Old Sacramento in Sacramento County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

A Transportation Hub

Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, May 24, 2023

1. A Transportation Hub Marker

Inscription. While a few people question Sacramento’s role in the transcontinental railroad, the larger story of Sacramento’s place in transportation history revolves around numerous transportation events such as national stagecoach lines, steamship companies, the Pony Express, inter-urban railroads, and the freeway system. During the short run of the Pony Express, Sacramento was the terminus for the company’s riders. About 75 years later, the Sacramento Northern Railroad – possibly the longest inter-urban railroad in the United States at the time – carried passengers from the San Francisco Bay Area through Sacramento and on to Chico. As rail travel gave way to the automobile, Sacramento turned toward an urban freeway system. Determining the location of freeways such as Interstate 5 and Highway 50 forced the City to wrestle with the sometimes conflicting community values of urban renewal, historic preservation, and the search for a unique community identity.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 38° 34.907′ N, 121° 30.216′ W. Marker is in Sacramento, California, in Sacramento County. It is in Old Sacramento. Marker can be reached from the intersection

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of K Street and Interstate 5, on the right when traveling east. The metal marker is along the pedestrian walk where K Street extends under the freeway overpass towards downtown. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sacramento CA 95814, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. War Games (here, next to this marker); The Early Homeless (here, next to this marker); Ernesto Galarza (here, next to this marker); A United Effort (here, next to this marker); A Reformer Emerges (here, next to this marker); Women in the Wartime Workforce (here, next to this marker); Decay and Redevelopment (here, next to this marker); Ten Years that Electrified Our World (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sacramento.

More about this marker. The marker is part of the Historical Timeline of Sacramento.
Inset Image:
Sacramento Northern Railroad at 8th and J, ca. 1930 – from the David Joslyn Collection

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Historical Timeline of Sacramento

Also see . . .
1. SN: Sacramento Northern Railway Oral History and Pictures from a former rider. YouTube Video. Old film footage. (Submitted on August 3, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)

2. Sacramento Northern Railway.

Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, May 24, 2023

2. A Transportation Hub Marker

On the left.

Western Railway Museum

"The Sacramento Northern resulted from merging two separate electric interurban lines. Northern Electric Company started building from Chico to Sacramento in 1905. The Oakland and Antioch Railway started construction in 1910. As the Oakland, Antioch, and Eastern it reached Sacramento in 1913. Both Northern Electric and the Oakland and Antioch line went through a number of corporate reorganizations and name changes. Western Pacific Railroad bought both interurban lines and merged them into the Sacramento Northern Railway at the end of 1928."

(Submitted on August 3, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)

Marker Within the Timeline image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, May 24, 2023

3. Marker Within the Timeline

Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 51 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 3, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.