The Eugene Hepting Collection contains 7,290 photographs, negatives and numerous magazine and newspaper articles. The images document Sacramento and Northern California beginning in the early 1930s and ending in the mid-1960s. Eugene Hepting carefully researched the subject matter of his images. The majority of his photographs include a paragraph stating the location and dates of the photos and the names of any people in the pictures. The subject matter of this collection is quite varied. Mr. Hepting took photographs of almost every city block and home in the downtown area of Sacramento. These images are very important because many of these residential and business structures are no longer standing. Often accompanying a photo is another image or newspaper article showing the demolition or burning of the same structure. Certain groups of photographs are quite valuable in capturing historical events, such as the Japanese American internment and relocation of 1942, the physical decline of Sutter's Fort and its subsequent reconstruction, scenes of Hooverville in 1934, and damages done by flood and storms in Sacramento's history.

Photographer Eugene Walter Hepting (1896-1971), was born in Sacramento, California in 1896 to German Swiss immigrants Edward and Anna Hepting. He worked for the state treasurer for over 30 years and was an active bicyclist for many years holding various records for long distance rides in the California Central Valley. As a native Sacramentan, he was prompted to start his photograph collecting by the late historian Caroline Wentzel. She brought to his attention that no one had yet compiled historic, old photographs of Sacramento. Mr. Hepting enthusiastically took on the project, and he added to his collection of cycling photographs of himself and the Sacramento bicycling club, The Wheelmen Club, dating back to 1917. Hepting would work continually on this massive project until his death in 1971. His entire original collection filled forty two loose leaf binders, of which the Sacramento History Center received twelve.

6.5 linear feet (7290 photographs)

All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.

Collection is open for research use.