Eureka! I struck gold yesterday in Old Sac at Gold Rush Days.

Well, more like the color of silver, tin to be exact.

Tinsmith William Brown is worth his weight in gold. His window into the pre-Gold Rush days of tinning are educational. His tinsmith booth is in the tent city closest to the Railroad Museum.

Step back in time. Stop at his booth. You'll be glad you did! He'll explain the origin of tole painting on tin, as well as the 'tippy-cup' babies drink from after giving up the bottle.

William Brown peers through his wiring down machine used in tinsmithing.

Brown holds a tin coffeepot he created. He and another tinner are the only tinsmiths in the US that make the coffeepot.

Brown uses his wiring down machine to create a groove at the top of a tin can. A wire is placed in the groove and tin is bent around it to create a smooth rounded top. The machine was created in 1845. Brown says everything made with tin includes wire. Tinsmithing is very labor-intensive. The tinsmiths has been plying the trade in America since 1720.

These youngsters check out the cannon while dressed in military uniforms in front of the  California State Military Museum.

The tent city on the Embarcadero looks like an army is camping in post-Gold Rush Days.

Reenactors pose for a photo in the pre-Gold Rush Days tent city near the Railroad Museum. A lean-to is set up nearby (below).

You'll find reenactors all over Gold Rush Days(above and two below).

Children play an age-old rope game in the grass in tent city. It's like tug of war for two, perched on a block, with a name I do not know how to spell.

Panning for gold.

  Enjoy wagon rides through Gold Rush Days.

A saloon gal guzzles down "alcohol" before a gunfight breaks out.

  Visitors to Gold Rush Days come from all over. These folks from Australia and Nova Scotia rest on hay bales along Front St.

More than 200 tons of dirt fill the streets of Old Sacramento as the annual festival "turns back the clock," transforming Sacramento's historic district into a scene straight out of the 1850s. Costumed re-enactors, Wild West gun fights, musicians playing period instruments, and many aspects of life during the Gold Rush will be highlighted during the four-day event.

Featuring: Dancing, Street Dramas, Pony & Wagon Rides, Gold Panning, Period Artifacts, Storytelling, Craft Making, Embarcadero Tent City, Ethnic Village, Period Musicians, Horse-Drawn Carriages & much more!

Gold Rush Days is produced and promoted in cooperation with the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, California State Parks, the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, Old Sacramento Historic District Office and the Sacramento History Museum. For more information about Gold Rush Days specifically, or about visiting Sacramento generally, including lodging and attractions.

Hours:

Saturday and Sunday • 11am-7pm

Monday, Labor Day • 11am-4pm

visit www.discovergold.org or call (916) 808-7777.

SacPress Photos | Kati Garner