Category Archives: John Sutter

Happy Gold Discovery Day!

Posted on January 24, 2023 by nancyleek

John Sutter needed lumber. He was always building — on his fort, around the fort, up at his farm. He also planned to sell lumber to the settlers who were coming into California  in increasing numbers. He needed a sawmill. … Continue reading →

Posted in John Sutter | Leave a comment

Russian Claims Fort Ross

Posted on March 19, 2022 by nancyleek

According to this news story, a Russian politician has called for the return of Alaska and Fort Ross to Russia. Speaking in an interview, Oleg Matveychev, a member of the Duma (parliament), outlined his demands. He called for reparations from … Continue reading →

Posted in Fort Ross, John Sutter, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

When the Russians Left California

Posted on January 6, 2020 by nancyleek

In 1841 the Russian-American Fur Company decided to leave California. They sold their holdings — lock, stock, and barrel — to John Sutter. The contract was signed in December, 1841, not long after John Bidwell arrived at Sutter’s Fort. Sutter … Continue reading →

Posted in Fort Ross, John Sutter, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

More about Sutter and the Mormons

Posted on February 9, 2018 by nancyleek

At the same time that Captain Sutter was bragging to General Vallejo (in Spanish), about his wheat fields and his new saw mill and flour mill, he was also writing to Thomas O. Larkin (in slightly awkward English) on the … Continue reading →

Posted in John Sutter, Mormon Battalion, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Best of Days for John A. Sutter

Posted on February 4, 2018 by nancyleek

1847 was a good year for Captain John Sutter. Things were going well and prosperity lay all around. Here is a letter written from John A. Sutter to Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo on October 31, 1847. (The original letter, in the … Continue reading →

Posted in John Sutter | Leave a comment

Kanakas in California

Posted on January 26, 2016 by nancyleek

When John Sutter came to California it could hardly have been by a more roundabout route. Born in Switzerland, he migrated to America in 1834, leaving behind his considerable debts (thousands of francs) and his considerable family (wife and five … Continue reading →

Posted in John Sutter, Kanaka, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Diversity at New Helvetia

Posted on January 23, 2016 by nancyleek

The colony that John Sutter gathered around him in California was nothing if not diverse. When John Bidwell made his way to John Sutter’s settlement in November 1841, he found Sutter living amongst a motley crew gathered from the far … Continue reading →

Posted in John Sutter, Kanaka, New Helvetia, Sutter's Fort | Leave a comment

Amethyst and Adobe

Posted on February 23, 2015 by nancyleek

What do amethysts and adobe bricks have in common? A tale told by John Bidwell about Sutter’s Fort and a treasure thrown in the dust. In January 1892 John and Annie Bidwell visited old Sutter’s Fort, which by then was … Continue reading →

Posted in John Sutter | Leave a comment

The Adventures of the Sutter Gun, Part 1

Posted on December 29, 2013 by nancyleek

A couple of years ago I wrote about the French Army muskets that ended up at Sutter’s Fort, after Johann August Sutter bought Fort Ross from the Russian-American Fur Company. Dismantling Fort Ross and sending every bit of useful equipment … Continue reading →

Posted in John Sutter, Sutter Gun | Leave a comment

Bidwell Learns of the Gold Discovery

Posted on March 4, 2012 by nancyleek

John Bidwell was still doing occasional work for Sutter, but at the time of Marshall’s gold discovery in Coloma he was near Chico, building a log cabin, surveying some land, and digging an irrigation ditch. In August of 1845 he … Continue reading →

Posted in John Sutter, Vallejo | Leave a comment