkation's primary troop staging center. The function of
the post was to receive and rapidly process troops for overseas
service by completing paperwork and -updating records, arranging
for last minute training, providing medical and dental care,
and issuing and servicing equipment.
Camp Stoneman, named after George
Stoneman, a Civil War cavalry commander and early Governor
of California, had a lifespan of only 12 years, being activated
on May 28, 1942, and decommissioned on August 30,1954. Most troops
staging at the post before transportation overseas arrived aboard
trains which steamed directly into the installation on spurs
from both the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific mainlines. Although
soldiers sometimes traveled to pier side at Fort Mason by truck
convoy, most often they traveled by water via the Army's small
ferry fleet. This fleet consisted of the former excursion boats
Catalina and Cabrillo and the one million-dollar ferry Yerba
Buena, which changed its name late in the war to the "Ernie
Pyle."
The day-to-day operation of Camp Stoneman
was a tremendous task. In addition to receiving, processing and
embarking thousands of troops each week, waiting soldiers were
housed and fed, medical and dental examinations and corrective
work conducted, clothing, equipment and records put in proper
order, final training provided, and numerous other odds and ends
taken care of. Delays and mistakes resulted in problems at embarkation
piers and overseas areas, so maximum attention was directed toward
ensuring everything was done right At Camp Stoneman, there was
no time for a second try.
Camp Stoneman consisted of more than 800
cream and khaki-colored buildings, capable of accommodating 20,000
troops at peak capacity. The average length of a stay for troops
bound overseas was one to two weeks. When soldiers returned at
the conclusion of World War 11 and the Korean Conflict, the average
person was cleared out in less than 48 hours. A number of conveniences
were maintained at the installation for use by the soldiers who
were often restricted to post during their entire stay. The camp
boasted three motion picture theaters, a ten-thousand seat outdoor
theater, weekly USO shows throughout much of World War II, eight
well-stocked branches of the Post Exchange, a huge service dub,
and much more. USO show entertainers included Hollywood stars
such as Groucho Marx, Garry Moore and Red Skelton. As specified
by Army Regulations, profits from Post Exchange sales (which
were considerable due so mammoth purchases by soldiers seeking
to "stock up before going overseas) were used to finance
projects for the enjoyment of the soldiers.
Troops disembarking
the Army Transport Ernie Pyle
In an effort to ensure that only physically
fit troops were sent for overseas duty everyone underwent complete
medical examinations upon arrival at Camp Stoneman. This included
a battery of inoculations to prevent diseases peculiar to Pacific
destinations. An array of 45 dentists chairs were kept busy on
an 18-hour schedule that saw many examinations conducted and
teeth filled.
When the Second World War and the Korean
Conflict each drew to a close, Camp Stoneman switched gears to
become a separation center. Returning troopships were discharged
at Fort Mason where soldiers were greeted by entertainers, an
Army band, Red Cross volunteers passing out donuts, and coffee,
and relatives and friends. The soldiers were then loaded aboard
a ferry for the three-hour ride to Camp Stoneman.
Various "welcome home" signs
greeted them along the way. A sign proclaiming "Welcome
Home - Well Done" had been erected on Angel Wand, another
on the side of the C&H sugar refinery passed by ferries near
Crockett and yet another gracing the Southern Pacific Railroad
bridge between Martinez and Benicia. Upon reaching the decorated
Pittsburg docks, a "welcome home" private cabin cruiser
pulled along side ferries of returning hoops. The complement
of "wavers" aboard each boat included local high school
students, female GI's from Camp Stoneman, and other local civilians.
Camp Stoneman's primary mission had changed
to one ensuring that returning soldiers returned to their homes
as soon as possible. Although maximum use was made of the rail
transportation mode, some lucky soldiers were able to travel
home by air aboard C-47 transports from nearby McClellan Field.
Many soldiers residing on the West Coast reboarded transports
due to shortages of ground transportation. A big benefit of this
innovation was that it allowed many returnees to spend the Christmas
of 1945 with their families rather than awaiting transportation
at a military post
The largest telephone center in the world
was operated at Camp Stoneman in 1945, consisting of 75 phone
booths capable of handling 2,000 operator-assisted long distance
telephone calls each day. One of the first spots visited by soldiers
returning from overseas duty, telephone service was operated
on a 24-hour basis. A telegraph office was also located on base,
with the must frequent message being, "Arrived safely, be
home soon."
Female soldiers at
Camp Stoneman, 1952
Although Camp Stoneman's lifetime was
relatively brief, it touched the lives of hundreds of thousands
of Americans and helped bring two wars to successful conclusion.
Nearly all the old buildings which once made up the post are
gone now, but the many men and women who operated it as a marvel
of modern efficiency can truly state, "Mission Accomplished."
Known
Units at Camp Stoneman
World War II
23rd Army Air Forces Base Unit (AAF Command
Group, Non-Divisional Unit)
California
State Military Department
Though the sound
of thousands of marching feet is but a memory today, not so very
long ago Camp Stoneman was the principal "jumping off point"
for more than one million American soldiers destined for military
operations in the Second World War's Pacific Theater, and again
several years later during the Korean War. Consisting of more
than 2,500 sprawling acres, Camp Stoneman sprang to life near
the town of Pittsburg in 1942 to act as the San Francisco Port
of Embarkation's primary troop staging center. The function of
the post was to receive and rapidly process troops for overseas
service by completing paperwork and -updating records, arranging
for last minute training, providing medical and dental care,
and issuing and servicing equipment.
