Port Chicago, California, Contra Costa County – A once bustling town, Port Chicago became infamous due to a catastrophic explosion during World War II. Below is detailed information about the town.
County: Contra Costa County
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 38.0620° N, 122.0353° W
Elevation: 10 feet (3 meters)
Time Zone: Pacific Time Zone (PT)
Established: 1908
Disestablished: 1968
Comments: Port Chicago was initially established as a town to serve a nearby naval magazine and shipping port. It gained national attention during World War II, when on July 17, 1944, a massive explosion occurred as munitions were being loaded onto ships.
This tragedy resulted in the death of 320 sailors and civilians and became a significant event in the push towards desegregation of the U.S. military. Port Chicago was a town on the southern banks of Suisun Bay, in Contra Costa County, California Ghost Town.
It was located 6.5 miles (10 km) east-northeast of Martinez, at an elevation of 13 ft (4 m). It is best known as the site of a devastating explosion at its Naval Munitions Depot during World War II.
The area was first settled by Anglo-American squatters, including Josiah Knight and Samuel E. Strode, between 1850 and 1851. The first permanent settler was Daniel Cunningham.
Remains: Little remains of the original town, as most of the area is now part of the Concord Naval Weapons Station. Some remnants of the town’s infrastructure might still be visible, but access is restricted due to its location on military property.
Port Chicago was originally called Bay Point. The town was created when the Bay Point Land Company, with offices in San Francisco, filed an official plat map at the Contra Costa County Recorder’s Office.
The Southern Pacific Railroad ran through the town. In 1931, as the Great Depression worsened, Walter Van Winkle, a business leader, proposed and succeeded in changing the town’s name from Bay Point to Port Chicago (after the Illinois city).
The Baypoint post office operated from 1897 to 1931, when it became the Port Chicago post office. It closed in 1969, when the town ceased to exist.
Current Status: The site of Port Chicago is now largely under the military’s jurisdiction, with restricted access due to its inclusion in the Concord Naval Weapons Station. However, part of the area is designated as the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, which commemorates the lives lost in the explosion.
In 1968, the federal government bought all the property and demolished all the buildings to form a safety zone around the adjacent Concord Naval Weapons Station loading docks. The Port Chicago Highway, a route from the city of Concord through the site of the former town, still exists in Contra Costa County.
The portion that passed through the Concord Naval Weapons Station was blocked during the 1990s as a safety and security measure. Today, Port Chicago Highway is interrupted just past the town of Clyde.
It continues on the other side of the U.S. Army’s Military Ocean Terminal, Concord (formerly the Tidal Area of the Concord Naval Weapons Station) in the unincorporated community of Bay Point.
Remarks: The Port Chicago disaster had far-reaching implications, contributing to changes in military policy and highlighting racial discrimination in the armed forces.
The town’s legacy is preserved through the national memorial, serving as a poignant reminder of the events and their impact on American history. July 17, 1944, Port Chicago disaster was a deadly munitions explosion that occurred at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine.
Munitions detonated while being loaded onto a cargo vessel bound for the Pacific Theater of Operations, killing 320 sailors and civilians and injuring 390 others. Most of the dead and injured were enlisted, African-American sailors.
The town of Port Chicago was heavily damaged by falling debris, including huge chunks of hot metal and unexploded bombs; fortunately, none of the bombs exploded. Over 300 buildings were damaged and more than 100 people were hurt, but none in the town were killed.
