USA > California > Amador County > History of Amador County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 9
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"Having learned that there was no land communica- tion with California from the valleys of the Columbia or Willamette in Winter, and there being then a ves- sel of the Hudson Bay Company ready to sail for the Sandwich Islands, General Sutter took passage, hoping to find at the islands some means of convey- ance to California. Only one of the men who had remained with him thus far consented to accompany him to the strange land. On reaching the islands he found no prospect of conveyance, and, after remaining five months, as the only means of accom- plishing his purpose, he shipped as supercargo, with- out pay, on an English vessel bound for Sitka.
" After discharging her cargo at Sitka, and, with the authority of the owners, he directed the vessel , southward, and sailed down the coast, encountering
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HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
heavy gales. He was driven into the Bay of San Francisco in distress, and, on the second day of July, 1839, anchored his little craft opposite Yerba Buena, now San Francisco.
" He was immediately waited upon by a Mexican official with an armed force, and ordered to leave without delay, the officer informing him that Mon- terey was the port of entry. He succeeded, however, in obtaining permission to remain forty-eight hours to get supplies.
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" A few days later, upon arriving at Monterey, General Sutter waited upon Governor Alvarado, and communicated to him his desire to settle in Upper Cal- ifornia, on the Sacramento. Governor Alvarado expressed much satisfaction upon learning his visit- or's wish, particularly when he understood his desire to settle on the Sacramento; saying that the Indians in that quarter were very hostile, and would not permit any whites to settle there; that they robbed the inhabitants of San Jose and the lower settle- ments of horses and cattle. He readily gave Sutter a passport, with authority to settle on any territory he should deem suitable for his colony, and requested him to return to Monterey one year from that time, when his Mexican citizenship would be acknowl- edged, and he would receive a grant for the land he might solicit. Thereupon, he returned to Yerba Buena and chartered a schooner, with 'some small boats, and started upon an exploring expedition on the Sacramento river.
" Upon inquiry he could not find any one at Yerba Buena who had ever seen the Sacramento river, or who could describe to him where he should find its mouth. The people of that place only professed to know that some large river emptied into one of the connected bays lying northerly from their town. General Sutter consumed eight days in the effort to find the mouth of the Sacramento river.
" After aseending the river to a point about ten miles below where Sacramento City now stands, he encountered the first large party of Indians. who exhibited every sign of hostility save an actual attack. There were about two hundred of them, armed and painted for war. Fortunately there were among them two who understood Spanish, and with whom the General engaged in conversation. He quieted them by the assurance that there were no Spaniards in his party, and that he wished to settle in their country and trade with them. He showed them his agricultural implements and commodities of trade, which he had provided for the purpose, and proposed to make a treaty with them. Pleased with these assurances, the Indians became recon- ciled; the crowd dispersed, and the two who spoke the Spanish language accompanied Sutter and his party as far as the mouth of Feather river, to show him the country. All other parties of Indians seen fled at the sight of the vessel and boats.
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" Parting with his two Indian interpreters and guides at the mouth of Feather river, he ascended the latter stream to a considerable distance, when a few of his white men became alarmed at the sur- rounding dangers and insisted upon returning, which he was constrained to do.
" On his descent he entered the mouth of the American river, and on the 15th day of August, 1839, landed at the point on the south bank of that stream, where he afterwards established his tannery, within the present limits of Sacramento. On the following morning, after landing all his effects, he informed the discontented whites that all who wished to return to Yerba Buena could do so;
that the Kanakas were willing to remain, and that he had resolved to do so, if alone. Three of the whites determined to leave, and he put them in pos- session of the schooner, with instructions to deliver the vessel to her owners. They set sail for Yerba Buena the same day.
"Three weeks thereafter General Sutter removed to the spot upon which he afterwards erected FORT SUTTER. In the early days of the settlement hic encountered many troubles with the Indians, who organized secret expeditions, as he afterwards learned, to destroy him and his party, but he con- trived to defeat and frustrate all their machinations, and those of the Indians who were at first his great- est enemies, came to be his best and most steadfast friends. He now devoted himself energetically to agriculture, and became very wealthy and pros- perous.
" In the Fall of the year 1839, he purchased of Señor Martinez three hundred head of cattle, thirty horses, and thirty mares. During the Fall eight more white men joined his colony. When he eom- menced the improvements that resulted in the ercc- tion of Sutter's Fort and his establishment there, he had much trouble in procuring suitable lumber and timber. He floated some down the American river from the mountains, and was compelled to send to Bodega, on the sea-coast, a distance of several hun- dred miles.
