Crawlers check out an archives’ table exhibit at the California State Library in 2025. Photo courtesy of California State Parks

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Celebrate American Archives Month with the Sacramento Archives Crawl from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 17. This fun, free, open-house event features behind-the-scenes tours and exhibits at four host institutions in Sacramento: the California State Archives, California State Library, Center for Sacramento History and Sacramento Public Library Central Branch. Twenty archival institutions from the Sacramento region, Delta, and Foothills will also be exhibiting at the four sites.

Start and end the crawl at any site and go in any order. Free shuttle transportation is available between the sites. Pick up a crawl passport at any location and get it stamped to receive a fun set of commemorative coasters featuring archival images.

Several special events are included in the crawl.

The California State Archives is presenting Shaping a Shoreline: Stories from the Waterfront, a new exhibit featuring one-of-a-kind original records that document the development of San Francisco's waterfront, including maps, photographs, correspondence, and employee records. Crawl participants can also enjoy behind-the-scenes tours offered on the hour between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and free admission to the California Museum.

The California State Library will be holding 30-minute guided "Tiny Tours" that feature Frank Van Sloan's 1929 mural "The War Through the Ages," a display of photographs from Johnny Cash's San Quentin and Folsom Prison concerts, Maynard Dixon's mural "Pageant of Traditions," sculptures by Edward Field Sanford Jr., the library lobby, Gillis Hall and circulation room.

The Center for Sacramento History is offering tours of its collections’ storage vault every half hour from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There will also be a new exhibit, Employees Only: On the Job in Sacramento, featuring photos that show folks hard at work, plus displays of antique office machines (including typewriters you can type on), and objects from Tower Records founder Russ Solomon's office.

From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., the Sacramento Public Library's Sacramento Room will feature a talk by Abbygale Principe on the first wave of Filipino immigration to the Central Valley and Sacramento area, followed by a moderated presentation with Christella Maldonado.

Here are a few highlights from some of the institutions with exhibition tables at the 2026 crawl.

California State Parks' photographic archives will feature an exhibit on the immigration station at Angel Island State Park with rare archival materials and photographs.

The California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives is presenting The Railroad Goes to Hollywood, an exhibit featuring movie posters, scripts, photographs and other documents that highlight the railroad's role on the silver screen.

The Lavender Library will show materials on the role of queer book shops between the 1970s and 2000s, with a focus on the Sacramento shops Lioness Books and The Open Book.

California Revealed will screen film footage at the Sacramento Public Library all day, featuring home movies from the Harold N. Ouye Collection that capture everyday life in Sacramento from 1949 to 1958.

The Western Railway Museum archives will feature the 80th anniversary of the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association, a new BART 50th anniversary exhibit and the Sacramento Northern Railway.

The Sacramento River Delta Historical Society will be focusing on the history of canning in the Sacramento region. Roseville Historical Society will feature yearbooks, railroad artifacts, maps, and posters from early Roseville.

Library Juice Press will have an assortment of their publications on practical issues in the library and archives field. The California Automobile Museum will display items that celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66.

Root Cellar – Sacramento Genealogical Society will be on hand to lend their expertise in archival research and show off their library housed at the State Archives. The Friends of California Archives will be featuring their book “The Time Travelers” based on historical female figures.