The Sacramento River, a main traffic route for supplies during the California Gold Rush. (Shutterstock)

In 1839, Johann Augustus Sutter settled at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers. And when the Mexican government granted the Swiss settler 48,000 acres of land, it literally gave away a goldmine.

In 1848, less than 50 kilometres east of Sacramento, golden nuggets were discovered at Sutter's Mill. Fortune hunters arrived by the thousands; it was recorded as the largest human migration in history. Pioneers settled along the banks of the Sacramento River, a main traffic route for supplies. Regular flooding and subsequent disease made the early years difficult and forced settlers to raise the street level four metres.

In 1846, the U.S. Navy occupied Monterey and claimed California for the United States. Nine years earlier, the Hudson's Bay Co. had completed its second expedition in the area. California became a state in 1850, and Sacramento its capital, four years later -- not Monterey, favoured by the Spanish and Mexicans.

Politically, the state capital has housed some extraordinary governors from Chief Justice Earl Warren, "trickle down" President Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown, (known at the time as boyfriend of pop singer Linda Ronstadt) to the current mesomorph "governator," incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In a leafy valley of scenic rivers and canopies of trees (residents proudly claim more trees per capita than any city in the world besides Paris), Sacramento now is a cosmopolitan city of tall, shiny buildings, superb restaurants, shops and a lively arts scene. However, you can visit the past, stepping back in time to the California Gold Rush era in Old Sacramento, a 28-acre town of historic buildings, museums and monuments. Wooden sidewalks, horse-drawn carriages, Pony Express monuments and Mississippi-style riverboats reflect early American history which jumps alive via interactive experiences on steam engine train rides, tours of the State Capitol Building and historic museum tours.

The Capitol is a neo-Classical combination of Corinthian and other classic columns, parget plasterwork and mosaic floors, painstakingly restored in the 1970s. The interior is highlighted by numerous artwork, including presidential portraits, murals and a stunning marble statue of Columbus and Queen Isabella by Larkin Goldsmith Mead. Most people do not think he needs it, but a 250-pound bronze statue of a grizzly bear guards Gov. Schwarzenegger's office.

The influence of the "Big Four" of western railroading-- Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Collis P. Huntington and Charles Crocker -- is evident throughout the city. Riders for the Pony Express also became celebrated here.

Old Sacramento is home to the California State Railroad Museum (CSRM). It features restored locomotives and railroad cars that you can climb aboard, including a 1937 stainless-steel dining car with white linen, fancy china and a vintage menu offering a "lamb chop, extra thick for 80¢." It houses the most comprehensive collection of trains and related artifacts in North America with knowledgeable docents eager and willing to share railroad history with you. Visitors experience times gone by from the laying of tracks to boarding the deluxe cars that graced the Western United States.

The Discovery History Museum Center offers yet another opportunity to learn about California history with special presentations on the Gold Rush, newspaper business and agriculture industries. Writer and journalist Mark Twain wrote for the Union in 1866. The Sacramento Bee has won a remarkable five Pulitzer Prizes in its history.

When James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill, Sutter's Fort became invaluable to the pioneers. Tour the State Historic Park for a glimpse into "Gold Rush" life at the fort, including exhibit rooms of copper and blacksmith's shops, a bakery, prison, dining room and living quarters.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church is home to Sacramento's oldest congregation, with Tiffany stained glass windows and a rare Johnson Tracker organ and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament features a 67-metre tower built in 1889. Its prominent architectural design echoes of 19th-century Paris with stained glass from Austria.

For exercise, try riding along the Jedediah Smith Memorial Bike Trail, a 52-kilometre loop that snakes along the river and through a series of parks featuring sand dunes, oak groves, picnic areas and fishing nooks. (City Bicycle Works, 2419 K St.; 916-447-2453; www.citybicycleworks.com, which is less than a mile from the trail, has rentals starting at $5 an hour and $20 a day.)

Foodies will appreciate the restaurant on the Delta King, a 1920s riverboat-turned-floating-hotel, which offers dishes like Shrimp Louie salad ($13) and fish and chips ($12). The Sunday Certified Farmers' Market (Eighth and W streets; www.california-grown.com) is a country-fresh way to start your day. Open year round from 8 a.m. to noon, the market offers a bounty of white pomegranates, Asian pears, fragrant persimmons, harvested honey, farm-fresh eggs, cut flowers and just-caught fish.

Sacramento -- something to whet Canadian snowbird's taste buds as they eagerly await the dreaded winter.

Contact Mike Keenan at www.whattravelwriterssay.com