The history of Sacramento, California, began with its founding by Samuel Brannan and John Augustus Sutter, Jr. in 1848 around an embarcadero that his father, John Sutter, Sr. constructed at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers a few years prior. Sacramento was named after the Sacramento River, which forms its western border.
Why was Sacramento founded?
Sutter and the people he attracted created a commercial center in the area, but it was the Gold Rush in 1848 that created the City of Sacramento. When gold was discovered in the nearby foothills by James Marshall, local merchant Sam Brannan rushed to open a store near the Sacramento River to take advantage of the convenient waterfront location.
Who founded Sacramento California?
The history of Sacramento, California, began with its founding by Samuel Brannan and John Augustus Sutter, Jr. in 1848 around an embarcadero that his father, John Sutter, Sr. constructed at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers a few years prior. Sacramento was named after the Sacramento River, which forms its western border.
Why is Sacramento the state capital of California?
Why is Sacramento the state capital of California? S acramento was chosen as the capital of California because: It was founded early in the state’s history. It was the center of Gold Rush economic activities. It has a convenient inland location, close to both the Sierra Nevada and the Pacific coast.
Why was Sacramento California important?
Why is Sacramento so important? Due to Sacramento’s location at the base of the foothills (which were filled with gold) and only ninety miles inland from San Francisco, Sacramento was a major distribution point and center for Gold Rush activities. That is why Sacramento was the starting point of the First Transcontinental Railroad.
What is the history of Old Sacramento?
The Old Town Sacramento Story built a town where the American and Sacramento Rivers meet. That same year, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill nearby. Prospectors soon arrived in droves on their way to the gold fields. The city now called Sacramento became California's state capitol in 1854.
When was Old Sacramento established?
The history of Sacramento, California, began with its founding by Samuel Brannan and John Augustus Sutter, Jr. in 1848 around an embarcadero that his father, John Sutter, Sr.
What was Sacramento's original name?
Created 1850. Sutter County was named after General John Augustus Sutter, a native of Switzerland, who obtained a large land grant from the Mexican government and called his first settlement New Helvetia (now the City of Sacramento).
What is the oldest building in Old Sacramento?
The Lady Adams Building#oldsacfunfact The Lady Adams Building in Old Sacramento is the oldest building in the historic district. It managed to survive the Great Fire of 1852, the Great Flood of 1861-62, and countless other disasters that befell the city.
What year did Old Sacramento flood?
In 1853 a mammoth project was proposed to raise the city above the flood level. The ambitious and expensive proposal was not fully accepted until another devastating flood swept through the city in 1862.
Do people live in Old Sacramento?
Old Sacramento is a neighborhood in Sacramento, California with a population of 1,469. Old Sacramento is in Sacramento County. Living in Old Sacramento offers residents a dense urban feel and most residents rent their homes. In Old Sacramento there are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks.
What was the first city in California?
In March 1850 San Jose became the first chartered city in California, by which time it had become a bustling trade depot for the goldfields east of Sacramento.
Is Sacramento a Spanish word?
Etymology. From Spanish sacramento (“sacrament”).
What Native American tribes lived in Sacramento?
This statement recognizes that Sacramento is the ancestral homeland of the Nisenan, Maidu, Miwok and Me-Wuk peoples, who are the Indigenous Peoples of this land, and have lived here since time immemorial.
What is Sacramento known for?
What is Sacramento Best Known For?California State Park.Old Sacramento Historic Park.Crocker Art Museum.Sutter's Fort.Fairytale Town.American River Bike Trail.Arden Fair.Midtown Farmers Market.More items...
How was Sacramento founded?
Sacramento has a rich and vibrant history which goes back to 1839 when John Sutter arrived on the shore near the confluence of the American and Sacramento River. Sutter's Fort was established with the intent to develop an agricultural community, and the settlement began attracting businessmen looking for opportunities.
Where does the Sacramento River start at?
