19th century illustration of Sutter's Fort

Completed in 1839, Sutter's Fort, which was originally called "Nuevo Helvetia" (New Switzerland) by its builder, John Sutter, was a 19th century agricultural and trading colony in California. The compound was built near the junction of the American and Sacramento Rivers and is located at what is now the intersection of 27th and L Streets in the Midtown neighborhood of the city of Sacramento. The fort is famous for its association with the Donner Party, the California gold rush and with establishment of Sacramento. The adobe structure has been restored to its original condition and is listed as a California State Historic Park .

History

The Main Building of the fort is a two story adobe structure built between 1841 and 1843. This building is the only original surviving structure at the reconstructed Sutter's Fort State Historic Park. It was in here on January 28, 1848 that James Marshall met in private with Captain Sutter in order to show him the gold that he had found at Sutter's sawmill astride the American River four days earlier.

External links

• Sutter's Fort State Historic Park homepage
• Aerial photo of Sutter's Fort from Microsoft TerraServer