Modern-day history of RM

Aerial photo in the last '60s of the land that would become Rancho Murieta. — This photo taken in the late 1960s shows the ranchland that would become Rancho Murieta. Jackson Road is at the right. The farmhouse at the center sits about where the RMA Building is now. The Cosumnes River is the background; beyond that is RM South.

Prologue

Here’s a look at the modern-day history of Rancho Murieta, from the 1960s to the present, with photographs collected through the years. This history is built on facts gathered through the years by RanchoMurieta.com and photos gathered by neighbors and community organizations.

But how do you begin? Do you begin with the Native Americans who once lived on this land and gave the Cosumnes River its name?

Do you begin with the Gold Rush and the miners whose population up the river at Michigan Bar numbered in the hundreds or thousands?

Do you begin with the bandit who – history or nonsense – gave his name to the community?

Do you begin after most of the miners have left, and the land was returned to grazing and farming?

This history begins in a different place – in modern times with the development of the land and our community. It isn’t a worthier starting point than the others, but it is more accessible. The other histories are projects for another day.

The archival sources for this material are, in alphabetical order, Murieta Times, RanchoMurieta.com, Rancho Murieta Country Club newsletters, River Valley Times, Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Business Journal and Sacramento Union.