After waiting what seems almost forever, the proposed California Indian Heritage Center kicked off with a tour of its 53-acre West Sacramento site.
A unanimous vote of the West Sacramento City Council gifted a 43-acre site along the Sacramento River across from its confluence with the American River to the California State Park system. This added to an existing 8-acre lot forms the property for the future California Indian Heritage Center.
The Center will be a central home to all the 200 or so tribes that have lived in California. Its location on the Sacramento River highlights the relationship between the river and the tribes that relied on it for fishing and trade.
Currently $100 million has been allocated by the state for the project and another $100 million is being privately sought through fundraising. A central 120,000 square foot building is planned for the site. The Center is expected to open in five to seven years.
The project had its genesis when an interim structure, the California Indian Museum was opened near Sutter's Fort in 1940. This new facility will allow the various tribes to offer exhibits, performances and educational programs.
Some of the features of the site are:
• an ancient oak tree that is the central feature of the site
• a beach for swimming and access to the site for boats
• a pond, formerly a "borrow pit" where earth was removed to build a levy around 1990s, which will be the site of an amphitheater focused on the environment
For more information, see: California Indian Heritage Center.
~ Al Zagofsky
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