Sacramento History Museum

The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, United States, interpreting the role of the "iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento State Historic Park at 111 I Street, Sacramento.The museum features 21 restored locomotives and railroad cars, some dating back to 1862. The "Sierra Scene" shows a large scale mockup of a construction scene high in the Sierra Nevada representing Donner Pass circa 1867, featuring the locomotive Gov. Stanford. Other exhibits show how the influence of railroads changed American society, influencing travel, commerce and daily life, as well as the lives of railroaders and the diversity of people who work on railroads. Changing exhibits featuring photography, ephemera, and artifacts from the museum's collection, add depth and incidental information to the overall story of railroad history. The museum has an extensive educational program for elementary students from across the region to help them learn about railroad history using re-enactments, costumed docents, and including train and handcar rides. The roundhouse area of the museum features a rotating display of locomotives and equipment belonging to the museum. When not on display, these items are stored and worked on at the nearby Sacramento Railyards in the remaining buildings that were part of the original Southern Pacific Shop complex. A large 3-rail O-gauge model train layout is also located in the museum. Adjacent to the main museum building is a reconstruction of the 1870s-era Central Pacific Railroad passenger station and freight depot on Front Street, which houses historic and contemporary railroad equipment. In early 2011, the interior remained closed to public use, but is occasionally open for special events. Between April and October, the Sacramento Southern Railroad, operated by the museum, takes passengers on a 40-minute, 6-mile (9.7 km) roundtrip route along the Sacramento River on a portion of the Walnut Grove branch of the former Southern Pacific Railroad. The Sacramento Southern Railroad owns the Walnut Grove Branch right-of-way that extends south from Sacramento along the eastern bank of the Sacramento River. A few miles of track were rebuilt along the levee near Freeport, California as part of a US Army Corps of Engineers project. The CSRRM hopes to one day have a longer excursion line, perhaps as far as Hood, California. At that location the railroad passengers could disembark the train and take a tourist steamboat back up the Sacramento River to Old Sacramento. In 1992, Railtown 1897 in Jamestown began operating under the museum.

The Eagle Theatre in Gold Rush-era Sacramento was the first permanent theatre to be built in the state of California. Established in 1849 this relatively small structure was originally wood-framed and canvas-covered with a tin roof and a packed earth floor. The theatre was flooded on Jan 4, 1850. Located at 925 Front Street, it was one of the earliest structures in the new city. It featured many different types of entertainment for a rough crowd of wild west pioneers and gold miners from the small but rapidly growing area. Tickets to the theater could be obtained at a nearby saloon for two dollars and three dollars, most likely the Round Tent Saloon then located just to the south of the theatre.Today the theatre is owned by California Department of Parks and Recreation and is administered by the California State Railroad Museum as part of the Old Sacramento State Historic Park.

. Sam Brannan House, also called the Vernon-Brannan House, Jones Hotel and Vernon House is a 1853 historical building in Sacramento, California. The building is a California Historical Landmark No. 604 listed on May 22, 1957. The three-story brick Sam Brannan House is at 112 J Street, Sacramento in Old Sacramento State Historic Park.

Booth Company Building is historical building in Sacramento, California. The Booth Company Building is a California Historical Landmark No. 607. The Booth Company Building Building is located at 1019–1021 Front Street in Old Sacramento State Historic Park. Booth Company was opened by lawyer Newton Booth as wholesale grocery store and general store. Booth has a platform built on the roof of the building. With the platform he had empployees signal ships coming into Port of Sacramento, so he could get a jump ahead of his competitors in buying goods for his store. A historical plaque was placed in front of the Booth Company by the Native Sons of the Golden West.Newton Booth (1825–1892) became a politician, he became 11th Governor of California from December 8, 1871, to February 27, 1875. Then an United States Senator from California from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1881. Booth's Inaugural Ball as governor of California was held in the ballroom on the second floor of the Booth Company Building. The Booth Company Building was used as the Booth's Governor's Mansion. The next Governor's Mansion is now the Governor's Mansion State Historic Park. After serving in United States Congress, he returned to his wholesale store in Sacramento. Part of the Building was rented to George W. Chesley also a wholesale grocer till 1891.

Mills Bank Building, also called the D. O. Mills Bank Building, is a historical bank in Sacramento, California built in 1852 in Old Sacramento. The Mills Bank Building is a California Historical Landmark No. 609, registered on May 22, 1957. The Mills Bank was built by Darius Ogden Mills was the oldest and largest banks of early California.

