Sac History Happenings

Congratulations to the California State Library!  Its Pinterest collection was ranked number one among state libraries by the website Library Science List.

What's Pinterest? It's a social media service where an individual or organization can share collections of images -- called "boards" -- with followers. Each board illustrates a specific topic. The images -- "pins" -- are linked back to their original source.

The State Library has assembled 39 boards showcasing a wide variety of photographs, postcards, manuscripts, advertisements, maps, illustrations and artwork. Subject matter of the boards revolves around books, libraries and history.

Local and state history buffs will especially enjoy the Gold Rush board containing early photos, paintings, posters, book illustrations and even a gold coin. Included are pictures of Sutter's Mill, Sutter's Fort and several images of miners.

Other historical boards include Illuminated Manuscripts, California promotions, Postcards of California, California History and California Politicians.

PHOTO CREDIT: Coloma and Sutter's Mill in 1851. Oil painting by Louise Catherine Vallet Anderson. (1893)

The Governor's Mansion will celebrate its upgraded gardens with a special evening event to raise funds for operation and further restoration of the grounds.

"A Garden Affair" will feature a self-guided tour of the gardens and historic buildings. Knowledgeable docents in period attire will share anecdotes about the families who made the Mansion their home. Light refreshments and a raffle for floral arrangements will also be offered.

Advance tickets can be purchased at online or you can make reservations to buy tickets at the door by calling 916-445-3727.

What: The Magic of Spring, A Garden Affair
Where: Governor's Mansion State Historic Park; 1526 H St., Sacramento
When: May 18, 4 to 6 p.m.
Cost: $30 per person
For more info: 916-445-3727

PHOTO CREDIT: Geraniums add color to the front of the historic Governor's Mansion. 2012 Sacramento Bee photograph by Randall Benton 

As part of Roseville's 3rd Saturday Art Walk, the Maidu Museum will offer free admission to a special evening program.

The featured speaker is Nisenan Maidu educator April Moore discussing misconceptions about California native traditions. There will also be a reception to kick off two new art exhibits: "Traditions Learned Through Time" by Billy Hawk Enos and "Artwork by Winema Marie Suehead."

Light refreshments will be available.

What: Night Out at the Museum
Where: Maidu Museum & Historic Site, 311 Vernon St., Roseville
When: may 18, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Program starts at 7 p.m.
Cost: free
For more info: 916-774-5200

PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy Maidu Museum and Hisoric Site

The Sutter's Fort "Hands on History" series will present a new program honoring the diverse cultures represented at the fort before and after statehood.

Visitors can sample special presentations on the people of African descent in California, 19th century Hawaiians, Sacramento Valley natives, as well as demonstrations of traditional Mexican dance and French and British fur trapping. For the kids there will be history-themed scavenger hunts and corn-husk doll making, plus the ever-popular cannon firing.

What: Hands on History -- Sutter's Fort in 1846, A Community of Many Faces
Where: Sutter's Fort State Historic Park, 2701 L St., Sacramento
When: May 18. Fort hours: 10 to 5 p.m. (open daily). Cannon firing demonstrations: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. Musket demonstrations periodically throughout the day.
Cost: $7 per adult (18 and older), $5 per youth (ages 6-17), free for children 5 and under.
For more info: Call 916-445-4422 or visit website

News release

PHOTO CREDIT: Jesus Solis, 32, in hat, of Stockton, dressed as a charro (a Mexican cowboy) and Lizeth Valenzuela, 17, of Stockton salute the Mexican flag during the Mexican Flag Day celebration at Sutter's Fort. 1998 Sacramento Bee photograph by Randy Pench

Point Reyes Cypress Press has recently released a softcover edition of a collection of letters revealing the exploits of a successful businessman who left his family in St. Louis to pursue a new life on the West Coast.

Johnson, who was 54 when he emigrated, had many adventures and held many types of jobs as he roamed as far north as Vancouver and as far south as San Diego. Among his occupations was lumberman in Washington, paymaster for the Panama Pacific Exposition, accountant for the biggest hotel in the new Yosemite National Park and employee at the hydroelectric dam on the Merced River. Through his letters Johnson provides a portrait of life and work in the rough-and-ready days of early 20th century California.

Editor Anne R. Dick, is a writer, poet and jewelry maker. She's also author of The Search for Philip K. Dick, her memoir of life with the famed science fiction novelist.

