Sutter's Fort

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Sutter's Fort interior

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Sutter's Fort was a 19th-century agricultural and trade colony in the Mexican Alta California province.<ref name="nhlsum">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Established in 1839, the site of the fort was originally part of a utopian colonial project called New Helvetia (New Switzerland) by its builder John Sutter, though construction of the fort proper would not begin until 1841. The fort was the first non-Indigenous community in the California Central Valley,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and saw grave mistreatment of Indigenous laborers in plantation or feudal style conditions. The fort is famous for its association with the Donner Party, the California Gold Rush, and the formation of the city of Sacramento, surrounding the fort. It is notable for its proximity to the end of the California and Siskiyou Trails, which it served as a waystation.<ref name="parks.history">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In modern times, the adobe structure has been restored to its original condition (Template:Coord) and is now administered by California Department of Parks and Recreation. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Rp

HistoryEdit

File:Sutter's Fort ruins painting by Calthea Vivian.jpg

Painting of Sutter's Fort ruins, Template:Circa 1900

To build his colony, John Sutter secured a 50,000-acre land grant in the Central Valley from the Mexican governor.<ref name="Palo Alto">Template:Cite book</ref> The main building of the fort, a two-story adobe structure built between 1841 and 1843, was constructed using Indigenous forced labor. It is the only original surviving structure at the reconstructed Sutter's Fort State Historic Park. On January 28, 1848, James Marshall met privately with John Sutter inside this building to show him the gold found during the construction of Sutter's sawmill along the American River four days earlier. Sutter built the original fort with walls Template:Convert thick and between 15 and Template:Convert high.<ref name="parks.history" /> Pioneers began settling at Sutter's Fort around 1841. Following the start of the California Gold Rush, the fort was largely deserted by the 1850s and fell into disrepair.

ConstructionEdit

The party led by John Sutter landed on the bank of the American River in August 1839. The group included three Europeans and a Native American boy, probably to serve as interpreter. Some of the first people brought to the colony were Native Hawaiian workers, called Kanakas. Sutter had entered a contract with the governor of Hawaii to import and use the labor of these eight men and two women for three years. Once the first camp was set up, Sutter used local Miwok, Nisenan, and "missionized" Native Californians to build the first building, a three-room adobe.<ref name="Palo Alto" />

Agricultural colonyEdit

Once the fort was built, Sutter established an agricultural colony with labor structures similar to Southern plantations and European feudalism.<ref name="Palo Alto" /> The colony relied on ranching and growing wheat crops. European colonists oversaw Native Californian and Native Hawaiian workers, who were often gravely mistreated. Sutter employed a caste system to ensure that the minority European settlers maintained control over the colony. Although some of the laborers worked voluntarily, many were subjected to brutal conditions that resembled enslavement or serfdom.<ref name="jstor.org">Template:Cite journal</ref>

DeclineEdit

After gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill (also owned by John Sutter) in Coloma on January 24, 1848, the fort was abandoned.<ref name="nhlsum" /><ref name="parks.history" />

PreservationEdit

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John Sutter's desk, photographed at Sutter's Fort State Historic Park

In 1891, the Native Sons of the Golden West, who sought to safeguard many of the landmarks of California's pioneer days, purchased and rehabilitated Sutter's Fort when the City of Sacramento sought to demolish it. Repair efforts were completed in 1893 and the fort was given by the Native Sons of the Golden West to the State of California. In 1947, the fort was transferred to the authority of California State Parks as Sutter's Fort State Historic Park.

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Making nails at Sutter's Fort, Sacramento

Most of the original neighborhood structures were initially built in the late 1930s as residences, many of which have been converted to commercial uses such as private medical practices. The history of the neighborhood is largely residential.

Geography and hydrologyEdit

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John Sutter plaque at Sutter's Fort

Sutter's Fort is located on level ground at an elevation of approximately Template:Convert above mean sea datum.<ref>U.S. Geological Survey, Sacramento East Quadrangle, 1967, photorevised 1980</ref> The slope elevation decreases northward toward the American River and westward toward the Sacramento River. Slope elevation gradually increases to the south and east, away from the rivers. All surface drainage flows toward the Sacramento River. Groundwater in the vicinity flows south-southwest toward the Sacramento Delta. However, after peak rainfall, the Sacramento River swells and the groundwater flow can actually reverse away from the river.<ref>Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, 2617 K Street, Sacramento, California, Earth Metrics Inc. Report # 10185, October 3, 1989</ref>

Sutter's LandingEdit

Sutter's Landing is the spot the Captain John A. Sutter landed in August 1839 at the American River after coming up the Sacramento River from Yerba Buena at Template:Coord. After landing, Sutter built a base camp, then Sutter's Fort. The site of the landing is California Historical Landmark #591 that was listed on May 22, 1957.<ref>Template:Cite ohp</ref>

Coloma RoadEdit

The old Coloma Road opened in 1847, it ran from Sutter's Fort to the city of Coloma. Marshall traveled the road to tell of his gold find to Captain John A. Sutter. During the 49ers gold rush thousands of miners traveled the road heading out to look for gold and claims. Coloma Road at Sutter's Fort is a California Historical Landmark No. 745.<ref>Template:Cite ohp</ref> There are two other Coloma Road California Historical Landmarks: Coloma Road, Rescue California Historical Landmark, No. 748, in Coloma and California Historical Landmark No. 747 at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.<ref>Template:Cite ohp</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> California's first stage line, California Stage Company, traveled the road starting in 1849, the line was founded by James E. Birch.<ref name=Bancroft>Hubert Howe Bancroft, History of California Volume 24, The History Company, 1890. pp. 151–152 and notes 46, 47, 48]</ref>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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