On February 25, 1854, Sacramento became the Capital of California. The Sacramento County Courthouse building, constructed in 1851, at I and 7th Streets served as the Capitol building until that building was destroyed by fire on July 13, 1854, just after the legislative session ended. A new Capitol building was completed in the same location in time for the next session, however. California’s previous state capitals were in San Jose (1849-1851), Vallejo (January 5-16, 1852 and January 1853), and

On March 22, 1870, the Turton & Knox Company won the bid to lift the Sacramento County Courthouse, at 7th and I Streets, at a cost of $16,900. The courthouse served as the State Capitol building from 1855 until 1869 when the formal State Capitol building was finished at L and 10th Streets. It took 400 jackscrews to lift the courthouse building 15 feet to the new street level. The raising of buildings and the street level was one of the major efforts Sacramento accomplished to help prevent furthe