Old Town Sacramento Historic District and Waterfront, Sacramento, California

Hello and welcome to this walking tour of the Old Town Sacramento Historic District and Waterfront Walking Tour. You should be standing in a small tree shaded patio on the west side of the 1 Capitol Mall Building in front of the entrance to the Tower Bridge Parking Lot and across the street from Tower Bridge. 

This 1 1/4 mile walking tour of Old Sacramento's Historic District will take about 90 minutes. The historic district takes visitors back to the time of the gold rush, riverboat steamers, and the building of the transcontinental railroad. As I lead you along the boardwalk throughout the historic district, I will fill you in on the history of California and Sacramento as well as some unique stories about Old Town itself. 

Now before we get walking let me give you a very brief introduction to the history of California and Sacramento.

For thousands of years, prior to European discovery, this area was the home of the Nisenan Native Americans. They lived peacefully here, hunting and gathering for all their needs. In 1542, Spanish explorer Juan Rodgriquez Cabrillo discovered and mapped what would become Alta California. But it wasn't until 1776 that Alta California came under Spanish rule. In 1808 Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga came upon the Sacramento River and Valley. This area would get its name from a description written by a traveler on that expedition. He wrote, "Es como el sagrado sacramento," its English translation, it's like the Blessed Sacrament, which is what Catholic's call the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).