Sacramento Archives Crawl

Explore local archives and see historical treasures during the 16th annual Sacramento Archives Crawl at the California State Archives, California State Library, Sacramento Public Library, and Center for Sacramento History. It's free and no ticket is needed!

During the Crawl, archives and special collections libraries from all over the Sacramento region set up at the four host archives in Downtown Sacramento to display items from their collections.

As a Crawler, you’ll tour among the four host sites and visit with archivists, see local history exhibits and special presentations, learn about historic preservation and research, and go on behind-the-scenes tours the public doesn’t normally get to go on. Free shuttle transportation between sites is provided.

HOW TO CRAWL

The Crawl takes place at the following archives in Downtown Sacramento:

-California State Archives (1020 O Street)

-California State Library (914 Capitol Mall)

-Center for Sacramento History (551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd)

-Sacramento Central Library (828 I Street)

You can start and end your Crawl at any site and go in any order you’d like. At any site, you can pick up a Crawl passport (get it stamped at three of the four locations for a fun set of commemorative coasters).

PARKING & SHUTTLE BUS

The Center for Sacramento History is the only host site with free parking in a dedicated lot and on the street. Other sites have paid street parking or paid lots.

A free shuttle, operated by Amador Stage Lines, services three stops along the Crawl route approximately every 20 minutes. Stops are in front of the Center for Sacramento History, at 9th and I next to the Public Library, and at 10th and O to serve the State Library and State Archives.

SPECIAL EVENTS AT EACH SITE

California State Archives - TOURS and EXHIBIT

** See a new exhibit on the development of San Francisco’s waterfront, Shaping a Shoreline: Stories from the Waterfront. The exhibit features one-of-a-kind original records on display for one day only, including maps, photographs, correspondence, and employee records.

** Enjoy behind the scenes tours offered on the hour between 11 am and 3 pm. Archives Crawl attendees can also attend the California Museum for free the day of Crawl!

California State Library - TOURS

** Check out the California State Library’s special 30-minute guided “Tiny Tours.” Guests can explore highlights such as Frank Van Sloan’s 1929 mural “The War Through the Ages,” a display of photographs from Johnny Cash’s San Quentin and Folsom Prison concerts, Maynard Dixon’s mural “Pageant of Traditions,” sculptures by Edward Field Sanford Jr.

, the library lobby, Gillis Hall, and circulation room.

Center for Sacramento History - TOURS and EXHIBIT

** Collections storage vault tours will be held every half hour starting at 10 am (last tour at 3:30 pm). This is the only day of the year CSH opens their storage vault to the public.

Don’t miss it!

** There will also be a new exhibit, Employees Only: On the Job in Sacramento, featuring photos that show folks hard at work, from barbers and bartenders to rice farmers and sausage makers. Plus, displays of antique office machines (including old typewriters you can type on), and objects from Tower Records founder Russ Solomon’s office.

Sacramento Public Library - SPEAKER and ARCHIVAL FILMS

** From 1-2 pm in the Sacramento Room, Abbygale Principe, PhD Candidate in History at UC Riverside, will discuss the history of the first wave of Filipino immigration to the Central Valley and Sacramento area. A moderated presentation will follow with Christella Maldonado, UC Riverside PhD Candidate in History.

** All day in the Galleria, California Revealed will show archival film footage from the Center for Sacramento History's collection featuring 8mm home movies made by Harold Ouye showing life in Sacramento in the late 1940s through the 1950s.

PARTICIPATING ARCHIVAL INSTITUTIONS

Bay Area Electric Railroad Association, Western Railway Museum

California Automobile Museum

California State Archives

California State Library

California State Parks Archives & Photographic Archives

California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives

Caltrans Transportation Library

Center for Sacramento History

Lavender Library, Archives, and Cultural Exchange

Placer County Archives

Rocklin Historical Society

Roseville Historical Society

Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento Room

Sacramento River Delta Historical Society

Sacramento State University, Special Collections and University Archives

San Joaquin Historical Society and Museum

U. S.

Bicycling Hall of Fame

University of California, Davis Shields Library, Special Collections

West Sacramento Historical Society

Yolo County Archives

PARTICIPATING SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

California Revealed

Friends of the California Archives

Library Juice Press

Root Cellar- Sacramento Genealogical Society Library

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR DONORS AND SPONSORS

California State Library Foundation

Friends of California Archives

Gordon-Goldstein FoundationSierra Health Foundation

Patricia and Keith Johnson

Sacramento City Councilmember Roger Dickinson

Sacramento City Councilmember Lisa Kaplan

Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple

Sacramento Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes

Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna

This calendar listing is brought to you by Sacramento365, the region's one-stop, online calendar for arts and entertainment events, powered by Visit Sacramento and the City of Sacramento's Office of Arts and Culture (OAC).