Travel/POI: California State Capitol Park and Old Sacramento (加州首府公園, 薩克拉門托老城), California USA
In July 2025, we visited the Oregon Coast for a few days. On our way back to Los Angeles, California, we stopped in Old Town Sacramento for lunch. We had also been here in May 2022, visiting the California State Capitol, a mere six minutes' drive away. This post is a record of those two visits.
When we visited the California Capitol in May 2022, the annex was being prepared to be replaced and renovated, and the California State Capitol Museum was surrounded by wire netting and could not be visited. Till 2025, the project has not completed yet. The California State Capitol Museum has been the home of the California Legislature since 1869. It is a working museum where visitors are exposed to the history and government of California. Free hour-long walking tours focus on the legislative process past and present as well as changing exhibits and several films. In addition to the museum, the building houses the chambers of the California State Legislature, made up of the Assembly and the Senate, along with the office of the governor of California. The Neoclassical structure, designed by Reuben S. Clark, was completed between 1861 and 1874. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The centerpiece is a bronze relief sculpture depicting three law enforcement officers: an 1880s county sheriff, a 1930s state traffic officer, and a 1980s city patrolman. Together, these figures represent the evolution of law enforcement in California. A female officer sculpture was added in 2022 to honor women peace officers who have died in the line of duty.
The 40-acre Capitol Park encompasses 10 city blocks surrounding the California State Capitol. It is listed in the National, California and Sacramento historic registers. Capitol Park is considered one of the most beautiful State Capitol grounds in the nation. It contains species of plant life from nearly every part of the globe. The park is also home to numerous monuments and memorials. They range from war memorials and monuments dedicated to the memories of firefighters and peace officers lost in the line of duty and important individuals from California’s past to a World Peace Rose Garden, to mention but a few.
This bell is one of fifty-three cast in France in 1950, and given to the United States Government. This was part of a savings bond drive held from May 15 to July 4, 1950 with the slogan "Save for Your Independence."
This was the first monument in Capitol Park. Trees from Civil War battlefields were donated as a memorial to the Union Veterans of the Civil War.
這是國會公園的第一座紀念碑。被捐贈的內戰戰場上的樹木，以紀念內戰中的聯邦老兵。
Plants 植物
Tower Bridge 塔橋
The Tower Bridge is a vertical lift bridge across the Sacramento River. It was built primarily to alleviate traffic congestion and beautify the entrance to the city in 1934-36. It replaced the obsolete M Street Bridge which had been built in 1911-12. I was curious about the bridge's color. I found out initially the bridge was painted silver, but it was repainted in 1976 to a golden ochre color to match the Capitol's copper dome. In 2002, a public vote resulted in the bridge being repainted in its current metallic gold color. In 1982, the Tower Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Old Sacramento is a California Historical Landmark. You will find a cluster of noteworthy, early Gold Rush commercial structures here. The National Park Service named the entire original historic 1850s business district of Old Sacramento a National Historic Landmark in 1965. Seeing many old buildings aroused my interest in the development history of Old Sacramento. The following is a brief introduction.
In 1839, Swiss immigrant John Sutter arrived at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers, establishing what would become Sutter’s Fort, laying the foundation for Sacramento’s early development. Attracted by the promise of opportunity, other settlers and businessmen joined, forming a modest commercial hub. The true catalyst for the city’s explosive growth came in 1848 with the discovery of gold by James Marshall. The waterfront location, then known as Sutter’s Embarcadero, quickly became a bustling outfitting and trade center for gold-seeking miners and was soon renamed Sacramento.
However, early Sacramento faced significant challenges. The city’s low-lying riverside position made it vulnerable to catastrophic floods and destructive fires, with major inundations in 1850, 1852, and again in 1862, prompting bold infrastructural innovation. A massive effort to raise the street level began, with tons of earth hauled in to lift the city above the floodplain. The remnants of the original street level still lie beneath Old Sacramento, visible beneath boardwalks and in shadowy basements.
As the commercial center shifted east, the original riverfront fell into disrepair, becoming a notorious skid row by the early 20th century. Despite public outcry, the area languished until a revitalization effort in the 1960s transformed it into the first historic district in the West. Today, Old Sacramento spans 28 acres and features 53 historic buildings, making it one of the most concentrated collections of historical architecture in the region.
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. Now, Old Sacramento Waterfront is a bustling neighborhood along the beautiful Sacramento River filled with shopping, dining, entertainment, and exploring options for everyone.
Loacated at 900 2nd St. Professor Louis Lauriet’s Assay Office opened in 1850 and was located here in a two story brick building. Originally from the West Indies, Lauriet was an assayer. He analyzed and weighed the gold to determined if it was authentic. If it was, Lauriet would cast the gold dust into ingots or slugs and stamp them with a U.S. mint value. Now a miners gold was legal to spend. The building that housed Lauriet's assay office has been gone for years. At one time it occupied this sunken courtyard in front of you.