Mount ShastaSacramento River, river rising in the Klamath Mountains, near Mount Shasta (in Siskiyou county), northern California, U.S. The river flows 382 miles (615 km) south-southwest between the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges, through the northern section (Sacramento Valley) of the Central Valley.
When did Sacramento become a city?
February 27, 1850Residents of Sacramento adopted a city charter in 1849, which was recognized by the state legislature in 1850. Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California, incorporated on February 27, 1850. On Jan. 10, 1850 a flood occurred that devastated the city.
When was the Sacramento River found?
In the 19th century, gold was discovered on a tributary of the Sacramento River, starting the California Gold Rush and an enormous population influx to the state....Sacramento River.Sacramento River Rio del Santísimo Sacramento• locationContra Costa-Solano county line• coordinates38°03′48″N 121°51′10″W• elevation0 ft (0 m)29 more rows
Who named the city of Sacramento?
Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma (located some 50 miles northeast of the fort), a large number of gold-seekers came to the area, increasing the population. John Sutter Jr. then planned the City of Sacramento, against the wishes of his father, naming the city after the Sacramento River for commercial reasons.
When did Sacramento became the capital of California?
The Legislature passed legislation to move the capital from Benicia to Sacramento a year later, on February 24, 1854. The location was deeded to the state in 1951 and became a State Historic Park in 1958.
What was the name of the city that was created by the Gold Rush?
As the settlement grew and became permanent, it attracted other businessmen looking for opportunities. Sutter and the people he attracted created a commercial center in the area, but it was the Gold Rush in 1848 that created the City of Sacramento.
Is Old Sacramento Waterfront a tourist attraction?
Due to past and current efforts by the State of California, private and public museums, individuals, business, the City and County of Sacramento, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundations, scores of volunteers, and many others, Old Sacramento Waterfront lives on as thriving shopping and entertainment district as well as a global tourist destination.
What is the old Sacramento?
The Old Sacramento Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District. The Historic District is sometimes abbreviated as Old Sacramento, or Old Sac, and since the 1960s has been restored and developed as a significant tourist attraction.
What is the Old Sacramento Historical Foundation?
The Old Sacramento Historical Foundation manages several programs to highlight the history of the city, including historical reenactments by costumed docents, as well as tours of Old Sacramento's underground level. During October, there is also a special Halloween-themed ghost tour.
What was the city of Sacramento in the mid-nineteenth century?
History. The city of Sacramento grew up in the mid-nineteenth century as a development from Sutter's Fort. However, the Fort was some distance from the Sacramento River, which was the main means of transport to the coast of California, and the area that would become the modern city developed along the waterfront.
How many visitors does Old Sacramento State Park get?
Old Sacramento State Historic Park attracts over 5 million visitors annually.
When is the Gold Rush in Sacramento?
Every Labor Day weekend, Old Sacramento holds its annual Gold Rush Days. During this time, the paved streets are covered with several tons of dirt and automobile traffic is barred from the area. Old Sac's regular corps of costumed docents is supplemented by extra volunteers and professional reenactors to recreate life in Sacramento as it was in the mid to late 1800s.
Where is the old Sacramento district?
Today, the Old Sacramento Historic District covers the area between the river frontage and Interstate 5, between I Street and the Capitol Mall. The State Historic Park comprises about a third of the total acreage of the district including half of the waterfront, a large grassy area and railroad features.
Did the Sacramento levee system flood?
Before Sacramento's extensive levee system was in place, the area flooded quite regularly. Because of this, the city's streets were raised a level. Most of the sidewalks and storefronts have been filled in; however, many tunnels still remain throughout Old Sacramento and the downtown area.
When was Sacramento founded?
The history of Sacramento, California, began with its founding by Samuel Brannan and John Augustus Sutter, Jr. in 1848 around an embarcadero that his father, John Sutter, Sr. constructed at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers a few years prior. Sacramento was named after the Sacramento River, which forms its western border.