" In August, 1840, Sutter was joined by the five men who had crossed the Rocky Mountains with him, and whom he had left in Oregon. His colony now numbered twenty-five men, seventeen whites and eight Kanakas. During the Fall of that year the Mokelumne Indians became troublesome, by stealing the live-stock of the settlers, and compelled General Sutter, by their aets and menaces, to make open war against them. He marched with his forces thirty miles, in the night time, to the camp of the Indians, where they were concentrating large forces for a movement against him, some two hundred warriors, and attacked them with such great effect that they retreated, and being hotly pursued, they sued for peace, which was readily granted, and ever after- wards mutually maintained.
"Shortly after this encounter, Sutter purchased one thousand more head of cattle, and seventy-five horses and mules. His colony continued to increase fast, by the addition of every foreigner who came into the country; they sought his place as one of security. The trappers he furnished with supplies, and purchased their furs; the mechanics and laborers he either employed or procured them work.
" In June, 1841, he visited Monterey, the capital, where he was declared a Mexican citizen, and received from Governor Alvarado a grant for his land, under the name of New Helvetia, a survey of which he had caused to be made before that time. Thereupon he was honored with a commission as ' represendenté del Govierno en las fronter as del norte y eneargado de la justicia.'
" Soon after his return to his settlement he was visited by Captain Ringgold, of the United States Exploring Expedition under Commodore Wilkes, and about the same time by Alexander Rotcheff, Gov- ernor of the Russian Possessions, Ross and Bodega, who offered to sell to General Sutter the Russian Possessions, settlements, and ranches at those places.
" The terms were such as induced him to make the purchase, for thirty thousand dollars. The live-stoek consisted of two thousand cattle, over one thousand horses, fifty mules, and two thousand sheep, the
RESIDENCE AND PROPERTY OF FRANK FRATES, IONE CITY, AMADOR COUNTY, CAL.
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BIOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF GENERAL SUTTER.
greater part of which were driven to New Helvetia. This increase of resources, together with the natural increase of his stock, enabled him the more rapidly to advance his settlement and improvements.
" In the year 1844 he petitioned Governor Michel- torena for the grant or purchase of the sobrante, or surplus, over the first eleven leagues of the land within the bounds of the survey accompanying the Alvarado grant, which the Governor agreed to let him have; but, for causes growing out of existing political troubles, the grant was not finally executed until the 5th of February, 1845; during which time he had rendered valuable military services and ad- vanced to the Government large amounts of property and outlays, exceeding eight thousand dollars, to enable it to suppress the Castro rebellion; in consid- eration of all which he acquired by purchase and personal services the lands called the Sobrante, or surplus.
" At that time he also secured from Governor Micheltorena the commission of ' Commandante mili- tar de las fronteras del norte y encargado de la justicia.' After this time the war between the United States and Mexico came on, and although General Sutter was an officer under the Mexican Government, and bound to it by his allegiance, yet, upon all occasions, 'such was his respect towards the citizens and institutions of the United States, that whenever any party of American citizens, civil or military service, visited him,his unbounded hospitali- ties were uniformly and cordially extended to them; and when the country surrendered to the American forces, the General, who had been for some time con- vinced of the instability of the Mexican Government, upon request, did, on the 11th of July, 1846, hoist the American flag with a good heart, accompanied with a salute of artillery from the guns at the fort. Soon after this Lieutenant Missoon, of the United States Navy, came up and organized a garrison for Sutter's Fort, principally out of his former forces of whites and Indians, and gave to General Sutter the command, which he maintained until peace returned. He was then appointed by Commodore Stockton Alcalde of the district, and by General Kearney Indian Agent, with a salary of seven hundred and fifty dollars a year; but a single trip in discharge of his duty as Indian Agent cost him one thousand six hundred dollars, and he resigned the office.
