A “Crawl” Through California History

The annual Sacramento Archives Crawl draws history enthusiasts aplenty.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOLDEN STATE: September 9 is a major day on the California calendar; it's the state's birthday. The 31st state in the union marks its 163rd in 2013, which means a number of things. Principally, and put very simply? Many things have happened, as we know from school, documentaries, books, trips and tours, and all the ways that we deepen our understanding of the state we call home. But simply leaving it at what can sometimes be surface knowledge of, say, the State of Jefferson or the Gold Rush or early settlers or the rise of the metropolises doesn't go quite far enough for a great many Californians. They want to dig deeper, for a variety of reasons, but obtaining more information is likely a common desire shared by all. Those Californians will be out in the capital -- or many of them, at least -- on Saturday, Oct. 5. October happens to be National Archives Month, and here in California we mark it with the Sacramento Archives Crawl.

FREE AND FULL OF INFO: Several spots around the capital open up to casual lookie-loos and project-researching scholars alike on Archives Crawl day, and what goes on display is often quite rare or at least rarely shown. Some pieces set to show in 2013 include an 1857, painted-on-glass replica of the Great Seal of the State of California and an 1899 telephone book that encompasses all of the state, not just a city, plus Oregon and Washington, too. Important artifacts and character-packed items from a century or more ago? Yep, you'll see such things at places like the California State Archives and the California State Library, just to name two locations (and several distinct groups will be present at each location, and every group shall also laden with artifacts and photographs). It's a feast for those who need to know more about our past, in a wider yet more intimate way. As mentioned, it is free to attend, so get ready to scour to your history-focused heart's content, archives aficionado.

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