Who was the first person to name the Sacramento River?
Prior to Sutter's arrival – through 1838. Gabriel Moraga named the Sacramento River in 1806. The name was later expanded to the City of Sacramento. Indigenous people such as the Miwok and Maidu Indians were the original inhabitants of the north Californian Central Valley.
What Native American tribes lived in Sacramento?
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Nisenan Native American tribe inhabited the Sacramento Valley area. The Spanish were the first Europeans to explore the area, and Sacramento fell into the Alta California province of New Spain when the conquistadors claimed Central America and the American Southwest for the Spanish Empire. The area was deemed unfit for colonization by a number of explorers and as a result remained relatively untouched by the Europeans who claimed the region, excepting early 19th Century coastal settlements north of San Francisco Bay which constituted the southernmost Russian colony in North America and were spread over an area stretching from Point Arena to Tomales Bay. When John Sutter arrived in the provincial colonial capital of Monterey in 1839, governor Juan Bautista Alvarado provided Sutter with the land he asked for, and Sutter established New Helvetia, which he controlled absolutely with a private army and relative autonomy from the newly independent Mexican government.
How many people died in the Sacramento war?
Nearly 4,000 troops destined for battle in Europe's First World War had come from Sacramento and other cities within the county; of those 4,000, about 100 died. The coming of the war also sparked hysteria amongst the population, biasing them against Germans and concepts associated with Germany. Sacramento's Lutheran churches began to preach in languages other than German. Additionally, a Council of Defense searched for and punished signs of disloyalty to the American cause. City tensions increased with the bombing of the governor's mansion in 1917, and suspects affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World militant party were detained and jailed, although never convicted. When the war ended in 1918, the city celebrated the return of the 363rd Infantry regiment of the 91st Division and the visit of president Woodrow Wilson, who arrived to advocate his League of Nations proposal in 1919 in the face of staunch opposition headed by Governor Johnson and Sacramento Bee editor Charles Kenny McClatchy. The coming of the 1917 American intervention in World War I exponentially increased demand for Curtiss JN-4 biplanes. A contract with the government led to the opening of Mather Air Force Base in the county, and Sacramento grew to rely on the biplanes for continued economic growth up until the end of the war. Surplus military equipment, including the biplanes, were put to use by the Sacramentan populace. In 1929, farmers in the Sacramento area experimented with crop seeding via aerial means; notably, Chinese revolutionary Sun Yatsen, with assistance from Delta farmer Jack Chew, purchased ten surplus aircraft and held sessions for maneuver practice from a local alfalfa field with local Chinese pilots. A growing civilian fascination with aviation in the era was fed by the numerous air shows that were held around the Sacramento area.
What was the real city of Sacramento?
The real city of Sacramento was developed around a wharf, called the Embarcadero, on the confluence of the American River and Sacramento River that Sutter had developed prior to his retirement in 1849 as a result of gold discoveries at Sutter's Mill in Coloma. John Sutter, Sr. had replaced himself with his son, John Sutter, Jr., who noticed growth of trade at the Embarcadero and considered it a viable economic opportunity; the port was used increasingly as a point of debarkation for prospecting Argonauts heading eastwards. Sutter, Jr. had military officials William H. Warner and his assistant, William Tecumseh Sherman, survey his father's holdings for a location where he could establish a new city and create the city over a grid of numbered and lettered streets for organizational purposes. A number of businessmen, including millionaire-to-be Samuel Brannan, future California governor Peter Burnett, and George McDougall, brother of future California governor John McDougall, were attracted to the waterfront location. However, Sutter, Jr. and George McDougall disagreed over the terms of the lease of the location, and a trade war erupted between Sutter's Sacramento City and McDougall's new base of operations at Sutterville. Sutter, Sr., who had opposed many of his son's decisions, resumed control of his business affairs after Sutter, Jr. ended the competition between the two cities; trade in the area was biased toward Sacramento City as a result of Sutter, Jr.'s efforts.