The Letters of my Grandfather, Moses Perry Johnson, 1911-1928
Introduction and endnotes by Anne R. Dick
Point Reys Cypress Press
Softcover, 248 pages, illustrated
$28

News release

The Rio Linda Historical Society will again host Annual Farm & Tractor Days this weekend.

For history buffs there will be dozens of antique steam engines, tractors, and fire trucks on display. And visitors can also tour the Ranch House Museum and historic homes in the vicinity. The morning Tractor Parade leaves Saturday at 7:30 a.m. from Dry Creek Ranch. Western style BBQ served 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.

What: 19th Annual Farm & Tractor Days
Where: Historic Dry Creek Ranch House, 6852 Dry Creek Rd., Rio Linda
When: May 10 & 11, 9 to 3 p.m. Friday is School & Youth Day; Saturday is Family & Community Day.
Cost: $2 donation at the gate; free parking.
For more info: (916) 838-3506

Event flyer

PHOTO CREDIT: Roger Lubiens of Folsom participates in Farm & Tractor Days on his 1948 McCormick Farmall Cub tractor. 2006 Sacramento Bee photograph by Michael A. Jones

As part of its Second Saturday Educational Series, Heidrick Ag Center will present Hubert Bryant speaking on the collecting of vintage model trucks and toy tractors.

Bryant will discuss the evolution of the toy vehicle craft, from wood, metal to plastic. Visitors will get to examine items from his personal collection, as well as those from the museum's holdings.

Each month the Center focuses on a different aspect of California agricultural and transportation history. Its permanent collection consists of two main galleries: the Fred C. Heidrick Antique Ag Collection and the Hays Antique Truck Museum.

What: Second Saturday Educational Series: Collectable Trucks and Toy Tractors
Where: Heidrick Ag History Center, 1962 Hays Lane, Woodland
When: May 11, 12 to 2 p.m.
Cost: $10 non-members; $7 members; $5 kids 5-18; kids under 5 free.
For more info: (530) 666-9700 or email

News release

PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy Heidrick Ag History Center

This Saturday the 6th Annual National Train Day will be celebrated at over 200 cities around the country.

Locally, the State Railroad Museum will offer free admission, tours of contemporary Amtrak cars and other special activities including Interpretative Handcar rides and children's "Chuggington Station." As a special bonus nearby Sacramento History Museum will also offer free admission for this day only.

Over in Jamestown (Tuolumne County) Railtown 1897 will observe Train Day with excursion rides featuring the "movie star" steam locomotive Sierra No. 3 and Caboose No. 7. In addition visitors can enjoy tours of the historic Roundhouse and Shops and special displays of rarely-seen historic locomotives, equipment and vehicles, including the No. 28 & 2 locomotives and vintage track maintenance vehicles.

What: National Train Day
Where: California State Railroad Museum, 2nd and I Sts., Old Sacramento
When: May 11, 10 to 5 p.m.
Cost: free
For more info: 916-445-6645 or website

What: National Train Day
Where: Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, Jamestown
When: May 11, 11 to 3 p.m.
Cost: Park admission, $5 adults, $3 for youths ages 6-17, free for children 5  and under. Train rides: $15 adults, $8 youths ages 6-17, free for children 5 and under.
For more info: 209-984-3953 or website

News Release

PHOTO CREDIT: Southern Pacific No. 1 CP Huntington. Courtesy California State Railroad Museum

This spring, Sacramento Public Library began sitting down with local Vietnam veterans for Valley to Vietnam, a new storytelling project that is capturing, preserving, and sharing the stories of those who grew up in the Sacramento area and served in Vietnam. The project has produced ten interviews thus far, and continues to seek participants interested in discussing their experiences at home and overseas.

Valley to Vietnam digital stories are available through the library's YouTube channel and on DVD. Access Sacramento has provided recording equipment through a partnership with Sacramento Public Library, and episodes of Valley to Vietnam air on the first Monday of each month, at 8:30 pm, on Access Sacramento's Channel 17.

To learn more about Valley to Vietnam or to suggest an interview, contact project coordinator James C. Scott, jscott@saclibrary.org, (916) 264-2795.

With the usual crowds it's normally difficult to photograph the amazing exhibits at the California State Railroad Museum. But amateur shooters will have a chance to snap the trains before the facility opens next Saturday.

It's all part of a weekend photography event, which includes an optional lighting class on Friday conducted by former Sacramento Bee photographer Dave Henry.

Space is limited to 50 participants and advance registration is required.

