Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park 2701 L St. Sacramento, CA 65816  (916) 445-4422
map to this location

Sutter's Fort / Gold Rush
Unit Study Resources

When John Sutter first arrived in California in 1839, his dream was to build an agricultural empire. In 1848, James Marshall, a carpenter working for Sutter, discovered gold at the sawmill Sutter was having built in Coloma, on the American River. Before the mill could be finished, word of the discovery was out. Sutter's workers deserted the Fort for the goldfields seeking their fortunes. By the 1850's, all that was left of Sutter's Fort was the central building. 

When Sutter first came to the valley, he encountered about 200 Plains Mewuk Indians about 12 miles below the present site of the city of Sacramento. Five miles north, he entered into the territory of the Plains Nisenan Maidu Indians. (Hurtado, 1981:70)
Sutter went on to establish his fort at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, on Mewuk and Maidu lands. He obtained Indian labor through trade and by appointment of chiefs or men whom he designated as chiefs. He honored the headmen with the title of "capitanos" or captains, and paid them after they supplied him with workers. (Hurtado, 1981:70)


Sutter also seized Indian children in order to maintain an adequate labor supply: "From the first, he was in the habit of seizing Indian children, who were retained as servants or slaves at his establishment, or sent to his friends in different parts of the country. But he always took care to capture for this purpose only children from distant or hostile tribes (Bancroft, 1969:138) Sutter's Mewuk and Maidu laborers built the fort, plowed the rancho fields, tended the livestock, worked in the tannery, and served as soldiers in his army. Indian soldiers helped maintain Sutter's power by protecting his establishment from attack by other Indians, Mexican Americans, or others who wanted to interfere with his various frontier enterprises. Later on, many of these same Indian soldiers served with the United States forces during the Mexican War, and helped secure California for the United States. Sutter regularly supplied Indian laborers to other ranchos while he controlled the fort.


Portrayed as an important frontier outpost, the fort was a goal for overland immigrants — a place where they could replenish their supplies and possibly find work. The contribution of Mewuk and Maidu Indians was not recognized although Indians built the fort, protected it, and worked in all its enterprises. In fact, without their labor and support, it would not have been established or maintained. One Indian remembers an ancestor's efforts at Fort Sutter in the following way: "My grandfather was enslaved by Sutter to help in building the Fort. While he was kept there, Sutter worked him hard and then fed him in troughs. As soon as he could, he escaped and with his family hid in the mountains." (Queenie Miller, 1976)
Sutter maintained the fort and its business enterprises until October 1848.

Unable to pay his debts, and in order to avoid foreclosure, he transferred his property to his eldest son. His son then surveyed and laid out what was to become the town of Sacramento. He offered lots for sale, and by November 1849, the town of Sacramento had a growing population of 10,000. In order to meet a debt of $40,000, Sutter's son sold the fort, and Sutter moved to Hock Ranch on the Feather River. He lived there until 1865 when he went East. Sutter's Fort deteriorated until 1890, when the Native Sons of the Golden West purchased it. The State of California restored the fort, and in 1937, it became part of the California State Park System.
The Native Sons of the Golden West were influential in the restoration of the Fort which began in 1891 and was completed in 1893. Donated to the State of California, Sutter's Fort became a part of the California State Park System in 1947. Sutter's Fort stands as the oldest restored Fort in the United States. Today, the Fort is furnished and reconstructed to reflect its 1846 appearance. 

​Maidu (Native Americans of California)

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Native Children (like those of the Maidu) who were trained as laborers in Sutter's fort.

Learn more about the Maidu History

Sutter's Mewuk and Maidu laborers built the fort, plowed the rancho fields, tended the livestock, worked in the tannery, and served as soldiers in his army. Indian soldiers helped maintain Sutter's power by protecting his establishment from attack by other Indians, Mexican Americans, or others who wanted to interfere with his various frontier enterprises.

Resource from TeacherspayTeachers: unit study on Maidu Tribe

California Gold Rush
​Multi Media Resources

PBS The American Experience: The Gold Rush
The movie is available for purchase through Amazon. Teacher Resources, timeline and articles FREE on website.

The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco -- The Gold Rush
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/index0.1.html#gold
The museum presents an online collection of articles, primary sources and photographs from the Gold Rush era.
The Sacramento Bee
http://www.calgoldrush.com
Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the gold rush, this collection of articles from the Sacramento Bee highlights the impact of the gold rush on California's history and development and features detailed maps and graphics.
Oakland Museum
http://www.museumca.org/goldrush/index.html
Browse the Oakland Museum's virtual tour of their "Gold Fever!" exhibit and browse gold rush timelines, paintings and biographies or enjoy multimedia clips and a gold rush quiz.
Huntington Museum
http://www.huntington.org/Education/GoldRush/
Presented by the Huntington Library this wealth of documents -- including paintings, lithographs, journal entries and letters -- bring to life the people and places that defined the gold rush.

MULTI- MEDIA

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DOCUMENTARY 
Little House on the Prairie: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a one-hour documentary that goes beyond the famed Little House book series to the behind-the-scenes, true life story of one of America’s most iconic authors, Laura Ingalls Wilder.
*see our review of this Documentary


DRAMA
MADE FOR TV SERIES on the INGALLs.
We enjoyed it because it didn't have too much drama. Brought out some of the hardship. It doesn't go along with the book but was useful to visualize the time period before we began the study. 

Looking for MORE Multi-media?
Playlist CALIFORNIA HISTORY on Youtube
 Westward Expansion / Pioneer (for younger kids)

TEACHING RESOURCES
LESSON PLANS

http://derbykansasstake2014trek.blogspot.com/2014/02/trek-clothing-ideas-and-pics.html


~ Period Clothing 
*Handout from the Parks and Rec and the Living History Program
* Image search from google (used TREK clothing as a keyword search) 
* Another Pinterest board with pioneer clothing inspiration 
*Article on period clothing 

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image above (Click to link to a blog post with simple printable patterns and example of clothing worn by pioneers.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 

​- Timeline Activity
- Printable Brochure/Article on the Pioneers that made California Diverse
​- Mission Period (power point presentation)

HANDS - ON ACTIVITIES

 PBS ONLINE GAMES Interactive resources: 
Strike It Rich

OUR FAVORITE  Interactive Activities for this Unit 

PIONEERS​FIND MORE RESOURCES AT OUR 

AUDIOS

Frontier Fighters John Sutter & James Marshall (Radio Show uploaded on youtube)
I love audio books. After dinner we get our comfy clothing on and pull out or sketchbooks or watercolors, I get to enjoy drawing, coloring or even hand sewing with the children as we listen together.

"PIN" Inspirations
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