Wednesday, July 10, 2013

SACRAMENTO HISTORIC PARK

   Old Sacramento State Historic Park is a cluster of noteworthy, early Gold Rush commercial structures. Historic buildings include the 1849 Eagle Theater; the 1853 B. F. Hastings Building, once home to the California Supreme Court; and the 1855 Big Four Building. Old Sacramento’s historical significance comes from it being the western terminus of the Pony Express postal system, the first transcontinental railroad, and the transcontinental telegraph.

    Old Sacramento is a California Historical Landmark. The National Park Service named the entire original historic 1850s business district of Old Sacramento a National Historic Landmark in 1965. With over 50 historic buildings, Old Sacramento has more buildings of historic value in its 28 acres than any area of similar size in the West.

Location and Parking:
   Old Sacramento State Historic Park is located in downtown Sacramento and is convenient to reach by all freeways. Coming from any direction in the state, take Interstate 5 to the ”J Street” exit and follow the signs into park. Abundant covered parking is available at the main parking structure located at 3rd and J Streets. There are a limited number of metered, 90-minute on-street parking spaces throughout the park.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

NEW OLD SACRAMENTO

    Old Sacramento preserves the historical state of a city that has grown beyond its bounds. Old buildings have been restored or rebuilt. Small business, some of them unique, fill the streets with picturesque storefronts. It is an appealing tourist attraction to native Sacramentans and to visitors alike.     It has also attracted the attention of Acting Assemblyman Maurice Stenkilbuch of Yuba City. Speaking before the Upper Assembly of the Yuba City Congress on Monday, Acting Assemblyman Stenkilbuch proposed “That Yuba City annex Old Sacramento and move it to Yuba City. Members of the Upper Assembly listened politely and scheduled hearings to be held after the municipal elections.

    In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries many immigrants from Europe believed the streets of America were paved with gold. The streets were not gold, but fortunately, they offered golden opportunities.
    One of those opportunities was found in the gold fields of northern California during the gold rush in 1849. In their rush to get to the nuggets in the streams and rivers of the Serria Nevada Mountains the 49'ers passed right over the gold beneath their feet in Yuba City.
    In truth, they were not aware of the gold in Yuba City. It was not discovered until 1948 when it was unearthed during a Plumas Street construction project. At that time the city fathers decided that at the then current price of gold it was too expensive to mine and simply paved over it.
    However in 2007, when the price of gold soared past one thousand dollars per ounce, it was decided there was enough profit to be had to justify digging up Plumas Street. And so... the modern day gold rush has begun in Yuba City.

Friday, October 5, 2012

OLD SACRAMENTO

Old Sacramento

The oldest part of the town besides Sutter's Fort is Old Sacramento, which consists of cobbled streets and many historic buildings, several from the 1850s and 1860s. Buildings have been preserved, restored or reconstructed, and the district is now a substantial tourist attraction, with rides on steam-hauled historic trains and paddle steamers.
   The historic buildings also include the Lady Adams Building, built by the passengers and ship's carpenters of the ship Lady Adams. Having survived the Great Conflagration of November 1852, it is the oldest surviving building in Sacramento other than Sutter's Fort.
    Another surviving landmark is the B.F. Hastings building, built in 1853. Early home of the California Supreme Court and the location of the office of Theodore Judah, it also was the western terminus of the Pony Express.   The "Big Four Building", built in 1852, was home to the offices of Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Charles Crocker. The Central Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad were founded there. The original building was destroyed in 1963 for the construction of Interstate 5, but was re-created using original elements in 1965. It is now a National Historic Landmark. Also of historic interest is the Eagle Theatre, a reconstruction of California's first permanent theatre in its original location.