Completed in 1839, Sutter's Fort, which was originally called "New 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. Sutter's Fort is also the end of the California Trail and near the southern end of the Siskiyou Trail.

History

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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 Sutter in order to show Sutter the gold that Marshall had found during the construction of Sutter's sawmill along the American River four days earlier.

External links

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

California Gold Rush | California State Historic Parks | Sacramento County, California | Registered Historic Places in California | National Historic Landmarks of the United States | Donner party