History

by No Comments

Sacramento Prison Ship

History
The Cells of the Prison Ship LaGrange The original jail for Sacramento county was a converted sailing bark (barque), the LaGrange bought from the men and women of the Salem & California Trading & Mining expedition. The LaGrange set sail out from Salem, Massachusetts on 19 March 1849 for the California gold fields with 63 men on board. What is a Barque? A barque is a vessel with at least three masts. The wooden three-masted barque was the most common type of deep water cargo-carrier in the middle of the 19th century. By the end of the eighteenth century, however, the term barque (sometimes, particularly in the USA, spelled bark) came to refer to any vessel with a particular type of sail-plan. This comprises three (or more) masts, fore-and-aft sails on the aftermost mast…
Read More
by No Comments

Ryde Hotel

History
Many of us growing up in Elk Grove ventured out of town and would frequent various spots in the Delta to enjoy tasty dinners with our families or take dates for a bit of river romance and dancing. Two very popular destinations were Al’s Place in Locke, or “Al The Wop” as it was known to us, and the Ryde Hotel for dinners and dancing. The small town of Ryde (four buildings on the levy) is located on the Sacramento River in the Delta. It is across the river and down from Walnut Grove. In the early years the draw to the town was a restaurant, hotel, and speakeasy that many of the rich and famous would sale their yachts and boats to the pier on the river outside the hotel,…
Read More
by No Comments

Historic – Gold Mine Trail

History
Amador County: Jackson to Plymouth on Highway 49 Gold Mines of Amador - After the gold rush of 1848-1850, miners began to dig into earth and rock to uncover gold imprisoned in quartz rocks' deep veins. The largest vein was the Mother Lode between Yosemite (Oakhurst) and Georgetown in El Dorado County. The 20-mile stretch from the Mokelumne River to the Cosumnes River was the richest, producing some $160 million in gold between 1851 and 1942. (Current value $5 billion) The first hard rock mines were found in Amador City in 1851. The original Minister's Claim and Spring Hill were soon followed by many others; Lincoln (11), South Spring Hill (12), Keystone (13), Original Amador (14), and Eureka. By the 1970's-80's Amador County was working 300+ mines. There were some…
Read More
by No Comments

Rio Vista

History, Info
The original settlement of Rio Vista was established in 1853 by Col. Nathan H. Davis, and was located at the mouth of Cache Slough, where it meets the Sacramento River, approximately two miles from its present location. The settlement grew rapidly, and fishing became the primary industry. Robert C. Carter and his son established a cannery, which shipped salmon daily to San Francisco and, from there, internationally. During the first couple of years the settlement’s name changed several times: Los Brazos del Rio, Vista del Rio, and Winds End. Eventually the wife of the Postmaster Charles Kirkpatrick re-named it Rio Vista. In December of 1861 the unruly Sacramento River rose, and on January 9, 1862, Rio Vista was destroyed when 12 feet of water covered the settlement. Fortunately, not one…
Read More
by No Comments

Murphy’s Corral

History
Family History The ranch was owned by Martin Murphy, Jr. (1807-1884), whose family was in the Stephenson-Townsend-Murphy Party, the first party to cross the Sierras by covered wagon in 1844! Alos, the first to bring oxen across the plains and the first to use the route now used by Union and Pacific Railroads. The Donner party used the route two years later and Martin Murphy, Jr. was a member of the party who rescued them. They settled in this area of Elk Grove along the Monterey Trail from 1844 to 1849. The Murphys lived north of the Cosumnes River and west of what is now Highway 99. At the time that road was known as the Monterey Trail, and it led from New Helvetia (Sutter’s Fort) to the Mexican capital of Monterey.…
Read More
by No Comments

Pinkerton Picnic in the Park 2019

Photos
Honoring the Elk Grove Unified School District September 23, 2019 - 12:30 pm-3:00 pm at the Stage Stop Museum This is the third annual event where local historian Elizabeth Pinkerton selects a group or person who has contributed to the history of our community. This year she has selected the Elk Grove Unified School District to receive the perpetual trophy. The Pinkerton Picnic in the Park event is hosted by the Elk Grove Historical Society at their Elk Grove Stage Stop Museum at the west entrance to the Elk Grove Park.  
Read More