Sacramento’s Alkali Flat

Sacramento’s oldest residential neighborhood, Alkali Flat, rests near a busy downtown and is bordered by the rail yard, river, and thoroughfares that helped form its identity over a century ago. Named for the crusted alkali deposits that were left by seasonal flooding, the neighborhood has, over time, attracted governors, legislators, artists, and pioneering physicians to take up residence in some of the most exquisitely crafted homes in the American West. Neighborhood lore includes the gradual conquest of the odiferous China Slough and Federal troops billeting there during 1894’s Pullman Strike, while the haunting story of little May Woolsey and a tragic tale of crime are the stories spoken of today. Boasting mills, dairies, railroads, and media as well as schools, hospitals, multiethnic churches, and local businesses in its heyday, Alkali Flat’s history is characterized by contrasts-old landmarks have fallen or adapted to other uses, but the future holds promise for one of Sacramento’s most unique neighborhoods.