JOHN A. SUTTER AND HIS FORT.
SUTTER,
JOHN A.
The
first permanent settler with in the limits of what is now Sacramento County,
who is known to history, and who initiated European civilization, was Captain John A. Sutter. The following
sketch of his life was condensed from a lecture delivered in New York, April 6,
1866, by General Dunbar in Sutter's presence, and published in the Sacramento Union
May 10 following:
Sutter
was born of Swiss parents, in the Ground Duchy of Baden, February 28,
1803. Reared an educated in Baden,
young Sutter entered the military service of France as Captain under Charles
X., and remained there until he was thirty years of age. At this period, yielding to his pioneer
impulses, he embarked for New York, and arrived there July, 1834. His object was coming to the New World was
to select a place and prepare the way for a colony of his countrymen in the
West. He first located at St. Charles,
Missouri; but the vessel containing his effects was sunk, his property lost,
and he abandoned the place of his first choice.
After
sojourning in St. Louis for a time, he made a journey of exploration to New
Mexico, where he met hunters and trappers, who had traversed Upper California,
and they describe to him the beautiful sun-lit valleys, the verdure-covered
hills and the magnificent mountains of that remarkable land. These accounts resolved him to make
California the field of his future operations.
The
only way of reaching the Pacific Coast at that time was to accompany trapping
expeditions of the English and American fur companies. On the 1st of April, 1836, Sutter joined
Captain Tripp, of the American Fur Company, and traveled with his party to
their rendezvous in the Rocky Mountain
region. Thence, with six horsemen, he
crossed the mountains, and after encountering many dangers, arrived in Fort
Vancouver. Not finding it practicable
to go south from Vancouver by land, he embarked on a vessel bound for Sandwich
Islands, hoping to find an opportunity of sailing thence to the California
coast. He sailed from the Islands in a
vessel bound for Sitka, and from there down the coast. The vessel was driven by gales into the Bay
of San Francisco, on July 2, 1839. (The
point at which San Francisco now stands was then called Yerba Buena.) The
vessel was boarded by a governmental officer, with an armed force, who ordered
Sutter to leave, saying that Monterey, ninety miles southward, was the port of
entry. Permission, however, was obtained to remain forty-eight hours for
supplies.
On
reaching Monterey, Sutter told the Governor, General Alvarado, that he desired
to occupy and colonize a section of country in Upper California, on the
Sacramento River. The Governor warmly
approved his plan, as he was desirous that the upper country should be subdued
and settled. He informed Sutter that
the Indians in that country were hostile, that they would not permit the whites
to settle there, and that they had robbed the inhabitants of San Jose and the
lower settlements of their cattle, etc.; but he readily gave Sutter a passport
with authority to explore and occupy any territory which he should consider
profitable for his colony, and requested him to return in one year, when he
should have his citizenship acknowledged and receive a grant of such lands as
he might desire.
Sutter
returned to Yerba Buena, then containing scarcely fifty inhabitants, engaged a
schooner and several small boats, and with a company of 10 whites started to
ascend the river with no guide, as no one could be found in Yerba Buena who had
ever ascended the Sacramento River.
After eight days' search he found the mouth of the Sacramento. Reaching a point about ten miles below the
present site of Sacramento City, he encountered a party of 200 Indian warriors,
who exhibited every indication of hostility.
Fortunately, two or three of the Indians understood Spanish, and Sutter
soon soothed them by an assurance that there were no Spaniards in his
party,--against whom the Indians were particularly hostile,--and explained to
them that he came only to be a peaceable citizen.
Guided
by two Indians, who could speak Spanish, Sutter made his way up the Sacramento
to Feather River, and ascended the latter streams some distance; but, on
account of the alarm of some of his men, returned down the Sacramento River to
the mouth of the American, and on Aug. 16, 1839, landed his effects upon the
south bank of that stream, a little above the mouth and near where the city of
Sacramento is now located. Here he
informed the disappointed whites that they might leave him if they wished, but
that the Kanakas were willing to remain.
Three of the whites left, with a schooner, for Yerba Buena. Three weeks later Sutter removed to where he
built the Fort which has since become famous.
But little did he think then that he was to be the most important
instrumentality in the founding of a magnificent empire. His companions were six wandering whites of
various nativities and eight Kanakas, who were ever faithful to him, and who
constitutes his "colony" and his army. By their aid he was to hold his ground, subdue and colonize a
district of country entirely unknown, and inhabited only by wild and roving
tribes of hostile Indians. This portion
of Upper California, though fair to the look upon, was particularly solitary
and uninviting. It was isolated and
remote from civilization. The nearest
whites settlement was a small one at Martinez.
