Geologically speaking, the Sacramento Valley is a giant flood plain for the run off of multiple rivers that cut through its fertile grounds.
These seasonal floods worked to enrich the soil, create wetland habitat, and support migrating waterfowl and fish populations with vital nutrients. In times of high water, it is said that indigenous people would relocate to higher grounds such as the Sutter Buttes mountain range. But details on the flooding that occurred here has been spread out amongst various news articles, books, and oral traditions. For these reasons, the Sutter County Museum in Yuba City has been working on consolidating this history into a permanent regional flood exhibit for the public.
Commitment toward developing this installation started in 2017 when the city of Yuba City donated $15,000 to the Community Memorial Museum Association, a nonprofit organization which supports the Sutter County Museum’s educational programs and exhibits. On Feb. 24, the museum was awarded $383,183 in a combined capital improvement and program grant from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment under the umbrella of the California Department of Natural Resources. This funding will be used in a variety of ways, including the eventual completion of the museum’s long awaited flood exhibit.
"This is the largest grant ever awarded to the Sutter County Museum," said Karm Bains, chair of the Sutter County Board of Supervisors. "This funding will allow the Sutter County Museum to add a comprehensive flood exhibit, upgrade the Nisenan and Gold Rush exhibits, and create educational programming that more directly supports our local schools and teachers. This is in line with our board’s goal of remaining committed to community and cultural programs and services such as the museum and library. I congratulate the staff on a great job of pursuing and landing this grant.”
According to the museum, a “super flood” between 1862 to 1863 transformed the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea and records show that the last flood to reach Marysville was in 1875. As more people began settling the area, the risk of floods and the idea of flood protection became a priority. In 1955, a flood killed 38 people in Yuba City and in 1986 and 1997, floods devastated a southern portion of Yuba County. During this time, three people were killed and the Merisan basin of Sutter County was turned into a giant lake.
Natural disasters like these, paired with seasonal wildfires, have inevitably played a huge role in shaping the local history of both Yuba and Sutter counties. Stories like these will be detailed in the museum’s new exhibit with the goal of education and awareness.
“We are thrilled that the California Cultural and Historical Endowment saw the importance of bringing this funding to the Yuba-Sutter community,” said Molly Bloom, Sutter County Museum’s director and curator. “Thanks to their support, our museum will be able to make a significant and lasting impact and meet our goals for how Sutter County can best serve the local community through our museum.”
Funding from this grant will be used to detail the known history of flooding in the area and how native Californians coped with flooding for centuries.
In the mid-19th century, the Sacramento Valley underwent a great period of transformation as levees and dams were constructed to reclaim flood plains and bar the rivers from overflowing. These projects included a dam funded by the federal government on the Sacramento River, one on the Feather River by the state government, and one on the Yuba River created by the people of Yuba County.
"Flooding is deeply embedded in our community's history," said Zachary Hamill, Sutter County’s emergency manager. “The regional flood exhibit will serve as an educational and informative resource for locals and visitors alike. We look forward to leveraging existing and future grants to help develop this exhibit and provide valuable resources to the community. Together, we can ensure that the impact of floods is not forgotten, and we can work towards a safer and more resilient future."
In a partnership with the Sutter County Office of Emergency Management, a statement issued from the Sutter County Museum said that the new exhibit will include information on how residents can prepare for a flood and better understand their relationship to the rivers.
Aside from the flood exhibit, the grant will also be used to fund upgrades to the current Nisenan exhibit. The Nisenan were a Native tribe who lived in the Yuba-Sutter area for at least 10,000 years prior to the European discovery of California, and the Gold Rush, which led to the rapid transformation of the Sacramento Valley.
“As a part of future planning for the Sutter County Museum, our staff and board have been exploring opportunities for interactive components, enhancements to the technology, and other upgrades in our permanent exhibits,” said Bloom. “We want our galleries to support a variety of learning styles and include more participatory opportunities. Having a grant of this size awarded will allow us to continue considering these options and more, creating a well-rounded museum experience for local schools and families.”
In addition to all this, the museum said it also had plans to create a curriculum targeted to elementary school students and increase the number of students and families that visit the museum each year.
“We want to directly meet the needs of our local teachers and schools,” said Bloom. “This funding will allow us to form a school advisory group of teachers and administrators and work with them to determine key curriculum topics that our exhibits can share. We plan to develop traveling artifact trunks with hands-on lesson plans and objects, as well as targeted museum tours, that meet state educational standards.”
Museum staff estimate that development of the flood exhibit, and the refurbishment of other exhibits, will take around two years, according to a timeline presented to the California Cultural and Historical Endowment.
During that time, the museum association will be seeking participation from community donors and volunteers. Funds raised by the museum association could be used to add technology upgrades, finance additional buses for increased school tours, and other general enhancements to the project.
Now that things are beginning to progress, the museum said it will be providing opportunities to participate in the exhibit’s development by collecting community input and stories about local flooding, the Gold Rush, and the Nisenan. More information about these opportunities will be shared with the public once details for the events and input sessions have been scheduled.
“This is a project that the community wants to see from the Sutter County Museum,” said Bloom. “These are the stories of our community that have been told for generations, and the museum is a place where people can discuss, discover, and build connections from shared experiences. Now, more of these stories will be celebrated with free exhibits and educational programs. This is exactly why we are here – to share the local history of this community and serve the region through our community’s museum.”