"General Sutter was now in the full tide of pros- perity. His settlement continued to grow and his property to accumulate, until the latter part of January, 1848. He had then completed his estab- lishment at the fort; had performed all the condi- tions ofhis grants of land; had, at an expense of at least twenty-five thousand dollars, cut a race of three miles in length, and nearly completed a flouring-mill near the present town of Brighton ; had expended towards the erection of a saw-mill, near the town of Coloma, about ten thousand dollars; had sown over a thousand acres of land in wheat which promised a yield of forty thousand bushels, and had made preparations for other crops; was then the owner of eight thou- sand head of cattle, over two thousand horses and mules, over two thousand sheep, and one thousand head of hogs, and was in the undisturbed, undisputed and quiet possession of the extensive lands granted by the Mexican Government. But a sad change was about to take place in the affairs of the old pioneer ; a grand event was about to transpire, which, while it would delight and electrify the world at large, was destined to check the growth of the settlement at Sutter's Fort. General Sutter's mills were soon to 6
cease operations; his laborers and mechanics were soon to desert him ; his possessions, his riches, his hopes were soon to be scattered and destroyed before the impetuous charge of the gold-hunters. The immedi- ate effect was that Sutter was deserted by all his mechanics and laborers, white, Kanaka and Indian. The mills thus deserted became a dead loss; he could not hire labor to further plant or mature his crops, or reap but a small part after the grain had ripened. Few hands were willing to work for even an ounce a day, as the industrious could make more than that in the mines. Consequent of the gold discovery there was an immense immigration, composed of all classes of men, many of whom seemed to have no idea of the rights of property. The treaty between the United States and Mexico guaranteed to the Mexican who should remain in the country a protection of his property, and Sutter regarded himself as doubly entitled to that protection, either as a Mexican or a citizen of the United States, and that he held a strong claim upon his country's justice. His property was respected for a season; but when the great flood of immigration, which poured into the country in 1849-'50, found that money could be made by other means than mining, many of the new-comers forcibly entered upon his land, and commenced cutting his wood, under the plea that it was vacant and unappro- priated land of the United States. Up to the first of January, 1852, the settlers had occupied all his lands capable of settlement or appropriation, and the other class had stolen all his horses, mules, cattle, sheep and hogs, save a small portion used and sold by him- self. One party of five men, during the high waters of 1849-'50, when his cattle were partly surrounded by water near the Sacramento river, killed and sold enough to amount to sixty thousand dollars.
"Having seen his power decline and his riches take wings, General Sutter removed to the west bank of Feather river, and took up his residence at Hock farm. Here, in the midst of his family, who had recently arrived from Europe, he led the quiet life of a farmer in the county that bears his name."
The following verbatim copy of notes in General Sutters own handwriting, we insert, notwithstanding there are some repetitions of facts given in the former part of this chapter :-
[The following rough notes of narrative, in the handwriting of the venerable General Sutter, the discoverer of gold in California, were found amongst the papers of an cininent citizen of this State, re- cently deceased, through the kindly courtesy of whose widow we are enabled to give them to the public. As a relation of incidents in the life of a man held in respect by every Californian, these hasty and imper- fect memoranda will, it is believed, have a double in- terest and a lasting value. We have thoughtit best to preserve as nearly as was practicable, the quaint phrascology, erroneous orthography, and imperfect punctuation of the manuscript ; giving, in our judg- ment, an added charm to the narrative .- San Fran- cisco Argonaut.]
"Left the State of Missouri (where I has resided for a many years) on the 1th a April, 1838, and travelled with the party of Men under Capt Tripps, of the Amer. fur Compy, to their Rendezvous in the Rocky Mountains (Wind River Valley) from there I travelled with 6 brave Men to Oregon, as I consid- ered myself not strong enough to cross the Sierra Nevada and go direct to California (which was my intention from my first Start on having got some
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HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
informations from a Gent'n in New Mexico, who has been in California.
"Under a good Many Dangers and other troubles I have passed the Different forts or trading posts of the Hudsons Bay Compy. and arrived at the Mission at the Dalls on Columbia River. From this place I crossed right strait through thiek & thin, and arrived to the great astonishment of the inhabitants. I arrived in 7 days in the Valley of the Willamette, while others with good guides arrived only in 17 days previous my Crossing. Atfort Vancouver I has been very hospitably received and invited to pass the Winter with the Gentlemen of the Company, but as a Vessel of the Compy was ready to sail for the Sandwich Islands, I took a passage in her, in hopes to get Soon a Passage from there to California, but 5 long Months I had to wait to find an Opportunity to leave, but not direet to California, except far out of my Way to the Russian American Colonies on the North West Cost, to Sitka the Residenec of the Gov'r, (Lat. 57) I remained one Month there and delivered the Cargo of the Brig Clementine, as I had Charge of the Vessel, and then sailed down the Coast in heavy Gales, and entered in Distress in the Port of San Francisco, on the 2d of July, 1839. An Officer and 15 Soldiers eame on board and ordered me out, saying that Monterey is the Port of entry, & at last I could obtain 48 hours to get provisions (as we were starving) and some repairings done on the Brig.