What was the destination of the Donner Party?
Among other foreigners, the Donner Party had designated Sutter's Fort their destination during an overland journey that placed them across the Sierra mountains in the wintertime. A map of northern California gold fields, in relation to Sacramento and Coloma.
What river is in the Sacramento Valley?
Bonaventura River where the American - Sacramento River complex was; mountain man Jedediah Smith mistook the American and Sacramento Rivers for the St. Bonaventura in his 1827 venture into the region, and named the Sacramento Valley the "Valley of the Bonadventure" before trekking southwards along the Stanislaus River.
When was Sacramento named the state capital?
The California State Legislature officially moved to Sacramento in 1854 and at the 1879 Constitutional Convention, Sacramento was named the permanent State Capital. With its new status and strategic location, the city quickly prospered. Sacramento became a major distribution and transportation point as the western end for both the Pony Express and the First Transcontinental Railroad. On March 30, 1872, after the City formed Engine Companies 1 and 2, the Sacramento Fire Department was established and became the first paid professional fire department west of the Mississippi.
When was the gold rush in Sacramento?
When gold was discovered in the nearby foothills at a sawmill in 1848 , the proximity to the river transformed the Sutter’s Fort community into a trading and mining epicenter of what was later called the ‘Gold Rush’. At the time of the gold rush, Sacramento primarily consisted of hastily built wooden structures, often covered with canvas.
What were the major technological improvements in the Sacramento Fire Department?
During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s major technological improvements began shaping the city and its fire department. Copper-riveted leather hose was replaced by rubber hose and longer extension ladders were made. Horse-drawn carriages were replaced with street cars and automobiles. Horse-drawn fire apparatus were also replaced with steam-operated pumpers, chemical engines, and eventually motorized apparatus. Sacramento Fire Department’s first motorized vehicles were placed into service as early as 1912.
What is the capital of California?
Sacramento is the capital of the State of California, the county seat for Sacramento County and the central city for the four-county Sacramento Metropolitan Area. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River, it is affectionately known as the ‘River City’.
How many square miles is Sacramento?
Sacramento has a total incorporated area of 99.2 square miles, of which 97.2 square miles is land and 2 square miles is water. Sacramento has a rich and vibrant history which goes back to 1839 when John Sutter arrived on the shore near the confluence of the American and Sacramento River.
When did the SFD enter into an agreement with the Fruitridge Fire Protection District?
In 1990 , the Pacific Fire Protection District also entered into agreement with the SFD for fire protection service.
When did the Sacramento Fire Department start using motorized vehicles?
Sacramento Fire Department’s first motorized vehicles were placed into service as early as 1912. Between the 1920’s and 1940’s the population ...
Overview
Old Sacramento State Historic Park occupies around one third of the property within the Old Sacramento Historic District of Sacramento, California. The Old Sacramento Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District. The Historic District is sometimes abbreviated as Old Sacramento, or Old Sac, and since the 1960s has been restored and developed as a significant tourist attra…
History
The city of Sacramento grew up in the mid-nineteenth century as a development from Sutter's Fort. However, the Fort was some distance from the Sacramento River, which was the main means of transport to the coast of California, and the area that would become the modern city developed along the waterfront.
Before Sacramento's extensive levee system was in place, the area flooded quite regularly. Beca…
Architecture
While the architecture from this period is commonly attributed to Victorian gold miners, characteristics of West End, such as multi-storied buildings, large arched doorways, full-height balcony windows and the use of decorative wrought-iron balconies, were most ubiquitous in parts of Spain and the Spanish colonies. This influence may be attributed to the fact that the period of Spanish…
Historic buildings
Notable buildings include:
• B. F. Hastings Building, the National Historic Landmarked western terminal of the Pony Express and the first location of the California Supreme Court; also housed the office of the Alta California Telegraph Company; features a branch of the Wells Fargo History Museum
• Big Four House, a National Historic Landmarked building constructed through the joint efforts of California's railroa…
Memorials
The district contains many memorials to the founders of the city and of the California and transcontinental railroad and other transport systems, including the Theodore Judah monument and the Pony Express Statue.
