Mary Lynne Vellinga, in the Feb. 3 Sacramento Bee's "1930s-era work boosted spirits and left a legacy", writes about how President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal impacted Sacramento during the Great Depression.
The article recalls the many projects that stemmed from the New Deal that are a part of the city's living legacy. Through the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps local projects, such as construction of the Tower Bridge, provided both jobs to those in need as well as contributed to the city's infrastructure.
Not having been raised in Sacramento, I found this article to be incredibly informative. While I found the underlying comparison to FDR's New Deal to President Obama's economic stimulus plan a bit opportunistic, I really enjoyed learning about all of the great works done by Depression-era workers that can be found all around the city.
As a Sacramentan, I have the privilege of walking among these amazing, historical testaments to our nation's ability to rise up from the depths of economic despair on a daily basis. In an instant however, I was saddened by the realization that it took me 15 years to discover these amazing historical treasures. I then wondered, how many of my fellow city mates just realized that the state's capital reaped some incredible rewards from the amazing projects created by the New Deal?
From the aforementioned Tower Bridge, to the grand water towers that hover mightily above us - one behind Sacramento City College and the other behind the Safeway on Alhambra Boulevard - FDR's legacy lives and breathes in the capital of California. Because these structures surround us in silence, it is up to all of us to ensure that they live on and are not forgotten.
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