City of West Sacramento

City of West Sacramento Municipal Water Report Info
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Over 4,000 years ago, the Patwin Indians were the first inhabitants of what we now call West Sacramento. These Native Americans established thriving communities along the Sacramento River's western bank, often with populations in the hundreds. They skillfully utilized the abundant natural resources surrounding them - hunting, fishing, and crafting essential tools from local materials like willows, grasses, and vines. Their environment provided everything they needed.

The Patwin way of life changed dramatically with European settlement in the 19th century. The Sacramento Valley attracted numerous hunters and trappers seeking fur-bearing animals. Tragically, European explorers brought diseases that devastated the Patwin population. Malaria and smallpox epidemics in 1833 and 1837 reduced the Native American population in the Sacramento Valley from 60,000 to just 20,000. As settler numbers increased, the remaining Patwin people were either employed or enslaved by Euro-American settlers, effectively ending their traditional culture.

In 1844, Jan Lows de Swart, a Flemish explorer later known as John Schwartz, became the first Euro-American permanent settler in West Sacramento. He built a modest shelter on the Sacramento River's west bank, six miles south of its confluence with the American River. In 1845, Schwartz received a land grant from Mexican Governor Manuel for a one-mile-wide, twenty-mile-long property he named Rancho Nueva Flandria after his homeland. With his brother George's help, John established a salmon fishery along the river while also raising livestock and growing crops.

Little did the Schwartz brothers know that within a few years, the great Gold Rush of 1848 would transform California. Gold's discovery at Sutter's Mill brought thousands of miners to the region. In 1846, James McDowell, an enterprising plumber, purchased 600 acres of Rancho Nueva Flandria from John Schwartz. He settled in today's Broderick area with his wife Margaret and their three daughters.

The McDowell family wasn't immune to the Gold Rush era's violence. In May 1849, James was killed in a tavern altercation he reportedly initiated. His death left Margaret struggling to support her family. Initially taking in boarders for income, she soon realized her land was her most valuable asset. In October 1849, Margaret hired a surveyor to map out 160 acres, which was divided into forty-one squares. She named this platted area the Town of Washington and sold individual lots, with the first going to August W. Kaye for $500.

During the decade following its establishment, the rural Town of Washington experienced significant commercial development and transportation activity. One of the earliest businesses was the California Steam Navigation Company, attracted by the Sacramento River's access in 1859. Other early enterprises included hotels, saloons, and restaurants serving weary travelers, who welcomed the rest stop at Washington after difficult journeys through the marshlands on their way to Sacramento.