There were once more than two dozen of these shrimping camps located around San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, although China Camp State Park preserves the only one that still remains. The location of China Camp along the San Pedro peninsula and the shores of San Pablo Bay was ideally suited for shrimping.China Camp Village reached the height of its prosperity in the 1880s, with almost 500 residents. There were several small streets lined with wooden buildings, including general stores, a marine supply store, a barber shop, shrimp drying and grinding sheds, and numerous residences. The people of China Camp Village made their living fishing for shrimp from the tidal mud flats along San Pablo Bay. Some of the shrimp was sold to local restaurants, but the vast majority was dried and prepared for export to China. More than three million pounds of shrimp were harvested from the Bay each year throughout the late 1800s and into the early 20th century.
