In today’s episode, we sit down with the California State Railroad Museum Director Ty Smith, who’s passion for the past spans over two decades and includes historical and museum positions held in California’s capital and its sunny central coast.

Under Ty’s leadership, currently the railroad museum is ‘on track’ to continue the museum’s proud legacy of serving nearly 600,000 annual visitors and reminding our community of the significance of the rails. Ty shares about his first encountering the significance of the past as a curious teenager, to a growing historical curiosity under the tutelage of cross-country walking historians, and finally to a full blown academic and professional career sharing the secrets of the past to all who will listen.

With museum director Ty Smith leading the way, join us won’t you? For one more trip up to the American Attic.

For more information on the American Attic visit our show homepage and to see all the other exciting work of the Sacramento Historical Society, visit sachistoricalsociety.org . 

To make sure you don’t miss any new episodes or speakers with the Sacramento Historical Society, you can become a member by visiting our new membership page.

Reference Links:

Rob on the Road's spotlight on Hearst Castle & Ranch featuring Ty Smith

In today’s episode, we sat down with local historian, author and speaker, Christina Richter, who’s second book Placer County Past & Present is currently available.

If history was a song, local historians provide the melody, and Christina Richter is certainly carrying the tune of Placer County history to all who will listen. She shares about how she arrived at her appreciation of the past, her current public pursuits in promoting local history and what gems await visitors to Placer County. Folks hoping to learn more about her work can visit her Our Spirit of History website as well.

With historian Christina Richter leading the way, join us won’t you? For one more trip up to the American Attic.

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For more information on the American Attic visit our show homepage and to see all the other exciting work of the Sacramento Historical Society, visit sachistoricalsociety.org . 

To make sure you don’t miss any new episodes or speakers with the Sacramento Historical Society, you can become a member by visiting our new membership page.

Reference Links:

• Local Historian Christina Richter’s site
• How to get your hands on a copy of guest’s most recent work
• Learn more about the Tevis Cup endurance race discussed

With a social following higher than the Smithsonian, Madrid’s Prado Museum and the SF MOMA, the folks at the Sacramento History Museum are leveraging our community’s diverse stories for audiences both near and far. In this episode, we had the privilege of sitting down with Delta Pick Mello, a driving force behind the Sacramento History Alliance and Executive Director of the museum.

The episode takes a deep dive into our guest’s journey to this role, as well as the impact of the pandemic on the operations and priorities of the Sacramento History Museum. Delta provides valuable insights into how the museum adapted and persevered during those challenging times. Looking ahead, we explore the exciting happenings at the museum this month and leading into the holidays. From temporary exhibits to cornerstone features on display, Delta gives us a sneak peek of what visitors can expect such as the current lowrider exhibit, Boulevard Dreams, showcasingvthe deep roots of local lowriding culture.

But that's not all! Delta also sheds light on the mission of the Sacramento History Alliance and what the future holds for their commitment to Sacramento exhibitions, education, preservation, and partnerships. We discuss opportunities and potential challenges on the horizon.

And for those who want to engage with the museum's captivating content, we discuss how they came to have the most social media followers of a museum across their Tiktok, Youtube, and Facebook accounts.

Please enjoy this engaging episode, where we unlock the hidden gems of Sacramento's past with Delta Pick Mello.

For more episodes from the American Attic, visit our show homepage and to see all the other exciting work of the Sacramento Historical Society, visit sachistoricalsociety.org . 

To make sure you don’t miss any new episodes or speakers with the Sacramento Historical Society, you can become a member by visiting our new membership page.

In this episode, we are joined by Sacramento's official City Historian, Marcia Eymann. From the corridors of the Center of Sacramento History to colonial Williamsburg and back again, Eymann guides us through a career dedicated to bringing the past to life, for future generations, and leading local archival and preservation efforts. Turns out...there's a lot that goes in to those museum exhibits you see.

Specifically, we discuss her journey into history and how she came to lead Sacramento's preservation and archival efforts. We explore current efforts and initaitves at the Center for Sacramento History as well as ways for you to get involved. With virutal and in-person exhibits, archive crawls/tours and speaker series, there's always something going on with this group of intrepid historians. Join them for an evening with journalist and scholar Evelyn McDonnell as she discusses her new biography on Sacramento's own Joan Didion on October 19. 

Whether you are a seasoned historian, a budding enthusiast, or simply curious about the tales that our city holds, join us for one more trip up to the attic of Sacramento's past.

In this engaging conversation, we peel back the layers of Sacramento's past, and uncover the intricate processes of a historian's work. Discover how religion played a pivotal role in shaping the city's identity and development, as we examine the fascinating interplay between faith and community growth.

