Historical Sites of Interest in Sacramento, California

Found in 1849, Sacramento, California enjoys a full and rich history.  Founded at the start of the California Gold Rush, Sacramento quickly became one of the most important cities in the West.  Since the Gold Rush, Sacramento became the hub of the transcontinental railroad and eventually the permanent Capitol of the State of California.

The people of Sacramento are proud of this rich history and have preserved much of this history throughout the City and the Sacramento region.  Almost everywhere you turn in Sacramento, there is a historical site to enjoy and learn from.  The following is just a brief list of some of the best historical sites found in the Sacramento region.

Sutter’s Fort is located in the heart of Downtown Sacramento.  The fort was founded by John Augustus Sutter who was a Swiss-German Immigrant who moved to California in late 1839.  Sutter built the fort to be home to his new business, crop distribution.  The fort became the center of the region and Sutter himself was very hospitable to the pioneers coming to California to start a new life.  In 1848, James Marshall, while building Sutter’s mill in Coloma found gold and kept this secret until he returned to Sutter’s Fort and showed his discovery to Sutter. 

Today, the original brick building in the center of the Fort is all that remains of the original structures.  The fort has been furnished and reconstructed to what it looked like in 1846.  The fort is part of the California State Park system and tours and reconstructions are performed at the fort daily.

For more information:  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=485

Old Sacramento is a National Historic Landmark District that runs along the Sacramento River and provides historical attractions including a horse drawn stagecoach. Old Sacramento also has great museums, fine dining and great shopping.  When Gold was discovered in 1848, Sacramento became a hub of commercial activity.  The Sacramento waterfront was the obvious location to handle the number of miners and goods coming to Sacramento.  However, the area was prone to flooding which is why in 1853 a massive proposal was made to raise the city to above the flood plain.  However, when further floods hit the area, the commercial center was moved east to avoid the flooding.  The area now known as Old Sacramento became a skid row full of bars and brothels until the 1960s when the area was preserved and made an historical landmark.

For more information: http://www.oldsacramento.com/

Sacramento was named the permanent Capitol of California and the Capitol Building is one of the important and beautiful historical sites found in the City.  The Capitol Building was built in 1869.  The most impressive aspect of the building is the high rotunda found in the center of the building and the Capitol Dome.  The building also has replicas of the 19^th century legislative chambers.  There are daily tours of the Capitol and you can also enjoy Capitol Park and the various memorials within the Park.

For more information: http://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/

Sacramento is a City rich in history and proud of it. All around the Sacramento region there are historical landmarks of the achievements and accomplishments of Sacramento residents that show Sacramento’s importance to the development of the State of California and the nation as a whole.