More About California Admission Day

by Wolf Rosenberg
(Sacramento, CA)

I found the following information about the history of California's Admission Day and wanted to share it with you:

"Today Governor Schwarzenegger Proclaimed September 9 'Admission Day' California’s 160th birthday. * In February of 1848, Mexico and the United States signed a treaty, which ended the Mexican War and yielded a vast portion of the Southwest, including present-day California, to the United States. Several days earlier, gold had been discovered on the American River near Sacramento, and the ensuing gold rush hastened California's admittance to the Union. California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850. On Admission Day, we observe the anniversary of California's statehood and celebrate the many valuable contributions Californians have made to the fortune and fortitude of our great nation."

*Contributor to this article was the office of the governor.

So I hiked from Caesar Chaves Park after eating my lunch to see what it was like to celebrate Admission Day at the State Capitol in the year 2010. To my surprise it was fun and enjoyable. Two tables and tents were set up and Capitol Museum members were serving birthday cake and ice cream in front of the State Capitol stairs from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Unfortunately, I got there too late to have any, but trust me my waist says I don’t need any dessert. I particularly enjoyed the Museum members dressed in colorful period customs and the music provided by the 15-member four-string Sacramento Banjo Band, plucking their banjos and playing riverboat and Dixieland jazz.