How did Jibboom Street, Bear Flag Way, and Teneighth Way get their names? What South Land Park street was named after the winemaker who drowned in his own vat of wine? Why does the Midtown grid have a street for every letter except Z? Was Dead Cat Alley in Woodland named for cats killed by poisoned rats, a restaurant house special, or a cat o’ nine tails? What Folsom street was so named becaue it was deemed to be “as worthless as the money paid for it”?
Carlos Alcalá, a Sacramento Bee columnist, is one of Sacramento's wittiest and most engaging writers. With his alter ego the Whys Guy, he's delved into Sacramento's rich history to come up with this quirky little guidebook on the origins of Sacramento's street names. To find out the answers to the questions above, and whether Tesla Way was named for the inventor or the rock band, you'll want this book. And when you pull Sacramento Street Whys out of your pocked or glove compartment, you'll get another benefit: the whimsical illustrations and detailed location maps sprinkled throughout. Anyone who loves Sacramento will find this unique volume amusing, intriguing, and thoroughly entertaining.