Editorial: Plan for Indian museum was worth waiting for

California finally is about to get an Indian Heritage Center worthy of the historical and contemporary contributions of more than 150 Indian tribes. The tiny 4,000-square-foot California State Indian Museum at Sutter's Fort can house only a fraction of the basketry, beadwork, clothing and exhibits needed to tell the story of California's Indians.

A major plus is that that the new center will remain in the Sacramento region, to become an attraction that will draw visitors on the scale of the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento.

It will be located on a 43-acre site in West Sacramento, across from the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers. The joint Sacramento/West Sacramento Riverfront Master Plan (adopted in 2003) recognized that this land on the levee side of the Sacramento River would have limited commercial and residential potential, but would be ideal for a state park.

Only 10 acres of the site, atop the levee at the level of the 200-year floodplain, is developable. It's perfect for the Indian Heritage Center – large enough to accommodate exhibits, as well as a library, preservation lab, store and restaurant. A large pond on the site can be used for reed basket-weaving demonstrations. Outdoors, the site will connect with the planned bike/walking trail along the Sacramento River and have space for small gatherings and special events. Parking will be off-site, with State Parks operating shuttles to the center.

The operating model is the State Railroad Museum. The land and buildings will be owned by California State Parks. A private foundation will do fundraising and offer help with programming and interpretive services. On-site security will be provided by State Parks contract security personnel and rangers, as in Old Sacramento, in cooperation with city police.

As a state park, the 43-acre site cannot ever be used to develop a casino (a persistent and mean-spirited rumor than needs to be dispelled now).

Across the river in Sacramento, the American River Parkway between Northgate and Discovery Park will be used for outdoor interpretive exhibits (with the potential for large festival gatherings at the Boy Scouts' Camp Pollock).

Both Sacramento and West Sacramento will have a part in this project – and, eventually, a pedestrian bridge will link the center and the American River Parkway. The site is close to Old Sacramento and other area museums.

The California Indian Heritage Center Task Force has been working for years to find the right location and finally has got the right one. It has been worth the wait.

A lot of details and public meetings remain, of course. A Feb. 11 workshop on the project drew 100 people in West Sacramento. There is a lot of interest in this project. A few people seem to be holding out hope for a luxury housing, shops and a marina for the 43-acre site, but the Army Corps of Engineers and Reclamation Board (now the Central Valley Flood Protection Board) won't allow that on the river side of the levee in the post-Katrina era.

A state park is ideal and the Indian Heritage Center would be a major visitor attraction for the Sacramento region. Without major glitches, this project should be on track for a 2011 groundbreaking and a 2012 opening. It's about time.