War Boomtown

War Boomtown. Remnants of a Shipbuilding Past. "All these ships were being built (in Richmond) and it provided a lot of employment... But looking back, it was really a boon to their economy. The stores were just really bustling...it was full of people..." -- Stella Faria, shipyard office worker , As World War II approached, Richmond was a sleepy city of some 23,000 residents. Beginning in early 1941, however, the town underwent a radical transformation. This was a prime site for wartime production: the Santa Fe Rail line was already here, the expansive waterfront offered a deep water port, and there was plenty of available land. As shipyards were constructed, the population boomed to over 100,000. People came from all over the country to find jobs and to support the war effort., "It was a town that grew up overnight. It wasn't there and then all of a sudden it was there, bright lights everywhere, day and night, all the time." -- Altha Humphrey, telephone operator , Remnants of a Shipbuilding Past . , "During that time, they had all of these shipyards here, and they came out to work. Most of them stayed; they never went back to where they came from." -- Viola Taylor Wims, wartime realtor , This section of the Bay Trail winds through the former site of Kaiser Shipyard #3, now the Port of Richmond and a part of the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park. Along the trail, you will see evidence of the war’s shipbuilding past: dry docks for ship assembly, rail lines, maritime machinery, a whirley crane, as well as historic ships. As you traverse the trail, imagine this place during World War II–thousands of people working day and night with the constant thundering noise of shipbuilding activity.