Sacramento, California, a city with a rich history intertwined with the challenges of its location along the Sacramento River, has long grappled with the threat of flooding. The city’s origins, dating back to with John Sutter’s establishment of the original settlement, were strategically chosen for its access to the river – a boon for trade but also a source of recurring disaster.
The city’s rapid growth, fueled in part by the Gold Rush, quickly established Sacramento as a vital hub. However, this prosperity was repeatedly interrupted by devastating floods in , , and most notably in . These events weren’t merely inconveniences; they repeatedly wiped out significant portions of the city, prompting a period of instability that even led to the temporary relocation of the state capital.
Before settling permanently in , Sacramento briefly shared the role of state capital with San Jose, Vallejo, and Benicia – the frequent moves often necessitated by the unpredictable nature of the river. A particularly severe flood in even forced the government to relocate to San Francisco for the remainder of the year, highlighting the severity of the problem.
The repeated destruction spurred a remarkable and ambitious engineering undertaking: raising the entire city. Rather than simply building levees or attempting to redirect the river’s flow – solutions that would be implemented later – city planners opted for a radical approach. The solution, as described by author Denise M. Colby, was to “build up.”
The project involved lifting existing structures and filling in the spaces beneath them with vast quantities of dirt, brought in by wagon. Building owners were presented with a choice: raise their buildings or convert their second stories into ground-level access points. The process of lifting a single building, according to historical reports, could take as long as forty days, relying heavily on manual labor and simple jack systems.
For buildings that weren’t raised, the original doorways were bricked over, creating a sealed lower level to prevent water ingress. This resulted in a unique architectural landscape where storefronts and buildings existed at varying elevations. The wooden boardwalks were then constructed to accommodate the highest entryways, sometimes requiring significant steps up from street level.
The undertaking, which spanned almost fifteen years, ultimately raised the city somewhere between ten and fifteen feet. This unconventional approach created the distinctive character of Old Town Sacramento, where a walk along the streets reveals a mix of building heights and varying access points. The unevenness is a direct result of the manual, building-by-building process, with no two structures raised to precisely the same level.
Today, visitors to Old Town Sacramento can explore the historic district, walk the wooden boardwalks, and even take tours of the excavated foundations of buildings that once stood at ground level. The area, designated as a National and California Historic Landmark, comprises 53 historic buildings within 28 acres, largely owned by private individuals who lease space for businesses.
The history of Sacramento’s struggle with flooding and its innovative solution is a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of its residents. As author Denise M. Colby notes, the unique charm of Old Town Sacramento is a direct consequence of this historical challenge and the ambitious response it provoked. Colby, a Californian with deep roots in the region, is contributing monthly to the HHHistory blog, sharing her research and insights into the area’s past, drawing on material developed for her novel, “When Plans Go Awry.”
Colby’s work highlights the enduring connection between the past and present in Sacramento, where the physical landscape itself serves as a reminder of the city’s ongoing relationship with the Sacramento River and the lessons learned from its tumultuous history. She plans to share further details about the additional flood mitigation measures implemented, such as levee construction and river redirection, in future blog posts.
