Riverside's Camp Anza and Arlanza

Book excerpt: The Arlanza District of Riverside can trace its origins to Camp Anza, a World War II U.S. Army staging area, which was part of the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation from 1942 to 1946. Here troops spent their last 10 days on U.S. soil before boarding a troop transport ship for the Pacific theater. While in camp, soldiers made final equipment checks and preparations for the possibility of not returning home. To boost morale, Hollywood stars of the day, including Bob Hope and Shirley Temple, performed for the men and women headed into the conflict. At wars end, Camp Anza was a major welcome home point for nearly half a million victorious soldiers returning from the Pacific. Today the neighborhood of Arlanza occupies the site of this once-bustling camp, where remnants of the past still exist and where components for the 21st-century aerospace industry are manufactured.