Museum Offers Glimpse of WWII Army Camp

A FREE exhibit featuring photos, artifacts and information about Riverside’s Camp Anza will be on display at the City’s Metropolitan Museum, 3580 Mission Inn Avenue, beginning Saturday September 27th and running four months until Saturday January 31, 2009. 

Today, what is known as the Arlanza District in Riverside, once served as a World War II U.S. Army staging area from 1942 to 1946.  It was here that troops spent their last 10 days on U.S. soil before boarding a transport ship for the Pacific theater, making 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 war’s end, Camp Anza was a major welcome homepoint for nearly half a million soldiers returning from the Pacific.

The black and white photo depicts GIs boarding the train that would take them to the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation in Wilmington, California.  There they would immediately board a troop transport for the Pacific. Photo courtesy of the Herbert Family.

Frank Teurlay, author of “Riverside’s Camp Anza and Arlanza” has assembled a vast collection of information, images and artifacts, some of which can be seen in this new exhibit, “Riverside’s Camp Anza”.  The show will be on display at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum until January 31, 2009. For more information, call (951) 826-5273.

Please join author Frank Teurlay on Thursday November 6th from 6-9 p.m. for a reception, discussion and booksigning.