Sacramento during the Flood of 1850

On January 7, 1850, heavy storms transformed the rivers and streams of the Sierra Nevada Mountains into raging torrents. Swollen by these waters, the Sacramento River flooded the new city of Sacramento for a mile back from the river. This lithograph depicts the city as it looked on January 10th, its streets full of water and navigable only by boat. A small steamship plied the flooded streets delivering freight, replacing inventory washed out of doors and windows. The lithograph itself was found on top of a time capsule hidden in the cornerstone of California's capitol building (said cornerstone was laid in 1861). Identification Information: Capitol Cornerstone Collection, MC2:13-99 (C02613).