But that's not all—our discussion extends beyond the confines of religion, delving into Sacramento's diverse ethnic history. Uncover the stories of various communities and their contributions to the city's cultural (and physical) tapestry, highlighting the resilience, struggles, and triumphs that have shaped Sacramento's unique character.

With Steve Avella's wealth of knowledge and captivating storytelling, this episode offers a thought-provoking and immersive experience for history enthusiasts and curious listeners alike. Prepare to be enthralled as we bring Sacramento's vibrant social history to life, shedding light on the events, individuals, and ideas that have left an indelible mark on this captivating city.

Tune in to The American Attic and embark on a journey through time, uncovering the hidden stories that lie just upstairs in the American Attic. 

In this episode, we're joined by author Norman Hile to discuss his recently-published memoirs of his experience in the Vietnam war, Keeping Each Other Alive. Mr. Hile, retired attorney, served in the US Army from 1968 to 1971, including a combat tour in South Vietnam from August 1970 to June 1971. He received his JD degree from Columbia Law School in 1973 and became a partner at the Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe firm in 1980, leading its Sacramento office for more than twenty years. He lives in Sacramento, California.

In this episode, we explore Norm's abrupt drafting into the conflict, his experience as a artillery observer in Vietnam and lessons he's learned from the period of his life. Copies of Keeping Each Other Alive are available here. Norman remains active in the community, speaking often about his experience overseas in one of our country's more controversial conflicts. His remarks as part of a Sacramento Public Library series can be found here as well. 

Dr. Armstead is a retired professor of strategy and international law from the U.S. Naval War College. Additional highlights from his career working at the juncture of diplomacy & international relations include serving on faculties at Stanford and Pepperdine universities, working with the Dept. of Defense and RAND corporations, and time spent in Eastern Europe supporting NATO negotiations and constitutional reforms.

In this episode, Dr. Armstead harnesses decades worth of experience to shine light on the current conflict in Ukraine, the scope of U.S. aid packages and a host of other topics. Along with this show, he is a recurring guest on KVEC's Dave Congalton show and is a regular contributor of editorial content covering the diplomatic and international stakes of conflict in Ukraine.

Along with reenacting early Californian miners, our guest is a writer and history docent at Deer Creek Hills Preserve in Sacramento's East County. Along with talking the talk, our guest literally walks the walk as he leads tours through the rust-colored rolling hills, groves of California Oak and past artifacts of societies long since passed.

Suffice it to say, David Scharlach takes a hands on approach to history wherever you may find him. Thanks for joining us for one more trip up to the American Attic and please enjoy this roving and rambling discussion of one man's journey of getting "hooked" on history.

Among many other things, in this episode we discuss David's authorship of a series entitled 'Tales of the Blue Oak' which can be found at the Racho Murieta Today publication. 

In this episode of the American Attic, we sat down with the artist responsible for the César Chavez Memorial in Sacramento and a host of other works across California and beyond. Along with her current clay portrayal of Sacramento writer Joan Didion, we discuss the origins of inspiration, historical projects in public art and other topics

 So roll up your sleeves and join us for a refreshingly insightful glimpse of one who takes a literal hands on approach to history.

Dr. Steven Avella is an author and accomplished historian whose travels include diving deep into the Vatican archives as he explore the complex collision of religion and the development of California. In this enlightening episode, this award-winning biographer provides a glimpse into his introduction to the field and his facination with the life and times of Sacramento's preminent newspaperman C.K. McClatchy.

Avella walks us through McClatchy's upbringing and contributions to the media company which bears his name and continues to win Pulitzers and accolades to this day.

Through a narrative sprinkled with first-hand accounts, Bretón provides an up close and personal portrait of journalism prior to the Internet era as well as a thorough look at the current landscape including skepticism with the press, the impact of the internet and a host of other timely topics.

As our guide through this landscape, Bretón pulls on over 30 years of experience working in Sacramento newsrooms and an award-winning career covering sports and politics. Please enjoy!

**CORRECTION: When discussing artists working under USSR censorship, the guest shared a corrected reference to the idiom, "writing for the drawer" which can be found at this link 

Artists referenced: Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mikhail Bakhtin, Alla Gorskaya, Vasyl Stus

In this episode, the earthquake is explore through the lives of those that lived it. From participants in the opening ceremony of Game 3 of the World Series to an off duty firefighter, these first hand accounts of the event and its aftermath paint a vivid account of a day never to be forgotten by those who lived through it.

And there is much to discover in the life of Jack London from his years embezzling oysters from the under the nose of San Francisco’s finest, to a grueling work ethic, to the mysterious fire that tore through his prized Wolf House evidence of which can still be seen and felt today.

There is no other way to explore the life of Jack London than taking with it the good and the bad, the beauty and the blemish, and a close look reveals that the early years of this middle-class boy with a penchant for mischief was filled with both. Please enjoy this exploration of Northern California’s own, Jack London.