Tom Russell Research Library – Information and Fees
The Tom Russell Research Library is located in the basement of the Elk Grove House & Stage Stop Museum in Heritage Park, inside of Elk Grove Regional Park. The library is open by appointment only. Schedule an appointment to do research by calling 916-685-8115. We have a huge Lewis & Clark library donated to us containing books, DVD's, CD's, recordings, maps and many documents. We have a complete collection of Elk Grove High School Yearbooks and several other yearbooks. We have a huge library of books listed under: Elk Grove and nearby towns, Sacramento, California, United States and focus sections on the Donner Party, American Indians, and the Gold Rush. We have files of local resident sir names representing many families from Elk Grove. Also, we have files of…
HISTORY – Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was one of the earliest transcontinental highway routes for automobiles across the United States of America.[1] Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913, the Lincoln Highway ran coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City west to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. In 1915, the "Colorado Loop" was removed, and in 1928, a realignment relocated the Lincoln Highway through the northern tip of West Virginia. Thus, there are a total of 14 states, 128 counties, and more than 700 cities, towns and villages through which the highway passed at some time in its history. The first officially recorded length of the entire Lincoln Highway in 1913 was 3,389 miles (5,454 km).[a] Over the years, the road was improved and numerous realignments were made,[3] and by 1924…
Galt
Galt is 6.78 square mile town 23 miles south of Sacramento down Highway 99. Its population is 23,647 (2010 census), zip code 95623, and was incorporated in 1946. Long time resident and archivist to the town Daniel Tarnasky has written the history of the town.... "Long before the first settlers arrived in California, the Miwok Indians lived and hunted the Great Central valley. In the Galt area, it was the Plains Miwok whose tribes included the Cosumne, Sonolomne, and the Unizumne. The philosophy was to live in harmony with nature and disturb nothing. Little can be found that they left behind, except for a few artistic baskets and personal belongings. In the mid-1700’s, the Spanish came to occupy coastal California, setting up 21 missions. Between 1812-1833, most Miwoks were taken…
Freeport
The town of Freeport, called the “Gateway to the Delta,” is on the east side of the Sacramento River, 7 miles south of downtown Sacramento and can be reached easily by I-5 or down the river road through the Pocket Area. A relaxed river town, it offers lots of recreational fun, from fishing and boating to cycling and golf. It is a good place to dine and drink wine as well. During the gold rush era, almost all of the goods bound from San Francisco for the California gold mines came by boat through the Sacramento Embarcadero. In the 1800’s, businessmen grew tired of paying the Sacramento Port taxes and founded the Freeport Railroad Company. They created a new port free of taxes and called it Freeport. Boats unloaded in…
Frasinetti’s Winery
Frasinetti's Winery was founded on the southern edge of Sacramento over 100 years ago in 1897. James Frasinetti, the founder, was an Italian immigrant who brought with him " Old World" winemaking knowledge and a desire to build a reputation for his quality wine. James and Rose Frasinetti raised a large family and planted vineyards with a pioneering spirit. For the next two decades, the winery grew and prospered. Originally, wines were delivered into Sacramento by hours-drawn wagons. At its peak, Frasinetti Winery planted 400 acres and was shipping wine by the railroad and distributed as far as the east Coast. Prohibition stuck in the 1920's and most wine production ceased. The winery survived by selling grapes for table use and by making "Alter Wine" for the Church. During this…
Reese School – Photos
The 1884 Reese School has been moved to Heritage Park for restoration. It served the children in the area around Florin including the Japanese fruit farming families of the area. It is the last known one-room schoolhouse in the district. We have garnered enough money to have the plans made for the start of restoration. We will replace the front school portion first in Stage-1 and then add the long hall in the back at a later time in Stage-2. One day, we hope to use the hall for weddings, community meetings, and events.
Elk Grove Water Works
In the Winter 2021 issue (February) of Ardent Magazine, Elk Grove Historian writes about the history of the Elk Grove Water Works
Bus Trip: Locke, April 2019
On Saturday, April 27th, 35 historical interested citizens spent the day in Locke, a little Chinese community along the river near Walnut Grove. We left the museum at 9:00 am and the day started with tours of several museums, then lunch split between Al the Wops and the Chinese Garden Restaurants. Stuart, our tour guide and a resident of Locke, gave us an inside view over the years of the many facets of Locke. His stories and history information was interesting and captivating. Afterwards, there was two hours to re-visit some of the museums, check out the art galleries, and shop. We just happened to schedule our trip on a day when local resident, author, artist, and historian was giving a lecture on his his book on Locke, which has…