The story of Sacramento's rapid development from remote frontier city to hub of the modern Central Valley is rich and storied. It's easy to forget that 65 years ago trolley cars criss-crossed Sacramento's bustling streets. Not too long before that, areas such as East Sacramento and Land Park were unincorporated farmland.

Since 1953, the Center for Sacramento History, the city and county's official archive, has collected and preserved artifacts that tell Sacramento's colorful story. But it's not just a repository. The center allows researchers to duplicate its vast collection of video, photographs and documents for a modest fee.

Recently it partnered with Zazzle, an Internet company, to allow the public to create high-quality reproductions of the center's most sought after material.

"We got interested with Zazzle because the California State Library and the Bancroft Library at Berkeley have partnered with them," said Dylan McDonald, center archivist. "We just scan [the artifact] one time so it preserves the original copy."

Those interested in historical holiday cards, calendars, maps or other collectible objects can order them on the Center for Sacramento History's website.

The items make unique holiday gifts and help the center maintain basic services during a period of economic instability.

McDonald said the percentage of each sale that goes to the center has helped offset declines in city and county funding.