Stockton, California's Banner Island: A Trip Through Time

In the buildup to the Civil War, Stockton had teetered between pro-secession and pro-Union, with those that supported Southern Democrats and those that identified as Northern Democrats bitterly arguing over the issue of slavery and states’ rights. Eventually, those that remain pro-secession ended up residing on the outskirts of Stockton—in what is now Stanislaus County and areas now known as Waterloo & Lockeford—while the main city itself leaned in favor of the Union.

As a show of support to the North, Captain Charles Weber—who was regarded as a fierce Unionist—placed a 120-foot flagpole on a small island near his residence that waved the Stars and Stripes. The flag could be seen for miles and eventually caught the eye of Confederate sympathizers, who would sneak up by boat and cut the halyards to the pole. In response, Weber would replace them and then station his bulldog on the property to ward off any trespassers.

On September 29, 1861, secessionists snuck up once again, this time replacing the Stars & Stripes with the Confederate Stars & Bars. Additionally, they would do the same to other flagpoles through the city. The next morning, Weber awoke to find the flag replaced and his bulldog dead.

Fueled by the treachery of this act, Weber had the Confederate flag pulled down, stuffed into his bronze cannon, and fired away as a warning to all Southern sympathizers. He would go on to fire the cannon 13 times, in honor of the 13 colonies, but he didn’t stop there. He had every Confederate flag replaced with the Union flag AND placed additional Union flags on every windmill in Stockton. By the time they were done, over 500 Stars & Stripes banners were displayed over Stockton.

By the Fall of 1861, public support in Stockton was fully behind the Union thanks to what started with a flagpole on Weber’s small island. With a history rooted in the Civil War era, Banner Island evolved from an unwavering symbol of the Union to a home for live sports and entertainment. Residing on this land now is the Stockton Ballpark, where every spring through summer our Stockton Ports compete in the MiLB league. Plus, this field houses numerous other live events—including the Nitro Circus and the Stockton Lantern Festival. A fantastic sporting venue resting alongside our beautiful Delta.

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