John Sutter

1803–1880

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

John Sutter was born in Germany and educated at a Swiss military academy, after which he settled down and married Annette Dubold. He owned a small shop in Switzerland, but he was a known spendthrift, and soon accrued debt forced him to leave his wife and children in Europe and move to America. He arrived in New York in 1834, and within a few years he had made peace with the local natives and established Sutter’s Fort in the region he termed New Helvetia (present-day Sacramento). He relied primarily on Indian labor to build the fort, often enslaving those from tribes with whom he did not have peace agreements. He attempted to claim the area for France, but when the U.S. purchased the land, he was forced to concede. Then in 1848, one of Sutter’s most trusted workers, James Marshall, discovered gold near the fort’s mill. The two men tried to keep it a secret, but soon word of their findings was released and thousands rushed to California in the Gold Rush. Sutter himself tried to mine, but he was unsuccessful, and those he employed to do the work instead often cheated him out of his fair share.

Defeated, John returned to Sutter’s Fort, but his financial difficulties only increased; mobs of gold seekers tore out his fences in their hurry, letting loose his livestock. Without any other means of support, Sutter attempted to set up and sell the town of Sutterville, but the venture was unsuccessful. Deeply in debt, Sutter gave the land to his son, who had recently arrived from Switzerland and immediately began making plans for a new city called Sacramento. Meanwhile, John received a letter of introduction to Congress from the governor of California, and he moved to Washington, D.C. After Lincoln was assassinated, Sutter and his wife, who had also come to America, left for Lilitz, Pennsylvania. John, however, continued to visit Washington, and he died in a hotel room in the city in 1880.

Key events during the life of John Sutter:

Year	Event
1803	Born.
1834	Moved to America.
1839	Established Sutter's Fort.
1848	James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill.
	Start of the California Gold Rush.
1865	Moved to Lilitz, Pennsylvania.
1880	Died in Washington, D.C.

Other Resources

Story Links	Book Links
Finding Gold in California  in	Stories of American Life and Adventure  by  Edward Eggleston
Gold in California  in	America First—100 Stories from Our History  by  Lawton B. Evans
Polk—The Finding of Gold  in	This Country of Ours  by  H. E. Marshall

Image Links
Weighing the First Gold  in Stories of American Life and Adventure	Forty-niners panning for gold in California  in History of the United States

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