John Sutter
Biography

Facts about John Sutter

We found 18 facts about John Sutter

An unfulfilled pioneer

Despite his efforts, John never really succeeded in the pioneer business. This may have been due to the troubled times in which he operated, or perhaps to his character and his dealings with the native Californians. In any case, he devoted his entire life to the development of settlement in California, the flourishing of which paradoxically contributed to his bankruptcy.

John Sutter
1
John Augustus Sutter was born on February 23, 1803, in Kandern, former Holy Roman Empire.
Kandern is now a part of Germany.
2
He got married to Annette Dubold in 1824.
They had five children. His oldest son, John Augustus Sutter was a founder of Sacramento.
3
He tended to squander the family fortune and quickly fell into debt.
Young John was threatened with imprisonment, so he came up with the idea of emigrating to North America.
4
In 1834, he left his wife and five kids and fled from Europe.
Sutter boarded ship Sully in Le Havre, France and arrived in New York on July 14, 1834.
5
Sutter claimed he was a member of the Royal Swiss Guard and introduced himself as Captain John Sutter.
To this day his claims have not been verified. Either way, he titled himself that way which helped his career as a colonizer of California.
6
He spoke three languages.
Besides Swiss French, which was his native language, he also learned English and Spanish before traveling to the USA.
7
He arrived in Alta California in 1839.
W towarzystwie trzech europejskich imigrantów, rdzennie amerykańskiego chłopca i dziesięciu ludzi, których zatrudnił na Hawajach, założył mały obóz, który miał stać się znaczącą placówką meksykańską w okolicy.
8
He was granted by Mexico land of 48,4 thousand acres (19,6 thousand hectares).
After erecting a camp, Sutter contacted local Nisenan and Miwok people, to whom offered work with expanding the settlement and building a fort.
9
The settlement was named Nueva Helvetia, which is now part of Sacramento.
Sutter's Fort construction began in 1841, but due to an invasion of gold prospectors, it was abandoned in 1850.
10
He enslaved, mistreated, and abused Indians who were forced to work for him. Any sign of resistance was considered hostile and tribal villages were raided and destroyed and their inhabitants murdered or kidnapped.
According to reports from travelers who visited Nueva Helvetia, Sutter enslaved many natives and forced them to work in the settlement. They were kept in inhumane conditions, imprisoned and deprived of their rights to basic hygiene. He was also convinced of rapes, not only of adult women but also of girls as young as twelve.
11
In 1846 Sutter's Fort was overrun by United States Army.
Although Sutter desired French sovereignty over his colony, he was forced to submit to the United States, which was fighting an ongoing Mexican-American war in the area.
12
In 1847, Sutter planted more than two thousand fruit trees, marking the birth of agriculture in the Sacramento Valley.
13
Although his colony was expanding, Sutter had financial problems.
In August 1848, Sutter's son John Augustus Sutter Jr. came to the colony to help his father get out of financial difficulties.
14
Building a sawmill was probably the worst of Sutter's idea.
During the construction of a water-powered sawmill, one of Sutter's employees, James W. Marshall discovered gold flakes in a South Fork American River bed. Although Marshall and Sutter decided to keep the finding secret, rumors quickly spread out.
15
California Goldrush drove him into bankruptcy.
Sutter's land was immediately overrun by immigrants obsessed with the potential fortune they may earn. They stole whatever there was to steal including livestock. Colony fell into ruin around 1850.
16
He wanted to build a town named Sutterville.
His son, John Augustus Sutter Jr., proposed the name Sacramento, derived from the Sacramento River. Construction began in December 1848, 2 miles south of Sutter's Fort. His father was not confident nor content of the city foundation as his fortune was ruined, and he didn't want to risk again.
17
Founding Sacramento turned out to be a success.
This made John Sutter jealous and bitter, which was reflected in his relationship with son. All ventures of Sutter Senior were failures in the end while his son managed to grow a decent settlement which today is California's capital.
18
John Sutter died on June 18, 1880, in a hotel room in Washington D.C.
Hungry for more facts?
Subscribe to Google News Random topic
23 facts about Greenland
23 facts about Greenland
The world's largest island.
Greenland is an island that geographically belongs to the North American continent. Historically and politically it belongs to Europe and is an autono ...
15 facts about Florida
15 facts about Florida
Sunshine state
This beautiful, sunny state is hardly ever covered with snow. Even in the winter, the temperatures rarely drop below 0 degrees Celsius. It’s a popular ...
26 facts about Northern pike
26 facts about Northern pike
Esox lucius
It is one of the best-known freshwater fishes. The predatory northern pike is equipped with sharp and long teeth, perfect for holding prey. Inattentiv ...
23 facts about American robin
23 facts about American robin
Common migratory songbird
There are many interesting stories about American robins. They travel a lot, sometimes pay unexpected visit to other continent and can cooperate to fe ...
17 facts about California poppy
17 facts about California poppy
Eschscholzia californica
Golden poppy is a yellow-flowered poppy plant native to the southwest of North America. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant worldwide. In add ...