Located at 1000 2nd Street. This building, built in 1852, was also known as the Pony Express Terminal which was the western endpoint of the Pony Express from 1860 to 1861. The building was also the first location of the California Supreme Court. It was declared a National Historic Landmark 606 in 1966. Now, it is home to one of two museums about the history of Wells Fargo in Sacramento. This location features a re-created 19th-century Wells Fargo Express Company office, artifacts of company history and the California Gold Rush era, and exhibits about the company's role in California Gold Rush commerce.
Located at 112 J Street. Sam Brannan House (also known as the Vernon-Brannan House, Jones Hotel, and Vernon House) was designated a California Historical Landmark 604 in 1957. Before the Sam Brannan House was built, the lot was occupied by an 1849 wooden structure that served as Sacramento's first U.S. post office. That building was destroyed in a fire in 1852. A three-story brick structure, originally known as the Jones Hotel, was constructed on the lot in 1853. Since then, the property has undergone several ownership and functional changes.
This grassy area was James Warren's seed store in the 1850s. James brought camellia seeds with him from the east coast and introduced this flower to Sacramento in 1852. The camellia is now the official flower of the City and County of Sacramento.
Located at 113 I St. The combined Huntington, Hopkins & Company Hardware Store and Stanford Brothers Warehouse, which together comprise the “Big Four Building”. By the 1860s, this hardware store was a sprawling, wholesale brokerage supplying Northern California with all kinds of goods from the East. It was developed as an exhibit in 1981. When you entered the room, you would encounter a devoted group of docents gladly explaining the store’s history, and the use of historic tools.
The Gold Rush brought a massive migration of fortune seekers to the area—while most were law-abiding, some were not. Before the construction of Sacramento’s municipal building in 1854, which included the city jail, there was nowhere to house those who broke the law. In 1850, the city purchased the ship LaGrange and converted its hold into jail cells. The LaGrange served as a floating jail until it sank in 1859. In 1986, archaeologists located wreckage—believed to be the LaGrange—trapped in rock just south of the I Street Bridge.
淘金熱吸引了大批淘金者湧入——其中大多數的人遵紀守法，但也有一些人不守法。在 1854 年薩克拉門托市政大樓（包括市立監獄）建成之前，這裡沒有安置違法者的地方。1850 年，市政府購買了「拉格蘭奇號」船，將其船艙改建為監獄，「拉格蘭奇號」一直作為水上監獄，直到 1859 年沈沒為止。1986年，考古學家在 I 街大橋南側的岩石中發現了疑似「拉格蘭奇號」的殘骸。
California State Railroad Museum 加州州立鐵道博物館
Located at 125 I Street. The museum showcases the history and impact of railroads in the American West. It features 21 restored locomotives and railroad cars, including some from the 1860s, and exhibits that explore how railroads transformed travel, commerce, and daily life. It offers educational programs, digital exhibits, and guided tours with costumed docents. Visitors can explore large-scale displays like the Sierra Nevada railroad construction scene, enjoy interactive exhibits, and see rotating train displays in the museum’s roundhouse. There's also a large model train layout, a reconstructed 1870s train station, and a seasonal excursion train ride on a 40-minute, 6-mile roundtrip route along the Sacramento River. We did not visit the Railway Museum. In 2025, we saw a team of people working to prepare the display of the restored No. 9 steam locomotive. No. 9 is the only surviving locomotive from the Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway, a tourist railroad that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It allowed visitors to leave the city and enjoy the scenic beauty of Mount Tamalpais and, later, Muir Woods.
Located at 917 Front Street. “C.M.&T. Co.” was originally occupied by several different general merchandise firms all associated with Thomas McDowell. The Connecticut Mining and Trading Company, an auction and commission business, was its first occupant. Today, the building houses the California State Parks Capital District Public Safety Office. The Eagle Theatre is a reconstruction of the first building erected in California as a theater. The original playhouse, built of wood frame and canvas with a tin roof, provided Gold Rush Sacramentans with entertainment for a mere three months before being inundated in the flood of January 4, 1850. Today, the Theatre offers docent-led programs on the history of Old Sacramento to grades 4 - 6 school groups on a reservation basis.
Located at 935 Front Street. The Tehama Block was a wood-sided, 34x63 foot two-story building designed in the Greek Revival style shown in the Steamer Edition of The Sacramento Union for March 29, 1851. Located on the northeast corner of Front and J Streets, at the time, any address along Front Street between I and M Streets was considered prime real estate, due to its close proximity to commercial activity along the riverfront docks. During its short lifetime (1850 -1851), numerous business ventures were squeezed into the building.
