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Sacramento California History |
| Sacramento
California: In mid 1840, John Sutter began building a fort on land near the American River in what we now call Sacramento. Much of the labor force was comprised of American Indians who lived in this area of California. The construction of the fort was made possible by a land grant that was signed the next year by Governor Juan Alvarado of Mexico. In an effort to secure the grant Sutter had to become a citizen of Mexico and the subsequent grant gave him authority over nearly 48 thousand acres of land.
When completed, Sutters fort was covered several acres was comprised of adobe with walls that were over two feet thick and more than 15 feet tall. In the next few years Mr. Sutter acquired more than 1500 horses, several thousand head of cattle and several thousand sheep. His workforce developed agriculture that produced several types of grain as well as cotton and various other crops. These crops permitted Sutter to establish his fort as a trading company and enabled him to supply his growing workforce with clothing and supplies.
John Sutter was later appointed "Captain" of the Sacramento troops for Mexico to quell resent uprisings. As the compound and the needs for maintaining the compound grew, Sutter contracted James Marshall to construct a saw mill near by in the California foothills at what we now call Coloma to provide lumber. It was at the foot of the tailrace of the newly constructed mill in January of 1848 that gold was discovered and the great California Gold Rush was initiated. Early in Sacramento would be one of sickness and disease due to poor sanitary conditions as a result of regular flooding. Inevitably, the settlers were compelled to take on the ambitious task of raising the street level twelve feet. Today, after strong preservation efforts, the nostalgic appeal of early American history is reflected perfectly by the wooden sidewalks, horse-drawn carriages, old-fashioned candy shops and Mississippi-style riverboats. |
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see also...
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Sacramento California
California Gold Rush
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| California
Gold Country: |
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California Beaches San Francisco California Lake Tahoe Casinos Yosemite Hotels Disneyland |
Sacramento California
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