Current attractions
Old Sacramento is the site of the California State Railroad Museum, the California State Military Museum, the Sacramento History Museum, the Wells Fargo History Museum and the Old Sacramento Interpretive Center.
Other attractions available for visitors include rides in horse-drawn carriages, historic trains from the former Central Pacific Railroad passenger station, and cruises on historic riverboats. A histori…
Interpretive programs
The Old Sacramento Historical Foundation manages several programs to highlight the history of the city, including historical reenactments by costumed docents, as well as tours of Old Sacramento's underground level. During October, there is also a special Halloween themed ghost tour.
Every Labor Day weekend, Old Sacramento holds its annual Gold Rush Days. During this time, th…
External links
• Old Sacramento State Historic Park - official site
• Old Sacramento Living History Program
Overview
The history of Sacramento, California, began with its founding by Samuel Brannan and John Augustus Sutter, Jr. in 1848 around an embarcadero that his father, John Sutter, Sr. constructed at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers a few years prior.
Sacramento was named after the Sacramento River, which forms its western b…
Prior to Sutter's arrival – through 1838
Indigenous people such as the Miwok and Maidu Indians were the original inhabitants of the north Californian Central Valley. Of the Maidu, the Nisenan Maidu group were the principal inhabitants of pre-Columbian Sacramento; the peoples of this tribe were hunter-gatherers, relying on foraged nuts and berries and fish from local rivers instead of food generated by agricultural means.
The first European in the state of California was conquistador Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portugu…
Mexican Territory: Sutter's Colony – 1839 to 1848
John Augustus Sutter arrived in the city of Yerba Buena, which would become the city of San Francisco, after encountering a massive storm en route from the city of Sitka, Russian Alaska; he was later redirected by Mexican officials to the colonial capital of Monterey, where he appealed to governor Juan Bautista Alvarado of Alta California his ambitions to establish an "empire of civilization" o…
Foundation – 1848 to 1850
The real city of Sacramento was developed around a wharf, called the Embarcadero, on the confluence of the American River and Sacramento River that Sutter had developed prior to his retirement in 1849 as a result of gold discoveries at Sutter's Mill in Coloma. John Sutter, Sr. had replaced himself with his son, John Sutter, Jr., who noticed growth of trade at the Embarcadero and …
Early development – 1850 to 1860
In January 1850, a major flood devastated the city. Rain from heavy storms had saturated the grounds upon which Sacramento was built, and the American and Sacramento rivers crested simultaneously.
The economic impact was significant because merchandise stationed at the Embarcadero was not secured and washed away in the flood. Sacramento ralli…
The Civil War era to the twentieth century – 1861 to 1900
The California Republican Party was founded in Sacramento on April 18, 1856, when the first mass meeting aggregated in the city. When the American Civil War started, the city was strongly pro-Union, although the opposing side, the Confederate States of America, had active supporters within the city. The city of Sacramento's population was alarmed at the possibility of an invasion by force…
World War I and the Prohibition – 1901 to 1930
The automobile was introduced to the city in 1900 through a local street fair; in 1903, the first car dealership opened, and the year after, twenty-seven Sacramentans owned cars. The number of automobile owners increased exponentially from that point. The advent of the automobile obsoleted careers involving horseback and overland wagon travel and decreased the importance …
World War II and the Great Depression – 1931 to 1945
The Great Depression struck Sacramento alongside the rest of the United States in 1929, driving approximately 15,000 Sacramentans into unemployment by 1932. The local canning industry was affected first as demand for canned goods dropped drastically, laying off workers; a freeze later destroyed half of the Sacramento area's citrus trees in December 1932. Hoovervilles, or large shanty…