Located at the point where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet, Pittsburg has been a city of progress and promise for well over 150 years. The earliest recorded history of dates back to 1839, when the Mexican government granted nearly 9,000 acres, known as “Rancho Los Medanos,” to brothers Jose Antonio Mesa and Miguel Jose Mesa Garcia.

In 1849, during the Gold Rush era, the land grant was purchased by Col. Jonathon Drake Stevenson and Dr. William C. Parker. The first city streets were laid out by future U.S. Army Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. This area soon became known as New York Landing, and by 1855, was a fishing village of approximately 500 residents. By the 1870s, the community thrived on fishing and canning industries, which would last for over 100 years. Following the discovery of coal in the southern foothills, the town became known as Black Diamond, as first noted on local maps in 1868, due to the influence of the Black Diamond Coal Company. Coal cars were transported along present-day Railroad Avenue, terminating at the waterfront coaling station and offloaded to awaiting ships on the way to market.

Charles Appleton Hooper, who became the local “Father of Industry,” was a wealthy lumber baron who purchased the Rancho Medanos land grant and additional acreage in 1900. Hooper introduced large scale industry and manufacturing and brought in the area’s first electrical transmission and generation infrastructure for his Redwood Manufacturing plant, the largest in the world.  In short order he encouraged city fathers to enter into contract to provide electricity for the town. In 1903, the town incorporated as Black Diamond. In 1906, Hooper provided financing to Bowers Rubber Works, which relocated to the burgeoning city, and by 1910, Columbia Geneva Steel opened for business and was the largest foundry of its kind on the west coast.  Pittsburg industry and manufacturing created thousands of living wage jobs for residents and the surrounding communities.

By popular vote on February 11, 1911, the name was changed to Pittsburg, after the eastern birthplace of the steel industry. In 1942, Camp Stoneman was built as the main point of embarkation on the west coast during World War II. This was to have a tremendous impact on the growth and diversity of the City. For thousands of heroic GIs who went to fight in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during WWII, Camp Stoneman was the last contact on American soil. In 1954, the Camp closed, and the property was added to the City of Pittsburg for school, commercial, and residential development.

From a struggling settlement to an industrial center, Pittsburg has grown into a desirable community of landscaped parks, recreational facilities, shopping centers, housing and planned business and commercial development.

Pittsburg is striding into the future, each day more prosperous than the one before. New homes, renovated historic homes, new businesses, and a revived historic theater district are all signs of the progress being made in Pittsburg. Additionally, Pittsburg's local government has expanded the parks system, improved the roads, increased commerce and employment, expanded the Marina and built a modern Civic Center. Working together, the progress will continue.

To explore the rich history of Pittsburg, you are encouraged to visit the Pittsburg Historical Society Museum, location at 515 Railroad Avenue, or online at www.pittsburgmuseum.org.

Special Thank You to Vincent Ferrante and the Pittsburg Historical Society for providing the above information.