What: Trains & Tripods Photo Opportunity & Lighting Seminar
Where: California State Railroad Museum, 125 I St. in Old Sacramento
When: May 10 & 11. Friday - 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Photography Seminar); Saturday - 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (Shooting Workshop)
Cost: $35.00 per person Friday night seminar, $35.00 per person shooting workshop or $60.00 per person for both
For more info: 916-445-7373 or website

News release

PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy California State Railroad Museum

The Capital Decades series returns to Central Library this May with special programs and displays showcasing 1940s Sacramento:

City Life (Tuesday, May 14, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.)
Amanda Graham, Tom Tolley and James Scott will discuss what everyday life was like for Sacramentans during the 1940s.They will cover a wide range of topics, including social life and entertainment, the Sacramento homefront and contribution to the war effort, businesses, schools, transportation and post-war changes.

Fashions & Styles (Tuesday, May 21, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.)
The Sacramento Art Deco Society will direct a fashion show featuring vintage clothes and accessories of the 1940s.

Motion Pictures (Tuesday, May 28, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.)
Local film historian Matias Bombal will share film clips and discuss the movie-going experience of the 1940s .

All programs will be held in the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria at 828 I Street.

Visitors to Central Library are also invited to view displays of 1940s material from the Sacramento Public Library and Sacramento Art Deco Society throughout the month of May. Subjects will include fashion, defense work, rationing, and Japanese internment.

For more info: http://www.saclibrary.org; (916) 264-2920

This summer the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation is offering more "adults-only" evening tours of the "underground" city. Led by knowledgeable docents in period attire, these special 90-minute excursions explore "some of the dark secrets and racy tales lurking in Sacramento's past."

Underground tours of Old Sacramento honor the amazing 19th century street-raising effort that protected the town from floods and thus created the excavated foundations and enclosed pathways we have today. Guests should be ready to walk in spaces with uneven surfaces and low ceilings.

What: Underground Adult Evening Tours
Where: Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street in Old Sacramento
When: Thursdays, 6 to 7:30 p.m.(advance online tickets available now).
Cost: $20 (only guests 21 and older will be admitted)
For more info: 916-808-7059 or website

PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Ismail as William "Mac" Gwin gives a tour of the B.F. Hastings building basement, a historically significant building in Old Sacramento. 2010 Sacramento Bee photograph by Michael Allen Jones

National History Day is a year-long competition in the area of historical research, writing and analysis (sort of history's equivalent of a science fair for primary and secondary school students around the country). Contestants who qualified at the regional level went on to compete at this past weekend's state gathering in Sacramento where winners were chosen for the national competition coming up in Maryland June 9-13.

This year's NHD theme is Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events. Students chose a related event from local, state, national or world history and presented their research in one of six formats: 2-D display, documentary video, exhibit, paper, performance or website.

Special kudos go to students in the Sacramento region who earned awards at the state meet:

Savannah Hill, a student at Spring View Middle School in Rocklin, runner up in the Junior Individual Documentary category for her entry Cesar Chavez and the UFW: The Harvest for Change.

Aishwarya Nadgauda, a student at Sacramento Country Day School, runner up in the Senior Individual Documentary category for her entry Setting off a Reaction that Changed the World Forever.

Evan Shen, a student at Winston Churchill Middle School, California History Junior Historical Paper Award for his entry, The Economic Impacts of the Transcontinental Railroad on the US.

Sara Warady, a student at St. Francis  High School, California History Senior Historical Paper Award for her entry, Art Saves: How Dorothea Lange Used Photography to Ameliorate the Lives of Okie Migrants During the Great Depression.

Jacqueline Holben, a student at St. Francis High School, Nikirk Memorial Art Award for her entry, The Funk Art Movement.

Congratulations to all the students who participated in California History Day!

PHOTO CREDIT: Bishop Union High School student Lara Stickells explains her two dimensional display to judges E. J. Renner, Anne Everton, and Dave Kahl during the National History Day state finals at the Red Lion Hotel in Sacramento. 2013 Sacramento Bee photograph by Randall Benton

Today the California Museum unveils its new year-long exhibition devoted to the 21 missions established in the Golden State from 1769 to 1823.

The Mission system established by the Franciscans was Europe's first attempt to settle the American West Coast. These outposts introduced livestock, farming and ranching to the state and played a pivotal role in California's development.

