Port of Stockton
Encyclopedia
The Port of Stockton is a major inland deepwater port in Stockton, California
located on the San Joaquin River
before it joins the Sacramento River
to empty into Suisun Bay
, eighty miles inland. The port sits on about 1440 acres (5.8 km²), and occupies an island in the San Joaquin Delta, and a portion of a neighborhood known as Boggs Tract. It is governed by a commission appointed by the City of Stockton and San Joaquin County.
, at the inland eastern extreme of San Pablo Bay. Further inland are Suisun
and Grizzly Bay
s, arms of the Pacific Ocean
deep in the Californian interior. Further inland again from these last bays is the broad California Delta, formed where the San Joaquin
and Sacramento River
s meet and cross together. This verdant triangle of land with deep black soils is at the heart of the Central Valley and stretches some fifty miles from Susuin Bay on the west to the cities of Stockton and Sacramento
on the east.
class ships.
; it was transferred to the Port between 2000 and 2003. This area of the Port is now known as the 'West Complex'.
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
located on the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
before it joins the Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
to empty into Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary at in northern California, USA. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta...
, eighty miles inland. The port sits on about 1440 acres (5.8 km²), and occupies an island in the San Joaquin Delta, and a portion of a neighborhood known as Boggs Tract. It is governed by a commission appointed by the City of Stockton and San Joaquin County.
Geography
The only natural outlet for the waters of the Central Valley to pass into the sea is through the narrow Carquinez StraitCarquinez Strait
The Carquinez Strait is a narrow tidal strait in northern California. It is part of the tidal estuary of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers as they drain into the San Francisco Bay...
, at the inland eastern extreme of San Pablo Bay. Further inland are Suisun
Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary at in northern California, USA. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta...
and Grizzly Bay
Grizzly Bay
Grizzly Bay is a baylet of the San Francisco Bay which dips into Solano County, California and borders Suisun Bay. Grizzly Bay is home to many sloughs and wildlife areas in addition to the 5th Reserve Fleet which is docked off the coast of Benicia....
s, arms of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
deep in the Californian interior. Further inland again from these last bays is the broad California Delta, formed where the San Joaquin
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
and Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
s meet and cross together. This verdant triangle of land with deep black soils is at the heart of the Central Valley and stretches some fifty miles from Susuin Bay on the west to the cities of Stockton and Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
on the east.
Early years
In 1846, the first cargo boat ascended the San Joaquin River. In 1848, John Doak established the first ferry service on the river, and the first freight vessel, the sloop "Maria," visited Stockton. In 1849, Doak brought lumber from San Francisco to Stockton and began a lumber business. By the 1850s, the Port had become a center of commodity shipping and the supply center for the goldfields. By the 1860s, the region saw a decline in gold production and an increase in agriculture.1930s-1950s
The first dredging contracts for the Stockton Deepwater Channel were awarded in 1930. The Port District officially opened in 1933.1960s-1990s
Port management recognizes the increasing importance of containerized cargo and upgrades dock side facilities. The ship channel is improved dramatically in order to accommodate large PANAMAXPanamax
Panamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
class ships.
2000 to present
The Navy Rough and Ready Island supply depot built during WWII was phased out of use as a result of the 1995 BRACBase Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
; it was transferred to the Port between 2000 and 2003. This area of the Port is now known as the 'West Complex'.