The Indians were of that class known as "Diggers."
Born
and reared in the atmosphere of royalty and refined society of Europe, with a
liberal military education, gentle and polished in manners, and of unbounded
generosity of heart, we find Sutter successfully planting his little colony in
the midst of the wild Digger Indians of the Sacramento country. At length a few pioneers came stealing over
the border, then the solid tramp of masses was heard, and then came a human
deluge, that overwhelmed our bold Swiss pioneer.
The
first tide of immigration was entirely from Oregon. In the fall of 1839 there was an accession of eight white men,
and in August, 1840, five of those who had crossed the Rocky Mountains with
Sutter, and whom he had left in Oregon, joined him. During the fall of that year the Mokelumne Indians, with other
tribes, became so troublesome that open war was made against them; and after a
severe but short campaign they were subdued, and an enduring peace
established. Other bands of Indians
organized secret expeditions to destroy the colony, but by force and strict
vigilance their machi-nations were defeated, and Sutter conquered the entire
Sacramento Valley, by bringing into willing subjection many of those who had
been his fiercest enemies. In time he
made them cultivate the soil, built his fort, care for the stock, and make
themselves generally useful. In the
subsequent military history of California, Sutter and his Indians were a
power. Traffic increased apace. He sent his hides to San Francisco,
furnished the trappers with supplies, and received in exchange or by purchase
their furs. The mechanics and laborers
who came he employed, or procured them work.
In
June, 1841, Sutter visited Monterey, then the capital of the country, was
declared a Mexican citizen, and received from Governor Alvarado a grant of the
land upon which he had located--eleven "leagues"--under the title of
"New Helvetia." The Governor also gave him a commission. Returning to his colony, he was shortly
afterward visited by Captain Ringgold, both United States Exploring Expedition,
under Commodore Wilkes, with officers and men.
About the same time Alexander Kotchkoff, Governor of the Russian
Possessions in California visited Sutter and offered to sell him all the
possessions of his government known as Ross" and Bodega. Excepting the bargain, Sutter came into
possession of the vast extent of real estate, besides 2, 000 cattle, 1, 000
horses, fifty mules and 2, 500 sheep, most of which were transferred to New
Helvetia.
In
1844 Sutter's improvements were extensive, and the amount of his stock was
large. During that year he petitioned
Governor Micheltorena for the grant or purchase of the surplus over the first
eleven leagues of land with in the balance of the survey accompanying the
Alvarado grant, and this petition was granted Feb. 5, 1845, in consideration of
Sutter's valuable services and his expenditure of $8, 000 in the suppression of
the Castro rebellion.
About
1844 small bodies of emigrants began to find their way to California direct
from the States, striking Sutter's Fort, the first settlement after crossing
the mountains. Year by year these
parties of immigrants increased in size, until after the gold discovery, when
they could be counted by thousands and tens of thousands. It was then that the value of Sutter's
settlement and that generous qualities of the man became strikingly
apparent. No weary, destitute immigrant
reached his fort who was not supplied with all that he needed and sent on his
way rejoicing. Frequently he even sent
supplies in advance to those coming through the Sierras. Year after year he did this, without
thinking of any return. On one occasion
a solitary immigrant was just able to reach the fort and reported that his
companions were at some distance back dying of starvation. Sutter immediately caused seven mules to be
packed with supplies, and, attended by two Indian boys, started with the
immigrant for the scene of distress. On
arriving, everything was seized by the crazed wretches and devoured.
Other
starving immigrants arriving, they killed the Sutter's seven mules and ate
them. Then they killed the two Indian
boys and ate them. Said Sutter,
referring to the circumstance afterward with much feeling, "They ate my
Indian boys all up."
During
the war between the United States and Mexico, Sutter was a Mexican citizen, and
representative of the Mexican Government on the frontier; but his sympathies
were naturally with the United States.
Whenever any party of American citizens, civil or military, visited him,
his unbounded hospitalities were uniformly and cordially extended to them. When the country surrendered to the United
States forces, with joy he raised the American flag, July 10, 1846, and fired a
salute from the guns of his fort. In
1849 he was a member of the Constitutional Convention; at the first state
election was a candidate for Governor, and was afterward a Brigadier-General in
the State militia.