What: California Missions: A Journey Along the El Camino Real
Where: California Museum, 1020 O St., Sacramento
When: April 30 thru April 27, 2014. Monday, closed; Tuesday thru Saturday, 10 to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m.
Cost: General admission (18+), $8.50; college students & seniors (65+), $7; youth (6-17), $6; children (5 & under), free.
For more info: 916-653-7524 or website

PHOTO CREDIT: Mission at San Juan Capistrano. The mission is said to be the oldest church in the West and the only remaining building in the United States where Father Junipero Serra recited Mass. 2004 AP Photo/Los Angeles Times photograph by Karen Tapia-Andersen

The Historic City Cemetery's 2013 tour season continues with a session devoted to three sports: boxing, bicycling and baseball. Visitors will enjoy a Springtime amble through lush gardens while knowledgeable docents tell stories about pugilists, ball players and cyclists who competed and excelled during Sacramento's early years.

What: General History Tour
Where: Historic City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway, Sacramento
When: May 4, 10 a.m.
Cost: free, but donations appreciated that will go to cemetery preservation and restoration.
For more info: 916-264-7839 or 916-448-0811 or view website

News release

PHOTO CREDIT: Flower bed at the Historic City Cemetery in Sacramento. Courtesy Old City Cemetery Committee

Last month this blog profiled two social media sites specializing in vintage images of Sacramento scenes and ephemera. A third resource recently came on the scene.

Sacramento Then and Now is a new photo-rich blog maintained by real estate agent Scott Williams. It features historic and contemporary images of streets and houses in the city that are often accompanied by property diagrams taken from old Sanford Fire Insurance Maps.

It's interesting to see what building now occupies the site of an old home or business. Take for instance the John H. Bruning residence located at 1601 K St. in the early 1900s. That classy bungalow is now a Hertz Rent a Car. Williams documents the changes in that lot with Sanford maps from 1895, 1915 and 1940.

Incidentally, there's a huge then-and-now site loaded with photos contributed by readers across the globe. History Pin sports an interactive map where you can quickly locate pictures in your favorite neighborhoods. Many of the historic images can be overlaid with contemporary views.

PHOTO CREDIT: John H. Bruning home in 1901.

Among the many published items produced by the Federal Writers' Project during the Great Depression were a series of guidebooks for all 48 states. The American Guide Series featured in-depth essays on the history and culture of the state and descriptions of each city. Each guide also included tourist information and many photographs.

The UC Press has just released a new reprint of California's WPA guidebook. The volume describes "the history, culture, and roadside attractions of the 1930s." Although the material was written anonymously, some prominent authors are known to have contributed to the Guide. They include: Kenneth Rexroth, Harry Partch, Tillie Olsen and Kenneth Patchen.

California in the 1930s: The WPA Guide to the Golden State
Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration
reprinted by the UC Press
paperback, 756 pages
$24.95
read an excerpt

Public art reflects the character of a city. And a new history uncovers the vibrant, bold culture of San Francisco by examining 80 years of the city's public art. Beginning with the construction of Coit Tower in 1934, writer Susan Wels surveys the great sculptures, diverse music events and innovative community arts programs. Her book is richly illustrated with images by over a dozen photographers.

Wels is also author of Titanic: Legacy of the World's Greatest Ocean Liner, California Academy of Sciences: Architecture in Harmony with Nature and Amelia Earhart: The Thrill of It.

San Francisco: Arts for the City, Civic Art and Urban Change, 1932-2012
By Susan Wels
Hardcover, 224 pages, 175 color photos
$45.00

The whole family will enjoy the Yomen (Spring) celebration at the Maidu Museum on Sunday.

Visitors will be treated with the traditional opening blessing, tribal dance, native art and craft demonstrations, storytelling, hand games and guided tours of the historic site. In addition there will be children's activities, vendors and Indian food for sale.

What: Yomen -- A Spring Celebration
Where: Maidu Museum & Historic Site, 1970 Johnson Ranch Drive, Roseville
When: April 28, 10 to 3 p.m.
Cost: free
For more info: (916) 774-5934 or website

PHOTO CREDIT: Grindstone Dance Group at the Yomen Celebration in 2003, Courtesy Maidu Interpretive Center Museum

This Saturday's Historic City Cemetery tour honors important the movers and shakers who helped develop Sacramento in its earliest days. As usual, knowledgeable docents will share fascinating historical insights about the city as they lead visitors past interesting grave markers and beautiful landscaping.

What: General History Tour
Where: Historic City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway, Sacramento
When: April 27, 10 a.m.
Cost: free, but donations appreciated that will go to cemetery preservation and restoration.
For more info: 916-264-7839 or 916-448-0811 or view website

News release

PHOTO CREDIT: Crocker family monument in Sacramento's Historic City Cemetery. Photograph by Anita Lincoln