Sacramento, California

The state capital of California is located where the Sacramento and American Rivers join in California’s central valley. It was the western terminus of the California Trail and where the Pony Express completed its journey. The name comes from an early Spanish explorer who drank water from the river and exclaimed in Spanish “It’s like the Holy Sacrament.”

History
John Sutter established the first European settlement in 1839, calling it New Helvetia or New Switzerland, after his native country. He received numerous Mexican land grants, giving him ownership of a huge area. In 1848 gold was discovered at his sawmill in Columa, and the following year brought the ‘49ers, rushing to find gold.