But
the day on which gold was discovered was in evil one for him. His mechanics and laborers deserted him,
even the Kanakas and Indians. He could
not hire laborers to plant or harvests crops.
Neither could he run his mills.
For a time after the immense flood of immigration poured in, his rights
were respected; but it was not for long.
When men found that money could be made in other ways then by mining,
many forcibly entered upon his lands and cut his wood, under the plea that they
were vacant and unappropriated lands of United States. By the 1st of January, 1852, the settlers
had occupied his lands capable of settlement or appropriation, and others had
stolen all his horses, mules, cattle, sheep and hogs, save a small portion used
and sold by himself. One party of five,
during the high waters of 1849-' 50, when his cattle were partly surrounded by
water near the Sacramento River, killed and sold enough to about to $60,000.
Sutter,
broken in purse, disheartening, robbed and powerless to help himself, remove to
Sutter County and took up his residence in Hock Farm, then a beautiful piece of
property, but now a waste of sand and debris. For some years he led the quiet life of a farmer there, but
afterward was a continual haunter of Congress at Washington, where he sat to
obtain redress from the general Government for the barefaced robberies that had
been practiced upon him. In 1873 he
removed to Litiz, Pennsylvania, and on the 18th day of June, 1880, died at
Washington, District of Columbia.
Sutter
was that generous man. His manners were
polished, and the impression he made on every one was favorable. In figure he was of medium height, rather
scout but well-made. His head was
round, features regular, with smiling and agreeable expression, while his
complexion was healthy and roseate. He
wore his haircut close, and his mustache trained short, a la militaire. He dressed very neatly in a frock coat,
pantaloons and cape of blue.
Such
was the man to whom California owes so much, and upon whom she bestowed so
little.
Captain
John C. Fremont, the "Pathfinder," arrived in this country in March,
1844, and in his narrative this describes the situation of Sutter and his fort:
"Captain
Sutter emigrated to this country from the western part of Missouri in 1838-'
39, and formed the first settlement in the valley, on a large grant of land
which he obtained from the Mexican Government.
He had at first some trouble with the Indians; but the occasional
exercise of well-timed authority, he has succeeded in converting them into a
peaceful and industrious people. The
ditches around his extensive wheat fields; the making of sundried bricks of
which his fort was constructed; the plowing, harrowing and other agricultural
operations, are entirely the work of these Indians, for which they receive a
very moderate compensation--principally in shirts, blankets and other articles
of clothing. In the same manner, on
application to the chief of a village, he readily obtains as many boys and
girls as he has any use for. There were
at this time a number of girls at the fort, in training for a future-woolen
factories; but they were now all busily engaged in constantly water in the
gardens. Mr. Sutter was about making
arrangements to irrigate his lands by means of the American River. He had this land sown, and altogether by
Indian labor, 300 bushels of wheat.
"A
few years since, the neighboring Russian establishment of Ross, being about to
withdraw from the country, sold to him a large number of stock, with
agricultural and other stores, with a number of pieces of artillery and other
munitions of war; for these, a regular yearly payment is made in grain.
"The
fort is a quadrangular adobe structure, mounting twelve pieces of artillery
(two of them brass), and capable of the making a garrison of 1,000 men; this at
present consist of forty Indians, in uniform--one of whom it is already found
on duty at the gate. As might be expected,
the pieces are not in very good order.
The whites in the employee of Captain Sutter, American, French and
German, number thirty men. The inner
wall is formed into buildings comprising the common quarters, with blacksmiths
and other work-shops, the dwelling-house with a large distillery house, and
other buildings occupying more than the center of the area.
"It
is built upon a pond-like stream, at times a running creek, communicating with
the American River, which enters the Sacramento about two miles below. The latter is here a noble river, about 300
yards broad, deep and tranquil, with several fathoms of water in the channel,
and its banks continuously timbered.
There were two vessels belonging to Captain Sutter at anchor near the
landing--when a large two-mast lighter, and the other a scooter, which was
shortly to proceed on a voyage to Fort Vancouver for a cargo of goods."
Nothing
now remains of the fort excepting the main two-story building, which is still
unprotected against the ravages of the elements and vandalism of reckless
boys. The southern end was many years
ago replaced with fireburned brick, and a new roof of shingles has supplanted
the primitive Mexican tile. The
property is owned by a gentleman in the East.
Source:
An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. By Hon. Win. J Davis. Lewis Publishing
Company 1890. Chapter II, Page 7-11.
Submitted
by: Nancy Pratt Melton.