Going back to its Native American origins, Sacramento has withstood flood, fire, and plague to honestly earn the moniker Urbs Indomita or "Indomitable City." Such grit—enhanced by an unmatched embrace of diversity and the strength that comes with it—has powered the Sacramento area's role as gold rush epicenter, railroading Goliath, purveyor of hydroelectric power, world war and Cold War arsenal, agricultural hub, and policy center for one of the nation's most innovative states. Truly, the impact of the Capital City extends so much farther than the Central Valley. It is through exploring the pages within that the reader will truly understand why, as stated by Sacramento historian and developer Gregg Lukenbill, "America may have been born in Philadelphia, but the American West was born in Sacramento."
Librarians and archivists from the Special Collections of the Sacramento Public Library have documented over 150 years of the Capital City’s history through a pleasing array of photographs, ephemera, and narrative, mostly drawn from its own collections but also from those of neighboring institutions.