Sacramento City

Charles R. Parsons, after George B. Cooper
Sacramento City, Ca.
New York: 1850
Color lithograph
Prints & Photographs Division
LC-USZC4-2853 (114.11)
[digital ID# cph.3g02853]

Sacramento's rise from settlement to state capital began with the discovery of gold in January 1848, some fifty miles northeast at John Sutter's sawmill. Situated along the Sacramento and American Rivers, the city became the gateway to the California gold fields. Print publishers all around the country produced views of the new city, both to encourage more visitors and to sell prints. Local businesses depicted in the image supported the publication by paying an advertising fee.