Camp Stoneman, Military staging area in Pittsburg, California, US
Camp Stoneman was a military staging area in Pittsburg, California, used to process and prepare soldiers before they shipped out to overseas assignments. The site included barracks, mess halls, and medical buildings laid out across a large flat area near the Sacramento River Delta.
The camp opened in 1942 to prepare troops for service in the Pacific during World War II and later handled soldiers bound for Korea. It closed in 1954 after more than a decade of continuous operation as one of the country's main staging points on the West Coast.
The camp changed daily life in Pittsburg as local shops and restaurants shifted to serve the soldiers passing through the town. This left a lasting mark on the way the community lived and worked during those years.
Much of the original site has been redeveloped over the decades, so it is worth checking locally before visiting to find out what, if anything, remains. Some historical markers or exhibits may be present in the surrounding area of Pittsburg.
The camp once tested a method of loading troops directly onto Liberty ships from the Pittsburg waterfront, bypassing the ferry trip to San Francisco entirely. The plan was abandoned because the local waters proved too difficult to navigate for vessels of that size.
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