HISTORY OF THE RANCHO CORDOVA AREA

One of the newest cities in California, Rancho Cordova was incorporated on July 1, 2003. The current population approaches 60,000 and almost as many people work here as live here – Rancho Cordova (Rancho) is second only to Sacramento for the number of jobs provided in the region. While pretty much seen as a bedroom community of Sacramento today, that relationship didn’t truly develop until the Highway 50 freeway was completed in the 1970’s. Prior to Highway 50, the community was more self-contained – almost an island between Sacramento and Folsom. When Highway 50 was first opened in 1973, most of the commute traffic was west-bound to jobs in Sacramento. During the next 30 years, the east-bound traffic grew because of job opportunities in Rancho so that the commute jams are pretty much equal in both directions.

The Rancho vicinity has a history that dates to pre-Spanish times.

When Gabriel Moraga, the first Spanish explorer to the region, trekked through the area in 1808, he reported eleven sites of Indian villages along the “river”. The Nisenan Indians of the Maidu group had a presence in the area perhaps thousands of years prior to Moraga’s report. Eventually, the “river” was named Rio de Los Americanos (American River), and the area we now know as Rancho Cordova became a part of the Rancho de los Americanos Mexican land grant, which dates to the Treaty of Hidalgo. In 1844 William Leidesdorf acquired the grant, but his death in 1848 left the land virtually undeveloped. Joseph Folsom acquired the huge grant in 1849, but subsequent litigation over the true value of the land lasted many years. Folsom died in 1855, one month after the courts deemed the grant to be legally his. His relatives sold off the land, and the Natomas Company bought much of it. In 1851, the Court of Sessions established townships in the Sacramento area. The future Rancho Cordova is located in that part of Sacramento County designated as the Brighton Township in 1851, revised in 1856.

It was the attraction of gold that eventually established the American River basin as a lush farmland. Thousands traveled the Hangtown Crossing Trail to reach the gold fields. Future leaders in the state with names such as Brannan, Huntington, Hopkins, Judah, Stanford, Sutter, and Crocker were among the travelers. While there is no proof that any of these dignitary’s ever slept in Rancho, it’s possible they did. Imagine Leland Stanford camped on the banks of the American River.

An unending stream of wagons and people deposited many gold-seekers by the wayside. Some were farmers who stayed and settled in “Hangtown Crossing”, the future Rancho Cordova. Later the name “Mills” began appearing on maps. It wasn’t until 1952 that the current name, Rancho Cordova was adopted. The area was noted for it’s orchards, vineyards, and hop fields.

Other noteworthy events in the history of Rancho Cordova are as follows:

· 1820’s – Jedidiah Smith may have been the first white man to “float down” the American River as he rafted to the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers.

· 1856 – Theodore Judah completed the Sacramento Valley Railroad, the first railroad west of the Mississippi River. The 22-mile line ran between Sacramento and Folsom; remnants of the right of way still exist today, and modern light rail trackage marks the way.

· 1860 – The Pony Express began operation between St. Joseph Missouri and Sacramento. The second remount station east of Sacramento was located at “Fifteen Mile House”, about where the Costco Store on Sunrise Blvd. sits today.

· 1866 – A freight platform was constructed alongside the Sacramento Valley Railroad to accommodate the shipping of the large quantities of fruit raised in the area by the Routier family and others. It was near what we now know as Folsom Blvd. and Routier Road. “Routiers Station” was constructed at the site in 1871. This building still exists but is now vacant and for sale. Most recently it served as offices for Pfingst Realty.

· 1872 – The Routier Post Office was established in the Routiers Station.

· 1898 – Bucket-line dredging for gold began operations in the Folsom-Cordova region. Dredging lasted until February 1962. Approximately one billion cubic yards of gravel would be dredged to yield $125 million in gold. Piles of rocks left from the dredging operations are still visible in many areas along the south side of the American River as far south as Douglas Road and Mather.

· 1907 – Mills Station appears. On the north side of what we now know as Folsom Blvd. a California Debris Commission Map of the area illustrates there were four structures on the north side of what appears to have been the edge of Folsom Blvd. and the railroad tracks. The station to become known as "Mills" may have been established to ship the products of the nearby grist mill. John Studarus constructed Mills Station in the late 19th or early 20th century. After at least 2 moves, and numerous owners, including the Raley family, the restored building was re-located to its present site south of Folsom Blvd. at the Mather Field Light Rail Station.

· 1918 – Mather Air Force Base was born. The base lasted until 1990 serving as a training school for navigators (2nd lieutenants), and as a home for the 320th Bomb Wing of the Strategic Air Command.

· 1942 – Aerojet was founded in Azusa, CA. Dramatic growth in new products and technologies in the 1950's and 1960's led Aerojet to build what, at the time, was the free worlds largest site for rocket engine development, testing, and production at their facility in what is now Rancho Cordova. Aerojet provided rocket motors for the Titan Rocket, and the Gemini and Apollo Missions. Today, it serves at Aerojet's headquarters and site of missile and space propulsion operations.

· 1950 – Roland Federspiel decided to develop his land, and in 1951 a series of block dwellings on Alicante Way became the first new homes in the area. They were quickly occupied by military and Aerojet personnel.

· 1953 – The Rancho Cordova Corporation was formed by Federspiel. Initial model homes were built on Zinfandel Drive, and the gala opening attracted tens of thousands. Rancho Cordova was born. As the town developed, early streets were named for grape varieties, paying homage to the grape-growing era.

· 1970’s – The collapse of the aerospace industry left Aerojet a shell of it’s former self. Many former employees left Rancho Cordova for scientific & engineering jobs elsewhere. The large rocket-testing towers were soon dismantled.

· 1990 – Mather Air Force Base was closed. The loss of over 5,000 jobs had an immediate negative economic impact on the region. In the long run though, the conversion from military to civilian uses has been one of the few base-closing success stories in the nation. More people are now employed on former base land than when the Air Force was here.

· 2003 – Rancho Cordova became a city. A Council-Manager form of government was adopted with 5 members elected to the Council, one of whom serves as mayor each year. The city is made up of a wide mix of people, cultures, and ethnic groups which all contribute to make the city one of the most diverse in the region.

· 2009 – The City of Rancho Cordova received the Sacramento Workplace Excellence Leader (SWEL) award for the category small organization, local government for its "commitment to innovative thinking, including all staff in its efforts to stay healthy in the current economic climate."