History of Pittsburg
The History of Pittsburg is just as diverse as our present-day population. It can be divided into several epochs — we will briefly touch on them in the hopes of piquing your interest to visit our wonderful museum and explore its vast treasures of exhibits, archives and photos contained in its historic walls.
Native Peoples & Early Settlement
Long before European contact, the area was home to the Ompin of the Bay Miwok people who thrived along the banks of the San Joaquin River. Spanish missionaries in the 1780s and the Rancho Los Medanos land grant followed in 1839, establishing the first non-native presence in the region. By 1849 Colonel Johnathon Drake Stevenson and Dr. William Parker purchased the land grant and established the town of New York of the Pacific.
Black Diamond & the Coal Era
The discovery of coal in the nearby hills brought a rush of Welsh and English miners to the area. The Black Diamond Coal Company established mines at Nortonville, and coal was transported by rail down to the waterfront landing — then called Black Diamond Landing — for shipment to San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton and throughout the coast. This greatly reduced the cost of coal energy which was being shipped from as far away as Europe. By the 1880s, Italians supplied the majority of the workforce. The Mt. Diablo Coal Field was the largest in California.
Commercial Fishing Era
During the California Gold Rush the bounty of the sea was discovered right here in the Sacramento Delta. Salmon and other fish species began to be harvested chiefly by Sicilian and Greek fishermen on a small scale here in New York Landing by the early 1850s and it grew into a large scale commercial fishing and canning operation by the mid 1870s. The Black Diamond Cannery anchored this industry along with several other packing plants and boat builders as Pittsburg grew to become a major hub in the West Coast fishery until its closure in 1957 by the State of California.
Industrial Transformation
In 1900, entrepreneur C.A. Hooper purchased the Rancho Los Medanos Land Grant containing the town of Black Diamond which incorporated in 1903, and then renamed Pittsburg in 1911. He established Redwood Manufacturers Co. — the largest redwood mill in the world — and also attracted Bowers Rubber Works, Columbia Steel, and other concerns to set up here. Pittsburg soon marketed itself as "The Industrial City Of The West." Industry with the need for manpower greatly diversified the town with African American, Mexican American and Mexican families beginning about the 1920s.
Camp Stoneman
Camp Stoneman was the main point of embarkation for troops on the West Coast en route to the Pacific Theatre during WWII and the Korean War. The main gates were located on Railroad Avenue where the Atchison Apartment complex now stands. Army docks lined East 3rd St. and troops shuttled by ferry boat to and from San Francisco marched along Harbor Street to the base entrance at California Avenue. Over 2.5 million soldiers passed through Camp Stoneman. The war years further diversified the town and as well as California. Many African Americans, Latinos and Filipinos settled here and took advantage of the affordable housing and plentiful manufacturing jobs.
Community & Preservation
The Pittsburg Historical Society was officially recognized on October 18, 1961, formed by members of the city's early pioneer families. Today the museum preserves thousands of photographs, artifacts, and documents that tell the story of one of California's most industrially significant cities.
See History in Photos
Explore our curated photo galleries covering Camp Stoneman, commercial fishing, coal mining, Columbia Steel, and more.
View Photo Galleries