Franks Tract State Recreation Area

Franks Tract with Mount Diablo in the background

Franks Tract State Recreation Area is a state park unit of California, USA, featuring a flooded area in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. It is accessible only by water. Franks Tract is situated between the False River and Bethel Island. The recreation area is used primarily for fishing and waterfowl hunting. In times of high water, the entire site can be submerged except for portions of the old levees.[1] The 3,523-acre (1,426 ha) park was established in 1959.[2] It is managed from nearby Brannan Island State Recreation Area, 6 miles (9.7 km) to the northwest.[3]

History

Franks Tract was once the United States' second-largest source of peat, after the Everglades.[3] The site was originally reclaimed between 1902 and 1906 and given over to farming of potatoes, beans, asparagus, sugar beets, onions, seed crops, small grains, and corn.[4] In February 1937 Franks Tract was inundated and reclaimed by October, but in February 1938 the False River levee broke and Franks Tract was flooded and never reclaimed.[5][6] The United States Navy used a 500-acre (200 ha) portion of the area as a bombing target known as Antioch Bombing Target from 1943 to 1952.[7]

Franks Tract gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Franks Tract SRA". California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  2. ↑ "California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10" (PDF). California State Parks: 20. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  3. 1 2 "Brannen Island/Franks Tract State Recreation Areas" (PDF). California State Parks. 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  4. ↑ Thompson, John (1957). The Settlement Geography of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. Stanford University: Unpublished Dissertation. p. Map Plates.
  5. ↑ Thompson, John (1957). The Settlement Geography of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. Stanford University: Unpublished Dissertation. p. 464.
  6. ↑ Schell, Hal (1995). Hal Schell's Guide to Cruising California's Delta: The Delta Dawdler's Dream Tour of This Fabulous 1,000-mile Waterway. Stockton, Calif.: Schell Books. p. 254.
  7. ↑ "Antioch Bombing Target". Historic Posts, Camps, Stations, and Airfields. California State Military Museum. 2008-12-13. Retrieved 2012-01-25.

External links

Coordinates: 38°02′56″N 121°38′16″W / 38.04889°N 121.63778°W / 38.04889; -121.63778

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