Port of Stockton:
BY JUDY HACHMAN
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75 nautical miles east of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Port of Stockton owns and operates a 2,000-acre diversified transportation center. Its 17 berths handle fully loaded ships in the 45,000- to 55,000-ton range. It has 1.1 million square feet of dockside transit sheds and 7.7 million square feet of warehousing. All of this is connected by shipside rail, two loop railroads and service from two transcontinental railroads, not to mention two major highway systems and a local airport.
It’s a pretty terrific facility.
The Port’s story started several years before the California Gold Rush in 1849. In 1846 a schooner loaded with a cargo of hides sailed up the San Joaquin River to the Wagner Tannery, then located on McLeod Lake in “downtown” Stockton.
During the following decades lumber and other commodities to support the Gold Rush came into Stockton. As gold mining dwindled, area agriculture increased and steamships laden with grain and other agricultural products left the area.
The 1930s proved to be an active decade in the Port’s history. The Port District was formally created, selling bonds to cover the cost of dredging the channel to 24 feet. Docks, transit sheds, warehouses and rail services were added, and in 1933 the Daisy Gray carried lumber from the Pacific Northwest into the newly opened Port of Stockton.
In subsequent decades the waterway was dredged to 35 feet to capacitate container ships and bulk cargo. In May of 1987 the channel was dredged to 37 feet so a fully loaded ship could travel to the Golden Gate at low tide. Warehousing facilities grew with each of these events.
In the year 2000, U.S Navy sold Rough and Ready Island Naval Supply Annex to the Port of Stockton, adding 1,400 more acres of warehousing, office space and dock space. This west complex has become an important facility for the export of rice and other agricultural products. Just this year Castle & Cooke opened a 130,000-square-foot cold storage refrigerated warehouse which can handle a combination of fresh, chilled and frozen fruits and vegetables, dairy products, seafood and meats and a variety of finished products for distribution to grocery stores.
The Port of Stockton is, and always has been, concerned about its impact on its home, the San Joaquin Delta. It has made a concerted effort to “go green,” reducing harmful air emissions by not allowing trucks, tugs or ships to idle for extended periods of time. Water quality and habitat preservation are also high on this list.
This active hub sends cargo to and receives cargo from almost 20 countries around the world. Sulphur prill from nearby oil refineries is exported to third-world countries to be used as fertilizer, and high-quality bagged California rice is sent to many Asian countries. Imports include cement, ammonia, molasses and agricultural fertilizer. As a central distribution center, the Port provides warehousing and distribution facilities for several major companies serving the western United States.
A beehive of activity, the Port of Stockton is a major player in the economy of San Joaquin County. With just under 100 employees, it provides a first-class facility, combining warehousing with shipping, road and rail transportation, in a central location for local, national and international distribution.
It’s a pretty terrific facility.
The Port’s story started several years before the California Gold Rush in 1849. In 1846 a schooner loaded with a cargo of hides sailed up the San Joaquin River to the Wagner Tannery, then located on McLeod Lake in “downtown” Stockton.
During the following decades lumber and other commodities to support the Gold Rush came into Stockton. As gold mining dwindled, area agriculture increased and steamships laden with grain and other agricultural products left the area.
The 1930s proved to be an active decade in the Port’s history. The Port District was formally created, selling bonds to cover the cost of dredging the channel to 24 feet. Docks, transit sheds, warehouses and rail services were added, and in 1933 the Daisy Gray carried lumber from the Pacific Northwest into the newly opened Port of Stockton.
In subsequent decades the waterway was dredged to 35 feet to capacitate container ships and bulk cargo. In May of 1987 the channel was dredged to 37 feet so a fully loaded ship could travel to the Golden Gate at low tide. Warehousing facilities grew with each of these events.
In the year 2000, U.S Navy sold Rough and Ready Island Naval Supply Annex to the Port of Stockton, adding 1,400 more acres of warehousing, office space and dock space. This west complex has become an important facility for the export of rice and other agricultural products. Just this year Castle & Cooke opened a 130,000-square-foot cold storage refrigerated warehouse which can handle a combination of fresh, chilled and frozen fruits and vegetables, dairy products, seafood and meats and a variety of finished products for distribution to grocery stores.
The Port of Stockton is, and always has been, concerned about its impact on its home, the San Joaquin Delta. It has made a concerted effort to “go green,” reducing harmful air emissions by not allowing trucks, tugs or ships to idle for extended periods of time. Water quality and habitat preservation are also high on this list.
This active hub sends cargo to and receives cargo from almost 20 countries around the world. Sulphur prill from nearby oil refineries is exported to third-world countries to be used as fertilizer, and high-quality bagged California rice is sent to many Asian countries. Imports include cement, ammonia, molasses and agricultural fertilizer. As a central distribution center, the Port provides warehousing and distribution facilities for several major companies serving the western United States.
A beehive of activity, the Port of Stockton is a major player in the economy of San Joaquin County. With just under 100 employees, it provides a first-class facility, combining warehousing with shipping, road and rail transportation, in a central location for local, national and international distribution.