The area’s original inhabitants were the Nisenan, a branch of the Maidu Indians, who lived in the area for 10,000 years prior to the arrival of any other settlers. The region’s modern history began in 1839 when John Augustus Sutter settled near the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers, after receiving a 48,000-acre land grant from the Mexican government. Gold was discovered in 1848 just 30 miles east of the city, and the ensuing Gold Rush of 1849 brought thousands of fortune-seekers to Sacramento, which soon became a boomtown. California was admitted to the Union in 1850, and Sacramento became its capitol four years later.

The first railroad west of the Mississippi transported gold seekers from Sacramento to Folsom where they could catch a stagecoach to the gold fields of the American River watershed.

Throughout the years Sacramento itself has transitioned from Gold Rush town to agricultural center to the bustling metropolitan hot spot it is today. Along the way Sacramento has seen its share of heroes, villains, celebrities and hard-working everyday folk which all add up to a fantastically colorful past. You can take an up-close glimpse at Sacramento’s history in Old Sacramento, a 28-acre site along the Sacramento River, featuring over 100 buildings which have been restored to their 1850s-1870s appearance, and which now house shops, restaurants, theatres and some of the area’s most-popular museums including the Discovery Museum Gold Rush History Center, the California State Military Museum and the California State Railroad Museum, the largest of its kind in North America. Folsom has its own share of museums including the Folsom History Museum and the Folsom Prison Museum which has a vibrant historic district offering quaint shops, restaurants and entertainment.