Founded in December 1848 by John A. Sutter, Jr., Sacramento was an outgrowth of Sutter's Fort established by his father, Captain John A. Sutter, in 1839. State capital since 1854, during the gold rush it was a major distribution point, a commercial and agricultural center, and terminus for wagon train, stagecoach, riverboat, telegraph, pony express, and the first transcontinental railroad.

Citation from California Office of Historic Preservation