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Sutter's Fort -
Arriving in
California
in 1839, John A. Sutter applied for a
land grant from the Mexican government and two years later received almost
50,000 acres in what is now present-day Sacramento. Envisioning an
agricultural utopia,
Sutter
began to build a settlement, which he called
New Helvetia, or "New
Switzerland."
And to protect his new property, he built what became known as Sutter's
Fort.
Employing members of the Miwok, Maidu, and Kanakas tribes, the fort
included 18 foot walls which surrounding shops, houses, mills, and
craftsmen.
Surrounding the fort the land was filled with crops such as
grapes and wheat, along with vast
herds of cattle.
Completed about 1843 and
strategically situated on the
Oregon-California Trail and near the inland
waterways from San Francisco, it soon became the primary destination for
most
California-bound
immigrants, including the ill-fated
Donner
Party, whom
Sutter
attempted to rescue.
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Sutter’s Fort today, Kathy Weiser, July, 2009.
This image available for
photographic prints and downloads
HERE!
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Sutter's
settlement rapidly grew and prospered as immigrants; trappers
and traders traveled through or settled in the area. Within
just a few years, Sutter was the wealthiest and most
influential man in the region and even he would later admit:
"I was everything, patriarch, priest, father and judge."
But, for
John Sutter,
his life was to come crashing down around him when
James Marshall discovered
gold at Sutter's Mill in January, 1848. As word quickly
spread, some 80,000 miners flooded the area, extending up and
down the length of the Sacramento Valley and overrunning
Sutter’s domain. Sutter’s employees also joined the Gold Rush
and he was unable to protect his property. In no time, his
sheep and cattle were stolen, his land was occupied by
squatters and he lost possession of the fort. By the 1850s,
all
that was left of Sutter's Fort was the central
building and by 1860, its
outer walls and rooms lay in ruin.
Ironically, neither
John Sutter nor
James Marshall ever
profited from the discovery that should have made them
independently wealthy.
In 1890, the State of
California
acquired the site and began
restoration, which was completed in 1893.
Sutter's Fort became a part of the
California
State Park System in 1947 and today stands as the oldest
restored Fort in the United States.
Of the original buildings, the
two-story central structure, made of adobe and oak, remains
preserved and provides
exhibits and living history
interpretive services.
Contact Information:
Sutter's Fort State Historic Park
2701 L Street
Sacramento,
California 95816
916-445-4422
Book Your
Sacramento
Lodging
HERE!
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