William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. Bicentennial Celebration

Folsom, California ~ Plans are underway to highlight the Leidesdorff Bicentennial Celebration, Friday, October 23, 2009 at the Murer House and Learning Center in Historic Folsom, California.

The residents of the City of Folsom, regional political leadership and the historic preservation community continues to demonstrate to the broader Northern California region how to showcase and highlight the extensive African American contribution to Gold Rush California with innovation and courage.

In 1966, the Sacramento Negro Museum and Library Association, led by Mr. Joe and Gertrude Larson established Leidesdorff Plaza at the site of Historic Leidesdorff Store near the corner of Leidesdorff St. and Reading St. The historic Murer House and Learning Center an elegant venue for such an occasion.

Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. was born October 23, 1810 on St. Croix, Virgin Island and on his birthday share developing plans to showcase his legacy by retracing his life story to highlight during international Leidesdorff Bicentennial Celebrations.

Today's Historic Folsom Station was once part the eastern part of Leidesdorff Ranch, a 35,000 acre agricultural enterprise acquired from the of Alta California Mexican Territory. Historical documentation of Leidesdorff Ranch adds to cultural mosaic of Historic Folsom Station as an inclusive international cultural tourist destination.

Historic Folsom Station, a historic regional transportation hub, new development blends modern Sacramento Regional Transit Gold Line with the historic Sacramento Valley Railroad Station, first railroad west of the Mississippi.

A guided educational walking tour of Historic Folsom, the crown jewel of the American River Parkway, is an unsurpassed educational opportunity for regional classroom field trips. This location is unsurpassed for an authentic, inclusive, innovative, hands on approach that will stimulate life long learning opportunities.

Imagine walking into the Folsom History Museum and seeing the first African-American Diplomat in U.S. History, the wealthiest man in 1848 California by all accounts.

Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr was the President of the first public school in the State of California, he donated the land, provided oversite for construction and sourced a Yale University graduate as first principal, Portsmouth Square, S.F., California.

Historic Folsom surrounding Leidesdorff Plaza is a living educational experience that is central to understanding an inclusive introduction to the California Gold Rush District.

The California Legislative bipartisan leadership of elder statesmen Senator Dave Cox, former Lt. Governor Mervyn Dymally, and Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg sponsored legislation that established the William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. Memorial Highway, 15 miles along U.S. Highway 50.

Today we urge ‘smart growth and development' utilizing the model at Leidesdorff Ranch and best practices of national historic preservation to restore, replicate and remember the contributions of the "African Founding Father of California"

Friday, October 23, 2010, at the Murer House we will begin journey toward the 200th year of the birth of Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saturday, October 23, 2010.

Together will mark a major milestone in the journey toward reconstructing and sharing his life story by building new bridges toward tomorrow highlighting his amazing life of exciting possibilities, filled with major accomplishments throughout the United States of America and beyond.

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