Sac History Happenings: Civil War Sesquicentennial begins

Sac History Happenings

News and developments in Sacramento and California history

April 12, 2011

Civil War Sesquicentennial begins

Today is the 150th anniversary of the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, the opening salvo of the U.S. Civil War. Although California saw little military action during the conflict, the state played a significant part in the war by supplying volunteers and gold in the service of the Union. It also provided future historians with a goodly share of political and military intrigue.

There may be few battlefields in California, but as described in the San Francisco Chronicle, there are at least five sites in the state of interest to Civil War buffs.

Locally, interested people can connect with the Sacramento Civil War Round Table, a forum established in 1961 to share and discuss knowledge about this important period in U.S. history. The group meets monthly, the second Wednesday of each month (public welcome). Tomorrow's meeting features a lecture by Sacramento City College instructor Sherri Patton, speaking on "Women in the South."

Next month, May 20-22, the Civil War Experience returns to Gibson Ranch Park, recently reopened after a five month closure due to budget cuts. Events include a day-long program for school children, battle reenactments, living history demonstrations, period music and dancing, lectures and speeches.

Down the road, Nov. 11-13, the Sacramento and Elk Grove Civil War Round Tables will host the West Coast Civil War Conference at the Sacramento Doubletree Hotel. Speakers will address "1861: The First Year."

PHOTO CREDIT: Confederate troops fire on Union soldiers during a Civil War reenactment at Gibson Ranch in 2004. Sacramento Bee photo by Brian Baer

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California and Sacramento have a long, rich, vibrant history. And our region is blessed with an abundance of historical resources maintained by museums, libraries, archives and societies. This blog aims to alert readers to the latest developments in local/state historical education and research.

Send tips concerning upcoming exhibits, tours, lectures and meetings, as well as new books, magazine articles and online collections to the blog's contributors.

The Contributors:

Michael Dolgushkin

Michael Dolgushkin is Manuscript Librarian at the California State Library History Section. He is co-author of San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars and is a frequent contributor to the California State Library Foundation Bulletin. Contact him at mdolgushkin@library.ca.gov.

Amanda Graham is a Certified Archivist working in the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Public Library. She earned a BS in History from Southern Oregon University and a MS in Information Studies with an emphasis in archives from The University of Texas at Austin. Contact her at agraham@saclibrary.org.

Pete Basofin is Director of Editorial Research at The Sacramento Bee. He previously worked at The St. Petersburg Times and Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. Contact him at pbasofin@sacbee.com.

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