About Sutter's Fort:
In 1839, the Mexican government granted land to a Swiss immigrant named John Sutter in the Sacramento Valley. On his new land John Sutter created a flourishing agricultural empire, which he named New Helvetia (New Switzerland.) His fort established Sacramento's earliest, non-native settlement in California's Central Valley. Sutter’s land included the majority of the Sacramento Valley. The fort soon became a hub of activity, an important trade post, an agricultural and manufacturing center, and a major destination for emigrants traveling either the overland trail or arriving by sea. .
The Donner Party, a group of pioneers trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during the severe winter of 1847, found refuge and aid from Captain Sutter. Word spread, and Sutter became known for his hospitality. This generosity made Sutter’s Fort the destination for early pioneers to California.
The construction of Sutter's Mill in the area now known as Coloma, inadvertently brought about the end of Captain Sutter's enterprise. James Marshall, a skilled carpenter who worked at the fort, and who was in charge of the construction of the mill, came back to the fort with word on the discovery of gold. News spread quickly, and soon all left the fort in search of gold. Sutter's land was swarmed by gold seekers in what became known as the Gold Rush, marking the end of manufacturing at the fort, and turning it instead into a marketplace where gold seekers could purchase goods for their new trade.
The fort is all that remains of New Helvetia. It has been restored to its former state based on an 1847 map.
The Donner Party, a group of pioneers trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during the severe winter of 1847, found refuge and aid from Captain Sutter. Word spread, and Sutter became known for his hospitality. This generosity made Sutter’s Fort the destination for early pioneers to California.
The construction of Sutter's Mill in the area now known as Coloma, inadvertently brought about the end of Captain Sutter's enterprise. James Marshall, a skilled carpenter who worked at the fort, and who was in charge of the construction of the mill, came back to the fort with word on the discovery of gold. News spread quickly, and soon all left the fort in search of gold. Sutter's land was swarmed by gold seekers in what became known as the Gold Rush, marking the end of manufacturing at the fort, and turning it instead into a marketplace where gold seekers could purchase goods for their new trade.
The fort is all that remains of New Helvetia. It has been restored to its former state based on an 1847 map.
Suggested Reading:
- If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon by Ellen Levine
- Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hatti Campbell
- The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerr (An I Can Read Book)
- Wagon Train by Sydelle Kramer (All Aboard Reading)
- Once Upon a Time the Way America Was by Eric Sloane
- Diary of an Early American Boy by Eric Sloane
- Pioneer Life for Children: Daily Pioneer Life Video by Schlessinger Media
- Pioneer Life for Children: The Pioneer Journey West Video by Schlessinger Media
- John Sutter: California Pioneer by Chris Hayhurst
- John Sutter: Sutter's Fort and the California Gold Rush by Iris Wilson Engstrand
- Pioneers Go West By Stewart, George Rippey
- Pioneers of California: True stories of early settlers in the Golden State by Donovan Lewis
- Patty Reed's Doll: The Story of the Donner Party by Rachel K. Laugaard
- The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr