Join Us for Our Annual Member Dinner with Special Guest Mike Dunne
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 6 to 9 pm

Location: 14273 River Rd, Walnut Grove, CA 95690
Feature Presentation: The History of Grapes, Wines, and Vineyards in the Sacramento River Delta

Potluck Dinner – Bring a Dish to Share!

The Sacramento River Delta Historical Society invites you to our annual member dinner, a special evening of food, conversation, and history. This year, we’ll feature former Sacramento Bee food and wine writer Mike Dunne on the deep-rooted history of grape growing, winemaking, and vineyards in the Delta region. His book, The Signature Wines of Superior California: 50 Wines that Define the Sierra Foothills, The Delta, Yolo and Lodi will be available for sale.

In addition to the talk, this gathering is a great opportunity to meet neighbors, connect with fellow history enthusiasts, and learn more about how you can get involved in preserving and celebrating the Delta’s rich past.
All are welcome – members, friends, and newcomers! Bring a favorite dish to share and join us for an evening of Delta heritage and community.

Click here to sign up on Eventbrite, or contact srdhspresident@gmail.com

Upcoming Events

Look for us throughout the Delta, as we partner with other organizations at events like the Locke Asian Pacific Spring Festival, Saturday May 10, 2025, Hot August Bites, the Bass Derby, A Taste of the Delta and other festivities.

A Day at the Resource Center:  Saturday, June 21, 2025, 1 to 4 pm

Jean Harvie Community Center
14273 River Road
Walnut Grove, CA 95690

We’ll have the coffee pot and conversation going for folks to come by and share a story, peek at our holdings, or talk about ways to engage the community. Have photos to share or other items from the Delta? Bring them, too. We’ll provide coffee, tea, and some snacks. And hopefully, a new scanner to digitize your images. If we can recruit some new volunteers, we’ll expand the resource center openings to at least once a month.  Check out our Facebook Group for updates.

Courtland Pear Fair: Sunday, July 27, 10 am to 6 pm 

Join us at the Courtland Pear Fair. 51 years old and going strong. We’ll be available to sell our publications including the History of the Courtland Pear Fair, Pair Fair posters, Delta Stories and our calendars, plus share stories about our efforts to preserve the region’s history.

Packed with History: The Story of Delta Canneries and Packing Houses
A Panel facilitated by Maryellen Burns on Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Jean Harvie Community Center

Long before “farm to table” became a buzzword, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta was a powerhouse of food production and preservation. This talk explores the rich and often overlooked history of the canneries and packing houses that once lined the Delta’s riverbanks and rail lines. From the early days of hand-packed fruit and vegetables to the rise of large-scale operations, we’ll trace the growth of this essential industry and the communities that fueled it.

Meet the entrepreneurs who founded family-run packing sheds and large canning companies, the immigrant and migrant laborers—many of them women and children—who powered the lines, and the distributors who sent Delta-grown goods across the nation and around the world. We’ll uncover how innovations in transportation, refrigeration, and marketing transformed the region, and share stories of resilience, exploitation, and ingenuity. This is a tribute to the people behind the labels—those who fed California, and far beyond, from the heart of the Delta.

The Sacramento Archive Crawl: October 4, 2025

The Sacramento Archives Crawl is held every October. Crawlers tour between four host archives in Sacramento, gathering stamps in their passports as they view material from dozens of archives and special collection libraries, visit with archivists, and go on special behind-the-scenes tours.

You may join the Crawl at any of the four locations:
 · California State Archives (1020 O Street)
 · California State Library (914 Capitol Mall, Stanley Mosk Library & Courts Bldg.)
 · Center for Sacramento History (551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd)
 · Sacramento Public Library (Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, Central Library, 828 I Street)

Drive to one and take the free bus to the others.

We’re at the Center for Sacramento History.
​
"First People of the Delta: Indigenous Histories of the Sacramento Region"

November 15, 2025
1:30 to 3:30 pm
Jean Harvie Community Center

We’re still rounding up our panel, but mark your calendar for a conversation about how
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta's vibrant Indigenous communities’ deep knowledge of
the land and waterways sustained them for generations. We’ll explore the lifeways,
traditions, and enduring presence of the First Peoples of the Delta. Join us as we honor
their stories, cultures, and continued stewardship of this vital region.

Sacramento River delta Historical Society

UPCOMING EVENTS