Author Information
Deanna S. Serna
American River College, Geography 350: Data Acquisition in GIS; Spring 2009
EWC 151

Abstract

This report is designed to give an informal historical perspective of designated landmarks in the historical district of downtown Sacramento.  I set out to visit these landmarks with a resident-as-a-tourist approach and gathered interesting facts as to the reasoning behind their preservation, cultural and geographic significance in the area.

Introduction
Having relocated to the Sacramento area within the last year and a half, I wanted to become familiar with all that has established Sacramento as a metropolitan figure in the long history of California.   I was born and raised in New Mexico and due to my husband’s career change, we moved to this area in late 2007.  Although some time has passed, I continue to consider myself a tourist.  As such, I have not had a significant opportunity to tour some of the city's historic and/or famous landmarks.  I am taking this GIS opportunity to provide a comprehensive look at these interesting sites with a resident-as-a-tourist approach.  Using my newly acquired GPS skills I will attempt to gather historical data of those landmarks deemed historic by the State of California Historic Preservation Office.   I intend to map out some of the more interesting historic landmarks in and around the area of downtown Sacramento and provide a general GPS navigation path to those sites.   It is my goal to provide an informal historical analysis and geographic assessment of some of the more well known landmarks as a “long-term” tourist in the Sacramento area.

Background
Places, people and events such as Fort Sutter, the Donner Party,  the Pony Express, the Trans-Continental Railroad are not what I immediately associate with idea of California living.  But having the opportunity to visit Old Sacramento with its wood-planked sidewalks and historic old west buildings, I have surprisingly learned Sacramento is rich in history.  So, how does an old building come to be considered important enough to be protected from destruction or disrepair? In October of 1966 Senate Bill 3035 known as the "National Historic Preservation Act" was signed into law which was the most significant legislation created to preserve historic and archeological sites. This law also established several institutions for the management of historical sites, created a national register of historical sites and also what is known as the Section 106 review process which requires federal agencies to review the impact of federally funded projects on historic properties (ACHP | National Park Service Historic Preservation Program).

In addition, GIS and GPS technologies are being utilized in preservation efforts on the federal level.  The National Park Service's Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems (CRGIS) which was established in 1989 uses GIS, GPS and remote sensing technologies to conduct extensive surveys and inventories of historic places in the National Park system, as well as state- and tribal-level historic preservation offices.  Since its establishment, "we have assisted more than 20 National Park units, State Historic Preservation Offices, and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices in developing their GIS databases, and have provided custom GIS and GPS training to hundreds of Federal, state, and local officials across the country"  NPS CRGIS Program.

Through the federal legislation enactment, the California State Park's Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) was established as a government agency whose mission is "to preserve and enhance California's irreplaceable historic heritage as a matter of public interest so that its vital legacy of cultural, educational, recreational, aesthetic, economic, social and environmental benefits will be maintained and enriched for present and future generations."  This agency has made available a list of historical landmarks listed by county and Sacramento county has listed 58 official historic sites. The OHP has established formal requirements for buildings, structures and places to be designated as California Historical Landmarks (CHLs). "To be eligible for designation as a landmark, a resource must meet at least one of the following criteria: (1) Be the first, last, only, or most significant of its type in the state or within a large geographic region (Northern, Central, or Southern California). (2) Be associated with an individual or group having a profound influence on the history of California. (3) Be a prototype of, or an outstanding example of, a period, style, architectural movement or construction or is one of the more notable works or the best surviving work in a region of a pioneer architect, designer or master builder (OHP)."

According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), California's state parks system is the largest in the U.S. and encompasses a wide array of historic and cultural resources, includes 278 state parks, 51 of those designated historic state parks, covers 1.5 million acres and protects 295 miles of ocean front. However, due to chronic under-funding, dwindling maintenance and management resources along with the state's severe budge crisis, California's State Parks system was named one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places in 2008 by the NTHP (Preservation.org) Citizens of California have taken steps to establish a foundation to urge lawmakers to prevent further budget cuts and to keep California's state parks up and running. Only time will tell if these efforts will allow for the further protection of California's historic parks.

So before the unfortunate, inevitable budget cuts prevent visitors from enjoying these special places, we can still take advantage of visiting the many landmarks in Sacramento which provide an easily accessible look into the history of this city. Many are located in Old Sacramento which itself as a whole has been deemed an historic state park. Although not in Old Sacramento, one of the most well-known historical sites is Sutter's Fort established in by John Augustus Sutter (1803-1880). John A. Sutter set out west to make his fortune, with the financial aid of a Mexican Land Grant, to establish himself as entrepreneur and a formidable figure in the history of California when he arrived at the banks of where the Sacramento and American Rivers meet in the summer of 1839. He was instrumental in the development of agriculture, business and industry and the start of the settlement of the American west. Sacramento became an essential doorway with the discovery of gold in the late 19th century with the vast influx of people from many cultures, backgrounds and professions with dreams of creating their fortunes. What is remaining in the downtown area a saturation of preserved historic buildings which provide a time stamp of California history.

