El Dorado Cafe	El Dorado Bowl
Hotels and Resorts

Being a pioneer city, Stockton came alive during the Gold Rush. At the time that gold was discovered, Stockton became a center for miners traveling from San Francisco on the delta by riverboat. These miners were then destined for the rich mines of the Mother Lode.

As the mines dissapated, many of the miners came back to the San Joaquin Valley then called the "Big Valley" because of the rich, fertile soil. New gold was seen then as golden wheat was "as far as the eye could see". Grain elevators and mills were abundant along the waterfront in Stockton at that time. Many riverboats transported Stockton's merchandise to San Francisco, where much of it was then taken to foreign markets. Three continental railroads served Stockton by 1910.

Stockton was a great agricultural center as the wagon trails were changed into highways and its population increased constantly during the 1920's and 1930's. It was in the 1930's that the facilities of the Port of Stockton were built, and dreggers could be seen making the deepwater channel to allow the ocean going vessels that can still be seen at the Turn Around Basin.

During World War II, the waterfront of Stockton could have been described as bustling with some 10,000 workers building military boats, mine sweepers, and landing craft.

Today, Stockton is a very important wherehousing and distribution center. In fact, one of the fastest developing center for distributing in the State of California. Agriculture is still number one in the "Big Valley", with agriculture gross in excess of one billion dollars, it is one of the highest agriculture income counties per acre in the United States.

With a rich history like Stockton has, its delta still enables one to invision the miriad of steamers that used to cruise the river, with the soletud of miles of water. Sometimes the fishing is great. The native sturgeon is not so plentiful anymore but catfish abound. There are also two striped bass runs in the late fall and the late spring. In fact, for those that feel like enduring the cold, foggy river, the two striper runs seem to run together. My being one person that did not especially enjoy living in Stockton, its delta is still, and always will be, one of my favorite places in the world. When you visit Stockton rent a boat, and after a few hours on the delta, see if you can view in your mind the old steam riverboats and giant sturgeon that used to be so plentiful in this place so rich with history. If you are anything like me, you will never forget this excursion in waterway excellence.