Stockton was founded in the late 1840s and grew as a supply center during the California gold rush. The river port and deepwater channel to San Francisco Bay were completed in 1933. Stockton is named for Commodore Robert F. Stockton who took part in the seizure of California from Mexico in 1847.
Situated on a prairie at the head of Stockton Slough that is a wide and deep arm of the San Joaquin River, Stockton harbor provides moorage and navigation facilities enabling the city to serve as a major shipping point. The port and deepwater channel made it a commercial hub.
Rich peat soil and a temperate climate combined to make the area around Stockton one of the richest agricultural and dairy regions in California. Throughout the 1und here.
Stockton has been a culturally and ethnically diverse region from the beginning. Starting out as a muddy-street gold-rush camp, gold seekers from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the Pacific Islands, Mexico and Canada all converged here to make it a melting pot for present day society.
