Thor Severson

This considering that this is an illustrated history, I was a bit surprised by the amount of detail found in this volume. It covers a brief period of time--Sacramento's earliest years from Sutter in 1839 until it becomes the capital building was declared completed in 1874. Many interesting items are presented, of which I found two the most interesting to me. The first was the land disputes which occurred early on as squatters settled on various properties, claiming that land grants made by the Mexican government were null and void. Violence ensued. The other interesting fact was that over a period of years during the 1850s and 1860s the city of Sacramento was raised 12 feet--buildings, streets, everything. This was done with jack screws. The St. George Hotel was 160 feet long and 76 feet wide, weighed 1,900 tons and was raised eight feet by 250 jack screws. A fascinating episode in the history of the city.

This book was very handsomely printed and nicely illustrated with photos, drawings, and reproductions of handbills. A brief bibliography and a meager index are found at the back of the volume.… (plus d'informations)