Stop #5: The Sacramento River

• Our final destination on this intricate and colorful historical Bridge Walk is here along the Sacramento River itself. 

• The Sacramento River is California’s largest river, beginning its roughly 380-mile journey in the headwaters of the Sierra Nevada before flowing west into the fertile Sacramento Valley and merging with the San Joaquin River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

• The river supports irrigation on 2 million acres in California’s Central Valley and provides key habitat for a diverse range of species, including the imperiled salmon populations that migrate seasonally from the Pacific Ocean.

• The Sacramento River also provides 35% of California’s developed water supply, helping sustain life in California for the tens of millions who call the state home. 

• Here in Sacramento, our city would not exist without the river as the city was founded by Samuel Brannan and John Agustus Sutter, Jr. in 1848 when ownership was rested from Mexico, and named it after the river. The city itself began around the embarcadero which you can see across the way and is where our tour began. 

• The embarcadero, the spanish word for wharf, was constructed by John Sutter, a controversial figure in history who enslaved indigenous people, just like Mexico had, who lived in the area to build his agricultural empire starting at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers a few years prior to the founding of Sacramento City. 

• This area was, and still is, the Tribal land of the Nisenan people. Sacramento was a gathering place for many local Tribes who have lived throughout the central valley and the foothills for generations and were the original stewards of this land. We would like to acknowledge the Southern Maidu people to the North, the Valley and Plains Miwok/ Me-Wuk Peoples to the south of the American River, and the Patwin Wintun Peoples to the west of the Sacramento River.  We would also like to honor the Wilton Rancheria, the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County.

• Today, we recognize that change can only occur in the context of truthfulness, transparency, and reconciliation around systems that have oppressed and excluded Indigenous people. We believe that education can shift historically oppressive practices to build a more inclusive and socially conscious community and society.

• So while we benefit today from the existence of Sacramento City, we understand there is a cost and suffering that was not consented to, and we believe that all peoples of this land should be involved in how we build a future together, which includes taking care of the land.

• It includes considerations for how we build, what we build, and the reason we build. As a nation of builders, our duty is to the integrity of our work.

• Despite the critical ecological importance of this river, and its cultural and economic significance to all of us, the Sacramento River has been severely degraded over time, with decreasing water quality, rising water temperatures, agricultural diversions, and shrinking habitat for fish and wildlife resulting from intensive development and the comprehensive impacts of climate change.

• Over a century of levee construction and damming has isolated the river from its historic floodplains, increasing flood risk for downstream residents, eliminating habitat for threatened and endangered species like the precious salmon, and impeding the natural processes that help store groundwater, a perennial problem as the Central Valley has developed into a water-intensive agricultural region.

• Changing precipitation and weather patterns resulting from climate change are further exacerbating these issues and present a severe threat to the health of the Sacramento River, and the communities and wildlife that depend on it.  

• This is crucial for our goal of longevity as a city and a nation. If we want a bright future for our children and future generations then we need to be looking ahead with the past in mind. 

• There is so much to be grateful for in this city, and in having coalition partners with other cities like ours. So as a sign of solidarity and community, let's ensure the economic, cultural, educational, and structural integrity of our State Bridges, and the bridges we form with our partners like The New Virginia Majority Education Fund from Alexandria, Virginia, who shares our vision for the future and wants to help elect leaders with integrity. 

  • Resources: 

    • https://www.americanrivers.org/river/sacramento-river/

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sacramento,_California#:~:text=constructed%20at%20the%20confluence%20of,referring%20to%20the%20Catholic%20Eucharist. 

    • https://snahc.org/ 

    • https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=486 

    • More Resources About Land Acknowledgments:  

      • Guide to Indigenous Land and Territorial Acknowledgements for Cultural Institutions 

      • Interactive Map and Guide to Territory Acknowledgements Honor Native Land 

      • A Guide and Call to Action – U.S. Department of Arts and Culture Why Land Acknowledgments Matter