Naval Supply Annex Stockton, Drainage Canals, Along Davis Avenue & at intersection of Humphreys & Cromwell Avenues, Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA

Significance: The stone-lined drainage canals have been identified as a contributing element of the Naval Supply Annex Stockton Historic District. The historic district was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under criteria A and C, for its role in supplying the fleet during World War II and as an important example of new warehouse design developed during World War II. Specifically, Naval Supply Annex Stockton was the first Navy supply depot to be built entirely to accommodate palletized cargo. The stone-lined canals were built late during the war effort, using German prisoners of war labor. Naval Supply Annex, Stockton was home to at least 500 German prisoners of war, beginning in the spring of 1945. The base apparently relied upon these prisoners for the labor-intensive job of laying river cobble-lined drainage ditches. The stone-in-concrete canals are not continuous but are nearly so on the north side of the administrative buildings (beside Davis Avenue).
Survey number: HABS CA-2682-AH