蒂黑馬大樓是一棟 34x63 英尺有木質外牆的兩層樓建築，採用希臘復興風格設計，曾刊登於 1851 年 3 月 29 日的《薩克拉門托聯合報》蒸氣船版上。這建築位於前街和 J 街的東北角，當時 I 街和 M 街之間的前街沿線任何地址都被視為黃金地段，因為靠近河濱碼頭的商業活動。在其短暫的存在時期（1850-1851 年），無數商業企業擠進了這棟建築。
Located at 1020 Front St. This is a Creative Innovation Center for Sustainability. A collaborative community of creatives and social entrepreneurs innovating for a kinder future.
Located at 1015 Front St. This building was the home of the Booth Company, a wholesale grocery business and its founder Newton Booth, lawyer, writer, lecturer, and politician. Booth served as State Senator 1862-1863, and lived here while Governor of California 1871-1875 and United States Senator 1875-1881. His Inaugural Ball as governor was held in a ballroom on the second floor. The platform on the roof of the building was used to signal ships approaching Sacramento in order to purchase the cargo before the ships arrived at the dock, thus getting a jump on his competitors. This buildin is California Historical Landmark No. 607 and is located at 1019–1021 Front Street.
Located at 1000 Front St. Delta King is a 285-foot-long sternwheel steamboat and the sister ship of the Delta Queen, originally built for the California Transportation Company's service between Sacramento and San Francisco. They entered service in 1927 and continued operations until 1940, when travel patterns changed following the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge (1937) and the Bay Bridge (1938). In 1940, with the outbreak of World War II, the Delta King and Delta Queen were drafted into the U.S. Navy to serve on San Francisco Bay as troop transports, naval barracks, and eventually hospital ships. After the war, Delta King served as an accommodation ship in Kitimat, British Columbia, during the 1950s. Delta King later returned to California for static use in Old Sacramento. After extensive renovation, Delta King remains today as a hotel, restaurant, and event venue.
There is a gray marble Antelope historical marker in front of the railroad tracks. This marker explains the role the riverboat steamer played during the 19 months of the Pony Express. With Sacramento the western terminus of the Pony Express, mail still had to get to San Francisco. For the 19 months the Pony Express was in service, river steamers arrived and departed here at the foot of K Street daily and transported mail to and from San Francisco.
鐵路軌道前有一塊灰色的大理石羚羊歷史標誌。這塊標記解釋了在「驛馬快信」運作的 19 個月裡，河輪船所扮演的角色。由於薩克拉門托是「驛馬快信」的西端終點站，郵件仍需送至舊金山。在「驛馬快信」營運的 19 個月裡，河輪船每天都在 K 街的盡頭停靠和出發，運送往返舊金山的郵件。
Located at 102 K St. What Cheer House is a historical building and a California Historical Landmark No. 597. The What Cheer House was first used as a hotel, the Sackett Hotel, in 1853. It is thought that the building was named after a friendly salutation common during the gold rush, where people often greeted each other with "what cheer, partner?!". In addition to being a hotel, the What Cheer House also held several State Government offices beginning as early as 1855 and was later used as a warehouse, serving the maritime shipping industries in central California. The What Cheer House was purchased by the owners of Stage Nine Entertainment, Inc in the 1990's.
La Terraza Mexican Restaurant Located at 1027 2nd St
? Located at 200 K Street
Union Hotel and Orleans Hotel 聯合酒店
Located at 1024-1028 Second Street. The original Union Hotel was built on this site in 1855 and replaced the Verandah Hotel that had occupied the site from 1852 until 1855. The Union Hotel and the Orleans Hotel were the social, political and business centers of Sacramento until 1870. They were the headquarters of the stagecoach lines and but a block from the waterfront and the river steamboat lines. They formed the hub for business and travel and provided meeting places for civic and political gatherings. The original Orleans Hotel, located at 1018 2nd St, was built by materials from New Orleans. The building burned down in 1852 along with many other Sacramento buildings in a large fire. It was rebuilt by the next year, this time in brick, only to meet the same fate in another fire in 1923. Several attempts were made to build on the site of the former Orleans Hotel since 1975, but none succeeded until a business owner financed a new mixed-use building in 2007, with construction finished in 2008. Today the Orleans Hotel replica is a four-story building with an exterior that matches the Gold Rush-era original. There are 24 rental lofts on the upper floors and was built with plans for a restaurant and other retail opportunities on the bottom floor.
Located at the Northeast corner of Second and J St. The Pony Express statue is made by sculptor Thomas Holland. The monument captures the fleeting moment when the Pony Express served as America’s most daring mail service.
Located at 914 Second Street. This wholesale grocery business operated from 1885 to 1906. It is the largest brick building in Old Sacramento. It represents the post-Gold Rush era in Sacramento. By the late 1880s, California’s economy revolved around agriculture. Sacramento County led the state in the production of apples, peaches, plums, and lemons. Wholesale grocers, Hall and Luhrs shipped fresh products packed in ice from the Sierra Nevada. They helped originate this method of shipping to ensure freshness. In the 1960s, the Enterprise Hotel operated at the Hall, Luhrs, & Company site.
