Carmichael Historian Talks Area Then and Now

Carmichael resident Kay Muther was reading The Sacramento Bee newspaper in December 2003 when she noticed a column by Walt Wiley in which he announced that Arcadia Publishing was looking for authors to write about the history of Sacramento County neighborhoods.

Muther, a former historical librarian at California State University, Sacramento with a western history degree from Arizona State University, answered the call.

What resulted was the book "Images of America: Carmichael," which is available in area bookstores (including the Barnes and Noble in Citrus Heights), libraries and online.

"I went about talking to the old timers on Carmichael's history," Muther said earlier this week, as the community prepares for on Saturday. "Several opened their photo albums to me... and told me these wonderful stories."

Muther and her husband Stanley have lived in Carmichael since 1987. Stanley is part of the singing group and Kay, who is now retired, is active in mission trips at Northminster Presbyterian Church.

As for Carmichael, the area's original inhabitants were Native Americans, probably Maidu Indians. White families began farming nearby around 1860.

Development began in 1909 when Daniel Carmichael bought 2,000 acres and called it Carmichael Colony No. 1. He offered it for sale in 10-acre lots. There were national advertisements including in Sunset Magazine.

People were expecting to plants orchards but the hard pan under the soil proved difficults and some died when they tried to blow up the land.

As for the character of Carmichael residents, Muther said the area has always prided itself of being a tight-knit commmunity.

"It's very family oriented and I'm not sure that's changed," she said. "There's still a sense of neighborhood."

Muther said the area has seen more Latino and Asian-American families in recent years.

Education has always been important to residents and community involvement in public parks including the new opened shows a continuing community spirit, she said.

Muther said she has been following the ongoing debate over the , which looks at redevelopment.

"I'm not sure what we can do in this economy," she said. "Empty stores bother me."

"I'm not opposed to muffler shops and car washes, as long as they're kept up," Muther said. "I would like to ride a bike more safely; it's a little too busy."

Meanwhile, Muther's book lives on as a history of this area we call home.

"It's a collection of photos but they also tell people's stories," she said. "It was neat to hear all of them."

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