FIRST - Mayor of Sacramento, CA - Hardin Bigelow
N 38° 33.820 W 121° 30.047
10S E 630616 N 4269423
The grave of Sacramento's first mayor resides near the front entrance to Old City Cemetery.
Waymark Code: WMNCXF
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 02/16/2015
Views: 1
Located near the front (north) entrance to Old City Cemetery is the grave of Hardin Bigelow. His headstone reads:
HARDIN BIGELOWELECTED APRIL 1, 1850,
FIRST MAYOR OF SACRAMENTO
UNDER THE CHARTER
FORM OF GOVERNMENT.
A NATIVE OF MICHIGAN.
DIED ON NOVEMBER 27, 1850,
IN SAN FRANCISCO OF CHOLERA,
FOLLOWING WOUNDS RECEIVED
IN THE SQUATTER RIOT AT
SACRAMENTO IN AUGUST 1850.
AGED 41 YEARS
Wikipedia highlights Bigelow's life in more and reads:
Hardin Bigelow was the first mayor to be elected in Sacramento City, succeeding Major General Albert Maver Winn as city mayor in February 1850. Bigelow was chosen because of his foresight, which protected the city from a March 1850 flood event. Under Bigelow, the Sacramento dropped the "City" portion of its name and was chartered as a city by the newly formed California State Legislature in late February.
Bigelow was mayor during the 1850 Sacramento fires in April, which destroyed a number of wooden structures on the Embarcadero apiece; he was mayor during the aftermath as well, when Sacramento City rebuilt with iron-shuttered structures and with brick and stone rather than wood to reduce the likelihood of fire damage.
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