Methods
Probably one of the most interesting things I found in my research is the National Park Service'  archived database of National Register of Historic Places.  Using GIS technologies, the NPS has digitized vast amounts of historic records and registered sites have been GIS-plotted by region.  These sites can be viewed in maps using Google Earth! I downloaded the NRHP-West Region which was a compressed .klm file to view my chosen historic sites in Sacramento.

I also found that the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) listed all of California's historic sites by county.  Since there are 58 sites listed to date just in Sacramento county, I wanted to narrow down which of those were most interesting to me.  For purposes of this project I focused on historic landmarks in the areas of Old Sacramento located along the Sacramento River as well as the downtown area.  The entire district of Old Sacramento is deemed both a National Historic Landmark District and State Historic Park.   I thought this would be a good starting point as this location offered a concentration of sites.  So I set out with my husband, my digital camera and Garmin eTrex Vista HCx GPS device and visited these sites as a tourist. I gathered photos and waypoint locations which I compiled and uploaded to Google Earth using the MapSource software included with the GPS device.  I conducted additional historic research via the internet on details of what made these buildings special in California's history.

Results
The following are sites I visited and found to be the most interesting.

Landmark	Description
OHP No. 525 Sutter's Fort State Historic Park 2701 L St., Sacramento CA	John Augustus Sutter arrived in California in July 1839. He founded the fort in 1839 to protect 'New Helvetia,' his 76-square-mile Mexican land grant which he wanted to turn in to an agricultural empire.  This was considered one of California's earliest non-Indian settlements.  John Sutter was also owner of Sutter's Mill in Coloma, CA with his partner James Marshall who in 1848 was the first person to discover gold in this area.   Their attempts to keep this a secret  failed and as such began the California Gold Rush. This discovery was the catalyst that brought hundreds of thousands of people to California in search of fortune and the expansion of the West.
OHP No. 812 Old Sacramento State Historic Park	This area was founded in December 1848 by John A. Sutter, Jr., Sacramento was an outgrowth of Sutter's Fort established by his father, Captain John A. Sutter.   During the gold rush it was a major distribution point, a commercial and agricultural center, and terminus for wagon train, stagecoach, riverboat, telegraph, pony express, and the first transcontinental railroad.  Old Sacramento expands from Front Street to 2nd Street and intersects I Street to Capitol Mall.  An interesting note is that this area along the river was prone to frequent flooding and breakouts of fires due to fast-paced but poorly planned construction.  The city's officials decided in 1862 began the project to raise the city's streets up to 15 feet.   I was able to see portions of this while standing in the courtyard at the intersection of I St and 2nd St.   Old Sacramento State Historic Park has undergone significant restoration since the mid-1960's.  It contains 53 historic buildings concentrated in 28 acres, 200 shops and businesses and received 5 million visitors annually. Old Sacramento.com Top Left: Pony Express Statue looking toward B.F. Hastings Building; Left: Original Street Level.  The stairs lead to what is currently street level; Above: an historic steam train that takes visitors for a short trip down the tracks along Pacific Rail line.
OHP No. 606 B. F. Hastings Building, 1002 2nd St, Old Sacramento	This structure was build on property that was part of Sutter's land grant.  The building was originally built to house a hardware store but there was a fire that destroyed much of the area in 1852. The building was eventually rebuilt and was auctioned to Benjamin F.Hastings in 1853.  This is now the Visitor's Center in Old Sacramento which contain displays of old relics from past including gold mining tools, personal items of pioneers, and a restored full-size Concord stage coach used by Wells Fargo & Co. Tenants include: California First Supreme Court: Once Sacramento was official decided as the State's capitol, the Court took up an office on the 2nd floor from 1854-1857, then returned again from 1859 to 1869.  The Court heard its first case in this building in February 1855. Western Terminus of the Overland Pony Express from 1860-1861: The Pony Express Statue (located on the NE Corner of 2nd St. and J St. represents the starting point of first overland journey eastward on April 4, 1860.  The journey was a 1966 mile mail run from Sacramento to St. Joseph, MO.  The first run took less than 10 days.  The cost of a package?  In that time, $5.00!  That price today is estimated to be $75!  Eighty riders completed relays back and forth between 1860-1861.  It ran for 18 months until the completion of the transcontinental telegraph put them out of business.   Alta California Telegraph Company and the CA State Telegraph Company which put the Pony Express out of business.  