See other Sacramento galleries by:
Bill Taylor
Cedric Sims

Sam Brannan established a store near the Sacramento River hoping to take advantage of the convenient waterfront location. When gold was discovered in the nearby foothills by James Marshall, Brannan's settlement, called Sacramento, boomed. The embarcadero flourished and was the prime trading center for miners outfitting themselves for the gold fields. But the new city experienced flooding and fires. In 1850 the new city experienced its first devastating flood, and again in 1852, the city was wiped out by high water. It was apparent that drastic measures would have to be taken if it was to saved. In 1853 a mammoth project was proposed to raise the city above the flood. The ambitious and expensive proposal was not totally accepted until another devastating flood swept through the city in 1862. Within a few years, thousands of cubic yards of earth were brought in on wagons and the daring scheme to raise the street level can be seen throughout Old Sacramento under the boardwalks and in its basements.