Latest topics

42 facts about Kyshtym disaster
42 facts about Kyshtym disaster
The first nuclear accident in Earth's history
Before information about it saw the light of day, the Soviets hid it for over 30 years. The explosion at the Mayak combine was the first nuclear accid ...
37 facts about Saint Petersburg
37 facts about Saint Petersburg
A city of many names
It was a dream and a matter of prestige for the Romanov dynasty to gain access to the Baltic Sea and build a metropolis to testify to Russia's emergin ...
32 facts about Peter the Great
32 facts about Peter the Great
The first Emperor of all Russia
Peter the Great is considered one of Russia's greatest rulers. He was a great reformer, strategist, and builder who was the first of the tsars to trav ...
39 facts about Dyatlov Pass incident
39 facts about Dyatlov Pass incident
Mysterious tragedy in the Ural mountains
The case of a group of students at the Ural Polytechnical Institute in Sverdlovsk continues to arouse great interest and raise many questions. A group ...
11 facts about Brooklyn Bridge
11 facts about Brooklyn Bridge
The first steel suspension bridge in the world
It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the world. It connects Brooklyn with Manhattan, runs over the East River, and was completed in 1883. ...
31 facts about Brazil
31 facts about Brazil
South America's largest country
Brazil is the largest and most populous country in South America and one of the largest and most populous countries in the world. A former Portuguese ...
44 facts about Ghent
44 facts about Ghent
City of three towers
Ghent is one of Belgium's most visited cities by tourists. This beautiful old Flanders city combines dignity, beauty, culture, and creativity. It is a ...
31 facts about Thailand
31 facts about Thailand
A country on the Indochinese Peninsula
Thailand is an Asian country located in its south-eastern part, famous for its interesting culture and religious architecture. This exotic country, wh ...

Similar topics

Greenland
23 facts about Greenland
Greenland is an island that geographically belongs to the North American continent. Historically and politically it belongs to Europe and is an autono ...
Florida
15 facts about Florida
This beautiful, sunny state is hardly ever covered with snow. Even in the winter, the temperatures rarely drop below 0 degrees Celsius. It’s a popular ...
Northern pike
26 facts about Northern pike
It is one of the best-known freshwater fishes. The predatory northern pike is equipped with sharp and long teeth, perfect for holding prey. Inattentiv ...
American robin
23 facts about American robin
There are many interesting stories about American robins. They travel a lot, sometimes pay unexpected visit to other continent and can cooperate to fe ...
California poppy
17 facts about California poppy
Golden poppy is a yellow-flowered poppy plant native to the southwest of North America. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant worldwide. In add ...
Cane toad
18 facts about Cane toad
Poisonous toads got their bad reputation for being a pest in places they were artificially introduced to. Native to American continents, it is now pre ...
Brown recluse spider
18 facts about Brown recluse spider
Loxosceles reclusa, sometimes called fiddleback or violin spider, is a pesky arachnid, that thrives in human environment. Although reclusive in nature ...
Manhattan
18 facts about Manhattan
Manhattan is the place where New York was born. Although it is its smallest district, it serves as the economic and administrative center of the city, ...
Moose
19 facts about moose
The moose, known in Eurasia as elk, is the largest and heaviest living mammal from the Cervidae family (deer) and one of the largest land mammals in t ...
American bullfrog
16 facts about American bullfrog
The American bullfrog, commonly referred to as simply bullfrog, is an invasive species native to North America. As one of the largest frog species, an ...
Zebra mussel
13 facts about Zebra mussel
This freshwater mussel is an excellent water filter-feeding organism. Originally native to Eurasia, it has been accidentally introduced into European ...
Lake Huron
20 facts about Lake Huron
It was known as Karegnondi by the local Wyandot tribe before the first European settlers landed on the North American continent. The name Huron is der ...