I’m very excited to be joining the HHH blog. I’ve been a follower for many years because I love history. Now I will be contributing each month and I couldn’t be more ecstatic. As this is my first blog post, I wanted to share a little about myself, and why I chose this as my first topic.
My name is Denise M. Colby. Born and raised a Californian, I was fortunate to travel up and down this vast state as both a child and adult visiting musuems and towns learning about our rich history. I currently live in southern California, but grew up in the northern part of the state near the state capital of Sacramento, which is where my stories are set.
I love visiting Old Town Sacramento as it feels like a page out of the history books. Even as a kid, I found the stories about why the boardwalks were so high off the ground fascinating. So I thought I would start with a little Sacramento, California history and the flooding the city endured early on.
Sacramento Origins
John Sutter established the original Sacramento city in 1839. He picked the location for his trade business because it was situated near a massive river, making it perfect for trade. The city grew quickly, partially due to the Gold Rush.
Because it was a booming city, it became the state capital in 1854, after going back and forth between San Jose, Vallejo, Benicia (due to flooding and other reasons). Later it moved for one year to San Francisco (due to more flooding) before a more permanent resolution took place in 1863.
(and moved the government to San Francisco for the rest of the year)
Flooding was a problem
The river (called The Sacramento River) flooded several times (1850, 1852, and 1862) wiping out the city each time. They rebuilt, but they couldn’t afford it to flood again. So they came up with several ideas on how to fix the problem.
The main solution? Build up.
And that’s exactly what they did. A massive project which never had been done before. They started with the streets and boardwalks, using bricks and filling in the spaces with dirt. A lot of dirt. Thousands of cubic yards of dirt, brought in by the wagon full.
Then they lifted the buildings. Or some of them. They gave building owners options. Lift your building up a floor, or turn your second story into your first floor.
How did they raise a building? Small jacks and a lot of man power. I read a report that it took forty days to raise one building.
For those that didn’t raise their building, the original doors and entryways were covered with brick to seal it up tight so no water would get in. Then those who lifted their building had their first floor even with the second floor of another.
I took this picture on a trip in 2013 - notice the different heights of the buildings
If you are interested, I found a small video snippet from Bartell's Backroads of this history on YouTube titled Sacramento's hidden history.
Visiting Old Town Sacramento today
If you ever have the chance to visit, there are some buildings that are three stories and some that are only two. A complete mix. And because it was done by hand, no two buildings are raised exactly to the same height. Which is why the boardwalks had to be set up so high from the street in some places so that it reached the doorways. This is also the reason you might have to step down into some of the stores as well.
And the doorways? Some of them are quite large. That’s because the buildings that weren’t raised, now had their taller second story doors (that were for ventilation, light, or for moving larger equipment) as their first floor doors. And the wooden boardwalks built in front of the storefronts had to accomodate the highest entryway, so there is a massive step up in some spots.
All in all, it took almost fifteen years to raise the town somewhere between ten and fifteen feet. And all this variety is one of the reasons Old Town has such a unique charm to it.
Screenshot of the Old Town Map taken from the website years ago (not sure of year and not able to find it today)
I use this to help me figure out streets and buildings in my stories.
Visitors can walk the wooden boardwalks and cobblestone streets and take an underground tour of buildings they’ve dug up and exposed. There’s a lot to see. Taken from the website because it states it best: In the mid-1960s, a plan was set forth to redevelop the area and through it, the first historic district in the West was created. Today, with 53 historic buildings, Old Sacramento has more buildings of historic value condensed into its 28 acres than most areas of similar size in the West. Registered as a National and California Historic Landmark, the properties in the district are primarily owned by private owners, with individual businesses leasing shops and offices.
If you’d like to learn more about old town Sacramento, you can go to the website and look at their page on its history. I’m having fun incorporating many of these historical points (including a fictional flood) in my stories as my characters walk around Sacramento in 1869 and 1870.
When Plans Go Awry - Book 1 in the Best-laid Plans Series
Olivia Carmichael flees her past to become the schoolmarm in the small ranching town of Washton. Luke Taylor chose a mail-order bride to help care for his sisters, but the beautiful new teacher unsettles his carefully laid plans. As Olivia’s resolve is tested and Luke’s expectations unravel, the meddling town—and its infamous rooster—help them discover God’s plans are better than their own.
When Plans Go Awry is a 2025 Carol Award Finalist in the Debut Category.
Denise M. Colby writes historical romance sweetened with faith, hope, and love. She finds history fascinating and contemplates often how it was to live in the 1800’s. Her debut novel, When Plans Go Awry, is a 2025 Carol Award finalist. Sign up for her newsletter at www.denisemcolby.com or follow Denise on Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub, Pinterest, or GoodReads.
No comments:
Post a Comment