Sacramento's new city historian plans to shape the future of the region by connecting the past

Some of Sacramento's biggest stories are not in history books. They are tucked away in drawers, boxes and film reels.

Now, Sacramento's new city historian, Ty Smith, is working to connect the region's past with the people shaping its future.

Inside the Center for Sacramento History are millions of records, artifacts and collections that help tell the story of how the region became what it is today.

"Every turn of this place, every opening of the drawer is a new kind of discovery," Smith said. "At random, I opened up a drawer and there's a signed, autographed picture of Walt Disney."

Smith previously served as director of the California State Railroad Museum and has spent 26 years working in and around parks and museums through California State Parks.

"I haven't lived in Sacramento my whole life, but I have an affinity for Sacramento. I keep returning to it. This is the third time," Smith said.

His new job as city historian is a broad one. He oversees the Center for Sacramento History, preserves records and collections, and helps guide the city's vision for how its history should be shared with the public.

"I'm a historian, but I spend an awful lot of time thinking about the future," Smith said.

For Smith, Sacramento's local history is bigger than many people realize.

"In Sacramento, our local history is world history, and when I say that, people go, 'oh yeah, the Gold Rush,' but it's more than that. It's also the Transcontinental Railroad. Tower Records was born here in Sacramento and grew into a global iconic brand," he said.

Preserving Sacramento's history for the future

Smith is joined by volunteers, researchers and colleagues like Chris Hendricks, who spends much of his time digitizing the millions of documents kept at the center.

"That's the way I work, fast. My brain is just a process brain and it fits me really well, actually," Hendricks said.

In the center's cold storage unit, thousands of reels of old CBS13 footage are being preserved.

"As news is, it's a slice of life at that time. But here we have it all collected so we can reach back into time to tell a story," Smith said.

For Smith, preserving Sacramento's history is only part of the job. He says the bigger mission is taking those stories beyond the walls of the center.

"It can anchor us to something. I think of history as empowerment. I think of history as a way to connect and give people a sense of identity," Smith said.

Smith said he plans to be hands-on and front-facing with the public, encouraging conversations about Sacramento's past and how it can help shape the region's future.

For him, history is not meant to sit on a shelf. It is meant to be shared one story, one conversation and one discovery at a time.