Undated US Army Corps of Engineers
Sacramento District History
Site Name:
The site was known as Rio Vista Storage Activity (Decker Island);
Rio Vista Storage Activity; Rio Vista Storage Area; Rio Vista
Storage Area, Decker Island; and Horseshoe Bend West Storage
Area, CA
.
Location: Rio
Vista Storage Annex is located 5 miles south of Rio Vista in
Sacramento and Solano Counties, California (Figure 1 and Figure
2).
Site History:
Prior to 01 August 1953, the United States Army acquired 15.25
license acres, 1.01 permit acres, and 97.76 lease acres. Total
acreage acquired for the site was 114.02. The site was used by
the Army for boat landing and storage activities. Improvements
to the site included a small pier and boat landing area. On 30
November 1974, 11.56 lease acres were terminated; on 18 December
1974, 33.20 lease acres were terminated; on 31 January 1975,
1.01 permit acres, 15.25 license acres, and 53.00 lease acres
were terminated.
Historical Data Card - Posts, Camp,
Stations and Airfields, US Army Center of Military History
US Army Corps of Engineers Real Estate
Map Click image for high
definition version
Site Maps
Rio Vista Depot
Activity
Historical Data Card - Posts, Camp,
Stations and Airfields, US Army Center of Military History
Army Reserve
Center
Wikipedia History (2015)
United States Army Reserve Center, Rio
Vista is a former United States Army Reserve center located in
Rio Vista, Solano County, California. It was established in 1911
as the U.S. Engineers Storehouse, Rio Vista. It went through
ten different names in its 81-year history, finally becoming
the United States Army Reserve Center, Rio Vista California.
It was closed in 1992 as a result of a BRAC recommendation.
The base is located on a 28-acre (11 ha)
property south of town, on the west bank of the Sacramento River.
It was acquired on July 21, 1911 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to support the work of the Corps in dredging, clearing, and surveying
the Sacramento River. The Corps had been working on the river
since 1875, deepening it, straightening it, and removing obstacles
such as trees, shoals, and even a 100-acre island which they
completely eliminated. The goals of this work were to prevent
flooding, make the river more navigable, and reclaim farmland.
The base was used to house, store, or moor equipment, including
the large suction barges used for these purposes.
The facility expanded over the next several
decades, with additional buildings and even a marine railway.
During World War II the function of the base shifted to focus
on harbor serving vessels such as floating cranes, barges, tugs
and small freighters. For this reason the base was reassigned
to the U.S. Army Transportation Corps in 1952 with the primary
function of storing and maintaining Army harbor craft. The facility's
name was changed several times during the 1950s and 1960s. It
reached peak activity in 1963 when it was reported to have 300
civilian employees and 350 vessels.
In 1963 a 4-acre (1.6 ha) parcel at the
southern end of the facility was transferred to the U.S. Coast
Guard to construct a Coast Guard station which is still in operation.
Activity at the base increased during
the Vietnam War. In 1967 the base, now called the Rio Vista Marine
Storage Activity, was placed under the command of Sharpe Army
Depot. Its primary function was to prepare amphibious vehicles
for shipment to Vietnam. Also in 1967 the base was unexpectedly
pressed into local service when a freighter struck a local bridge
and cut it in half. For the next several weeks while the bridge
was being repaired, an Army LCM amphibious vehicle from the base
was used as a "foot ferry", transporting residents
back and forth across the river to attend school, go to work,
and attend to other needs on the other side of the river.
In 1974 the base was renamed Rio Vista
Storage Activity Site and control was transferred to the Presidio
of San Francisco. Its mission was changed to Logistics Over The
Shore (LOTS) operations training. In 1971 the USAT Resolute,
a 338 foot (103 m) cargo and training ship, was moved to the
Rio Vista facility.
In 1980 the facility was transferred to
the U.S. Army Reserve and renamed the Rio Vista United States
Army Reserve Center (Rio Vista USAR Center). It was primarily
used for training purposes by engineering and transportation
units.
In 1992 the facility was closed and all
equipment was removed. The city of Rio Vista purchased the property
from the federal government in 2003. It remains empty, but the
city has proposed a redevelopment plan for the property. Two
of the proposed uses are a research and monitoring station to
study the river and the Delta, and a fish refuge and fish hatchery.
Other proposed new uses include hiking and picnic areas, a boat
dock, hotels, and a conference center.
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