The famous Wells Fargo & Co. banking authority which eventually moved next door.  Another small museum in the Wells Fargo building. Theodore D. Judah – established his office on the 2nd floor. He was a young engineer from the east who was the designer of the Sacrament Valley Railroad (incorporated in 1852 and scheduled to connect Sacramento and Folsom).  He was a tenant from 1852 to February 1855.   One year later in Feb. 1856 – this railroad was completed.  He was also the chief engineer of the Central Pacific Railroad which was build across the Sierra Nevada.  Unfortunately he did not survive to see the completion of the transcontinental railroad and the linking of the Central Pacific to the Union Railroads.  He died of typhoid fever in Panama in November of 1863. After these notable tenants left, the site was leased out to various merchants, was run as a hotel, saloon, and barber shop.  In June 1967 it was purchased by the State of CA as part of the Old Sacramento restoration project.
OHP No. 823 Governor's Mansion State Historic Park,1526 H St., Sacramento, CA This is a mansard-styled Victorian house built in 1877 for Albert Gallatin who was a partner in Sacramento's hardware store - Huntington & Hopkins.  The State purchased the house from its second owner for a sum of $32,500 in 1903 and it served as the first official Governor's residence for Governor George C. Pardee and his family. It was home for 13 Governors including Ronald Regan over a span of 64 years.  The furnishings and the house itself are not replicas.  According to the State Park Service, the house looks almost as it did when the Regans moved out in 1967.   I did find that the house underwent a significant paint and body work job in 2007. This is such a beautiful and majestic building and I was quite impressed that this massive building was in the middle of a busting city. Guided tours can be taken through the home on the hour.
Governor's Mansion as it looks today.	This photo is from California State Parks website listed as circa 1880s
OHP No. 566 Sacramento City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway at 10th St. Sacramento, CA According to the Old City Cemetery Committee, this cemetery was established in 1850 and is a 44-acre Victorian-era site where over 25,000 are buried including some of the most famous and influential citizens of Sacramento.  Most notable are the founder of Sacramento John A. Sutter, Jr.,  E.B. Crocker, members of the Donner Party,  California Governors, and Civil War veterans.  Admission is free and you can take self-guided walking tours or guided tours throughout the year.  I found this to be a very beautiful and highly cared-for place.
Tower Bridge, Crossing the Sacramento River to Yolo County This is not a registered historical landmark - however it is an iconic symbol  of the Sacramento city sky line and this was one of the first sights I saw a few days after I set out West and arrived in California.  This is bridge began construction in 1933 after it was determined the city's M bridge was not adequate for increased traffic flow at the US40/99W crossing.  This vertical lift bridge which was the first of its kind to be part of the California Highway System was opened on December 15,1935 at a final cost of $994,000.  Then Governor Frank Merriam was the first to drive over the bridge.  It spans 737 feet, the center lift span is 209 feet and can be raised at a height of 100 fee above high water.  The tower height is 160 fee tall (Windmiller). The tower was not originally gold.  It started out silver but people began to complain about the glare it gave off, so in 1976 it was painted yellow-ochre to match the cupola-the ball at the top of the Capitol Building.  After a couple of decades the paint faded it was time for a new paint job.  In 2001, Sacramento residents voted to paint the bridge gold and so became the new color of the bridge.  I was able to get up close to it and noticed a shimmer to it (Wikipedia).
The State Capitol and surrounding areas at 10th and L Sts., Sacramento CA National Park Service Reference No. 73000427 California was accepted into the Union as the 31st state in 1850 while the Gold Rush was in full swing.  Sacramento was not the original government seat for once statehood was granted.  Due to political infighting, the Capitol was moved seven times before Sacramento was official named the state seat of government in February 1854.  The building itself is modeled after the U.S. Capitol however official decided it did not want to completely resemble the nation's capitol with a bronze statue at the top of the building.  Instead it was decided a golden cupola would rest at the very top representing a golden nugget and California's Gold Rush fortunes.   This building very much reminded me of the U.S. Capitol in that its architecture was very similar.  We walked around the grounds in front of the Capitol and saw many trees, flowers and just enjoyed this area.  Although we did not take the opportunity to visit, you can take guided tours at the California State Capitol Museum within this majestic building.  We also found a Peace Officers Memorial which is dedicated to California law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.

Garmin MapSource used in conjunction with Google Earth for waypoint downloads and capturing images in .jpeg format.