This museum is one of the best automobile museums in the US. Here are some of my favorite cars.
1892 Panhard & Levassor1899 Locomobile1899 Winton1911 Maxwell1906 Adams-Farwell1910 Rolls-Royce1910 Oldsmobile1910 Stearns1903 Thomas Model 18 Rear Entrance Tonneau, the oldest of 5 surviving Thomas Model 18s1913 Pierce Arrow1907 Thomas Flyer, winner of the 1908 New York-to-Paris Automobile Race1912 K-R-I-TThe K-R-I-T’s white swastika with a blue border symbolizes good luck by the Greek and American Indians. The infamous Nazi swastika version was red with a white border.1913 Stutz “Best Known American Sports Car”1914 Ford Model-T1913 Stanley1912 Rambler used in the Titanic movie.1917 Chevrolet1929 Ford Model A Mail Truck1933 Studebakerv 1931 Bugatti1926 Jordan1925 Duesenberg1926 Ford TT Triple Combination Pumper1921 Rolls-Royce1936 Mercedes-Benz Type 500K. This particular car was purchased in 1936 by Princess Nina Mdivani, wife of Denis P.S. Conan Doyle, son of Sir Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes.1933 Cadillac Series 452C, owned by Al Jolson, famous 1920s=1930s singer and movie star.1947 De Soto1941 Lincoln Continental1965 Corvair1965 Ford Mustang1958 Edsel1949 Jaguar XK 120 Sport Roadster1947 Volkswagen1958 Cadillac1970 Plymouth Road Runner. This car set the land speed record for B/A altered cars on the Bonneville Salt Flats, in 1978, 1979, 1981, and finally in 1987, at 216.392 mph.1935 Faulkner Midget Race Car2011 McLaren MP4-26, along with a line of Formula One cars.This 1971 Triumph TR6 is one of Paul Newman’s car collection on display here. This car won Newman his first National Championship.1973 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe. Elvis owned more than 100 Cadillacs in his lifetime, but this car was a rare “gift Cadillac” from his father Vernon.1953 Chevrolet Corvette. This was the 51st Corvette ever made, and it was purchased new by John Wayne.Herbie the “Love Bug”1949 Mercury. James Dean drove this car in the 1955 movie Rebel Without a Cause.2008 Tesla Roadster. This was the 10th Roadster ever produced.1948 Tucker. One of 51 ever produced.The Tucker had many advance technical features, including the rear motor. Also the third center headlight, which turned with the steering wheel.1956 Chevy 210 “Woody” Wagon1962 Lincoln Continental. This particular car was assigned to President John F. Kennedy in 1962 for his use in Florida.1961 Ghia L.6.4 Hard Top owned by Frank Sinatra. This was the first Ghia L.6.4 ever built.1981 DeLorean. This gold-plated model appeared in American Express commercials as part of their Gold Card promotion.Tow Mater from Cars movieLightning from Cars movieGhost Busters wagonJurassic Park scene
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers led by George Donner—who became stranded en route to California in late 1846. The party was trapped by exceptionally heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada, and when food ran out, some members of the group reportedly resorted to cannibalism of those already dead. It was the worst disaster of the overland migration to California.The following panels in the museum provide details to the Donner’s plight.
The Washoe natives
The Chinese
Chinese immigrant workers were crucial to the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.
Old Town Sacramento harkens back to how it looked back in the late 1800s. The buildings look old, but the businesses are modern restaurants and shops.Pony Express Monument. The plaque reads: This statue commemorates the glory of the Pony Express, which started here at 2:45 AM on April 4, 1860, when Sam Hamilton galloped into a blinding rainstorm on the first lap of the 1,966-mile trip to St. Joseph, Missouri. During its 18-month existence, its 121 riders and 500 ponies carried 35,000 pieces of mail with the loss of but one pouch. This venture, founded by Russell, Majors and Waddell, ended California’s isolation from the rest of the Union.Sacramento RiverTower BridgeTower Bridge
This is a pretty cool museum in Sacramento that exhibits railroad history in California. Virginia & Truckee Railroad Locomotive No. 13 “Empire” served as a freight engine for more than 40 years. Engine crews considered 13 an unlucky number so the company changed to 15.The Forgotten Railroad Workers Memorial Monument. Chinese artist Xuejun Yang created this monument in 2019, honoring the Chinese workers who played a heroic and important role building the Transcontinental Railroad. Between 1865 and 1869 Central Pacific Railroad employed more than 12,000 Chinese workers to build the western portion on the railroad. They cleared land, put down roadbed, shoveled snow, blasted tunnels through granite and laid track.Great Northern Railway Post Office Car No. 42 operated as a complete post office between Chicago IL and Tacoma WA. Inside the moving car, armed postal clerks sorted mail and the train moved along at up to 80 mph.Inside the mail car.My grandfather worked for a time in the 1940s and 1950s on a mail car between Washington DC and Jacksonville FL.Virginia & Truckee No. 18 “Dayton”.Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Dining Car No. 1474 “Cochiti” was built for Santa Fe’s first streamlined stainless steel train, the Los Angeles to Chicago Super Chief.Attentive waiters served meals on distinctive china. Railroad companies each had their own special designs.Fine dining on the rails!AT&SF railroad chins pattern.New York CentralComfortable seatingSleeping berthsProduce car.Baggage car (The people are real, not mannequins!)This scene interprets the building of the Transcontinental Railroad 1865-1869. A really well done display.Blasting through granite.Surveyor.Surveying and building equipment.A proud achievement.
The capitol of our largest state is a beautiful sight.The rotunda.Statue of President Ronald Reagan in the basement gallery.Senate chamberSenate chamber chandelierSenate chamber ceilingAssembly chamberAssembly chamber ceilingCalifornia state mottoRestored 1933 State Treasurer’s officeRestoration of the 1902 Secretary of State’s Main Office1906 Governor’s officeThis chandelier in the 1906 Governor’s office is all electric now, but originally it was part electric, and part gas.
Official Governors Portraits
Earl Warren was governor of California before he became Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.Ronald Reagan was governor of California before he was elected 40th President of the US.This is the actual official Governor Portrait of Governor Edmund “Jerry” Brown. Incredible. His nickname is “Moonbeam”. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger official portrait
