Sacramento History Museum is the only museum devoted to

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

and

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

history. It is located at 101 I Street in

Old Sacramento 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 ...

. Just west of the museum is the

Sacramento River The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–S ...

and both the Tower Bridge and the I Street Bridge are visible from the museum. The building itself is a replica of Sacramento's 1854 City Hall and Waterworks building, showcased in natural brick with two stories of 14-foot double doors across the front. Exhibit themes include the Gold Rush and mining,

Nisenan The Nisenan are a group of Native Americans and an Indigenous people of California from the Yuba River and American River watersheds in Northern California and the California Central Valley. The Nisenan people are classified as part of the large ...

Maidu The Maidu are a Native American people of northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada, in the watershed area of the Feather and American rivers. They also reside in Humbug Valley. In Maiduan languages, ''Maidu'' means "man." ...

Indian Nations, fur trapping, agriculture, and cultural heritage.

Museum history

The museum originally opened in 1985 as the Sacramento History Center, to exhibit artifacts and records from the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center. In 1993, in a collaborative effort with the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento History Center, and the Sacramento Science Center, the Sacramento Museum of History, Science, and Technology was formed. The Sacramento Museum of History, Science, and Technology operated both museum sites under the name "Discovery Museum." The

location remained dedicated to the history of

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

and the

, and was renamed the "Discovery Museum Gold Rush History Center." Who Is She... In July 2008, under a directive from the City of Sacramento, the alliance between the History Center and the Science Center was dissolved. The Discovery Museum Science and Space Center continues to operate independently of the Sacramento History Museum. The Sacramento History Alliance assumed administration of the Sacramento History Museum and continues to educate visitors about Sacramento and the role the city has played in the state from the time of the Gold Rush.

City history

The history of Sacramento is a fascinating story that dates to prehistory times with Native American settlements.

John Sutter John Augustus Sutter (February 23, 1803 – June 18, 1880), born Johann August Sutter and known in Spanish as Don Juan Sutter, was a Swiss immigrant of Mexican and American citizenship, known for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area th ...

arrived in 1839 and founded the first permanent settlement in the area. After gold was discovered in nearby Coloma in 1848, businesses sprang up along the riverfront in what is now Old Sacramento. There were hotels, saloons, bathhouses, and a variety of shops where would-be miners could outfit themselves for the gold fields. A gold trade center in the 1860s,

has been redeveloped with

cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...

streets, gas lamps, and wooden sidewalks. More than 200 shops and restaurants are housed in Gold Rush-era structures, including a firehouse built in 1853, California’s first theater, and a replica of the city’s first waterworks building. Of special interest is the B.F. Hastings Building, built in 1853, served as the terminus for the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

and the chambers of the first

California Supreme Court The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...

. In 1965 Old Sacramento became

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#812. In the 1860s Sacramento raised its streets to avoid devastating floods. Sacramento is the only city in California to do so and was one of the first in the nation. The Sacramento History Alliance and the Sacramento History Museum conduct tours of "Old Sacramento Underground" where visitors can get a first-hand look at the incredible undertaking

External links

Historic Old Sacramento Foundation
- official museum website

- official website {{authority control History of Sacramento, California California State Historic Parks California Historical Landmarks Museums in Sacramento, California History museums in California