The Orleans Hotel is a building listed as a California Historical Landmark. Formerly a prominent hotel in Sacramento, California, it now serves as upscale apartments in Old Sacramento.

Adams and Company Building is historical brick building in Sacramento, California used for pioneer communications, finance and transportation servies. The Adams and Company Building is a California Historical Landmark No. 607. The Adams and Company Building is located at 1014 2nd Street in Old Sacramento State Historic Park. Adams and Company closed after its bank, Page, Bacon & Company failed in 1855.The Adams and Company Building has been used for: Adams and Company's express and banking house from 1853 to 1855. Alta Telegraph Company California State Telegraph Company Pacific Express Company, founded on March 1, 1855, by former Adams and Company employees, closed in 1857. California Stage Company Sacramento City Bank 1850 John M. Rhodes bank (Rhodes, Sturges & Co), with Shasta brach, failed Feb 12, 1857. Wells Fargo & Co. offices in the 1850s Central Overland Pony Express Office in 1861 State Telephone Company Western Union Old Sac Leather Works, current founded in 1983.

Pioneer Telegraph Station, is historical building in Sacramento, California. The building is a California Historical Landmark No. 366 listed on October 9, 1939. From 1863 to 1868 the building housed the State Telegraph Company. From 1868 to 1915 the building housed the Union Telegraph Company. The Pioneer Telegraph Station Building is part of the Old Sacramento State Historic Park. The Pioneer Telegraph Station Building is sometimes confused with the Pony Express Terminal building, also in Old Sacramento State Historic Park.

The I Street Bridge is a historic metal truss swing bridge which crosses the Sacramento River to link the capital city of Sacramento, California, with Yolo County to the west. Built in 1911, this historic bridge has a vertical clearance of 14 feet 8 inches (4.47 m) and was originally part of State Route 16. It also carries two walkways; one on either side of the roadway. The lower level of the bridge provides rail access to Sacramento from points south and west; the upper level provides highway access. It was built to replace an 1867 timber Howe truss swing span bridge, which also carried both railroad and road traffic.

Prairie City was a gold-mining community that once sat on the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills, near present-day Folsom in Sacramento County, California, near Prairie City Road, Sacramento. The mining village was first announced in June 1853 in the Sacramento Daily Union. A July article mentions that the city has about 1500 inhabitants. What was left of the town is believed to be covered in river rocks, from gold dredging of the American River in the early 1900s. When construction was being performed for the freeway on-ramp near an Intel building, a few bodies were unearthed during construction. Though the names of these people are unknown, it is assumed they were Prairie City residents. Their skeletal remains were re-buried in the Mormon Island relocation cemetery, south of Folsom Lake.

Lady Adams Building, is historical building in Sacramento, California. Lady Adams Building is a California Historical Landmark No. 603. Lady Adams Building was built in 1852 for $29,000 ($1 million today) and opened as a store and office building. Lady Adams Building is the oldest building in Old Sacramento. The store specialized in goods from the East Coast of the United States that sailed through the Strait of Magellan in the brigantine sailing ship, Lady Adams. The building architect was Julius Fiedler. The building is at 113 K Street, Sacramento.The Lady Adams Building was as wholesale and import house. Arriving on the Lady Adams in 1849, four immigrants from Germany set up the wholesale store. The wholesale store started by selling good off the ship Lady Adams at the Sacramento River docks as Lady Adams Mercantile Company starting in 1849 to support the California Gold Rush boom. Part of the ships went in to building the K Street Lady Adams Building. Lady Adams Mercantile Co. went bankruptcy in 1861. In 1861 it became the Fogus & Coghill grocery store. The city had a 13-year program in the 1860s and 1870s, to raise the buildings and streets in Sacramento to stop the flooding problem in the city, like the Great Flood of 1862. The Lady Adams Building was raised 15 feet in 1865. In 1868 it became the Mebius & Company Wholesale Grocers. For some year the building was vacant in part of the 1950. The roof collapsed in 1970 from age, but was repaired. For years it has been a Historical Sacramento Evangeline’ store.

The Pony Express Terminal, also known as the B. F. Hastings Bank Building, is a historic commercial building at 1000 2nd Street in Sacramento, California. Built in 1852, it was the western endpoint of the Pony Express from 1860 to 1861, the period of the service's operation. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It now houses a museum dedicated to the history of Wells Fargo, and is part of Old Sacramento State Historic Park, itself a National Historic Landmark District.