From WWII to Diablo Canyon junk reef: Readers add SLO County history insight
Local readers have recently emailed to help answer questions posed by Photos From the Vault over the last few weeks.
The responses show a fascinating way to see the historical stepping stones to where we all stand today.
Also in this column is an update on a threatened historical gem, the California Digital Newspaper Collection.
Thanks to our readers, here are their insights:
How Camp Roberts helped train soldiers during World War II, Korean War
In response to a recent Vault, Gary McMaster, chairman and curator of the Camp Roberts Historical Museum, took the time to look through training books from the World War II era.
The camp was one of the largest military training facilities in the United States. It was reactivated during the Korean War as well.
McMaster found images of “Little Berlin” and a simulated Japanese village used to train combat troops during the war.
During World War II, the United States had to fight on two fronts, both Europe and the Pacific.
In the latter phases of the war in the Pacific Theater, invasion of the home islands of Japan was being planned for and the bloody island-hopping battles toward Japan gave military planners pause.
Urban combat is recognized as being especially difficult. Specialized training is required to minimize losses and effectively achieve objectives.
The museum is a fascinating visit, open Thursdays and Saturdays excluding some national holidays.
Admission is free and group tours are available via reservation.
Did PG&E manage to create artificial reef at Diablo Canyon?
In answer to the question about the proposal to create an artificial reef near Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, a Tribune reader wrote in with a link to a nautical chart.
Nautical Charts Online shows a rectangular obstruction southeast of the plant at 9 fathoms or about 54 feet below ocean level.
So it appears that some time after 1984, the proposal became a reality just outside the security zone and in the neighborhood of other existing natural obstructions.
Free digital California newspaper archive needs donations
Lastly, a troubling update to the budget shortfall for the California Digital Newspaper Collection.
Regular readers of this column know that the CDNC is the gold standard for researching names and events throughout California from 1846 to more recent times.
As much as 25% of the site’s content is only available on the CDNC.
If you haven’t already, I challenge you to take a moment to search the name of a grandparent or a California event from history that has always made you curious.
To a history fan like me it is better than a theme park or a movie.
It documents the real time experiences of history at the time it was being made. At times it is a revelation to see how some things have changed but that often human motivations connect us through time.
It is a fascinating and free encyclopedia of California events and personalities.
As Director Brian Geiger said in a recent email, “unfortunately, the news is worse than I expected.”
The deleted funding line for the budget was for this year, not next, and now the organization has a scant three months to collect donations to save public access to the archive.
Otherwise as Geiger writes, “We will almost certainly have to cease operations.”
They have a donation page with the goal of raising $300,000 by June 30.
