I discovered Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento, but it was not a US Fort but more of a trading post. Learned some new interesting history. John Sutter was a Swiss immigrant that eventually settled in what is now Sacramento California. At the time of 1839, California was a Mexican Province, so John Sutter became a Mexican Citizen to own land and built Sutter’s Fort. It was his private fort for trading. John sold the fort in 1850 and it passed through multiple owners until the State of California bought the fort. The center building is original, but the walls and other parts had to be re-constructed. The fort was built on the Sacramento river which at the time was the highway to San Fransisco which was already a port city founded by the Spanish back in the 1700’s.
From 1839 to 1846, there was unrest with the people of California and the Mexican government, then there was also the Texas revolution going on that contributed. In 1846, what is known to day as California, was taken over by the American government and John Sutter became an American Citizen. He became a lieutenant under US Army and the fort was transferred to the US Army. He later lost the land deeded him from Mexican Government and fought congress for compensation until his death. The area would become the end of the trail for the California Trail and the railroad, his legacy is tied to the growth of California. There is a part 2 to this story.