"In Monterey I arranged my affairs with the Cos- tum House, and presented myself to the Govr Alva- rado, and told him my intention to Settle here in this Country, and that I have brought with me 5 White Men 8 Kanacas (two of them married) 3 of the Whitemen were Meehanies, he was very glad to hear that, and particularly when I told him, that I intend to Settle in the interior, on banks of the the river Sacramento, because the Indians then at this time would not allow white Men and particularly of the Spanish Origin to come near them, and was very hostile, and stole the horses from the inhabitants near San Jose. I got a General passport for my small Colony and permission to scleet a Territory where ever I would find it convenient, and to come in one Years time again in Monterey to get my Citizenship and the title of the Land, which I have done so, and not only this, I received a high eivil Office.
"When I left Yerbabuena (now San Francisco) after having leaved the Brig and dispatched her baek to the S. I. I bought several small Boats (Launches) and Chartered the Schooner "Isabella" for my Exploring Journey to the inland Rivers and particularly to find the Mouth of the River Sacramento, as I could find Nobody who could give me information, only that they Knew some very large Rivers are in the interior.
" It took me eight days before I could find the entrance of the Sacramento, as it is very deceiving and very easy to pass by, how it happened to several Offieers of the Navy afterwards which refused to take a pilot. About 10 miles below Sacramento City I fell in with the first Indians which was all armed & painted & looked very hostile, they was about 200 Men, as some of them understood a little Spanish I could make a Kind of treaty with them, and the two which understood Spanish eame with me, and made me a little better acquainted with the Country. all other Indians on the up River hided themselves in the Bushes, and on the Mouth of Feather River they runned all away so soon they discovered us. I was examining the Country a little further up with a Boat, while the larger Crafts let go their Ankers, on my return, all the white Men
came to me and asked me, how much longer I in- tended to travell with them in such a Wilderness.
" The following Morning I gave Orders to return, and entered in the American River, landed at the farmer Tannery on the 12th, Augt. 1839. Gave Orders to get every thing on Shore, pitch the tents and mount the 3 Cannons, called the white Men, and told them that all those which are not contented eould leave on board the Isabella, next Morning, and that I would settle with them imediately, and remain alone with the Canaca's, of 6 Men 3 remained, and 3 of them I gave passage to Yerbabuena.
" The Indians was first troublesome, and eame fre- quently and would it not have been for the Cannons they would have Killed us for the sake of my prop- erty, which they liked very much, and this intention they had very often, how they confessed to me after- wards, when on good terms. I had a large Bull Dog which saved my life 3 times, when they eame slyly near the house in the Night, he got hold of them and marked most severely. in a short time removed my Camps on the very spot where now the Ruins of' Sutters fort stands, made acquaintance with a few Indians which came to work for a short time making Adobés, and the Canaeas was building 3 grass houses, like it is customary on the Sandwich Islands. Before I came up here, I purehassed Cattle & Horses on the Raneho of Señor Martinez, and had great difficulties & trouble to get them up, and re- ceived them at least on the 22d October 1839. Not less than 8 Men, wanted to be in the party, as they was afraid of the Indians, and had good reasons to be so.
" Before I got the Cattle we was hunting Decr & Elk ete and so afterwards to safe the Cattle as I had then only about 500 head, 50 horses & a manada of 25 mares. One Year that is in the fall 1840, I bought 1000 head of Cattle of Don Antonio Suñol and many horses more of Don Joaquin Gomez and others. In the fall 1839 I have built an Adobe house covered with Tule and two other small buildings which in the middle of the fort, they was afterwards destroyed by fire. At the same time we cut a Road through the Woods where the City of Sacramento stand, then we made the New Embareadcro, where the old Zink- house stands now. After this it was time to make a Garden, and to sow some Wheat &e we broke up the soil with poor California ploughs, I had a few Califor- nians employed as Baqueros, and 2 of them making Cal. Carts & stocking the plougs ete.
"In the Spring 1840, the Indians began to be troublesome all around me, Killing and Wounding Cattle stealing horses, and threatening to attack us en Mass, I was obliged to make Capaigns against them and punish them severely, a little later about 2 a 300 was aproching and got United on Cosumne River, but I was not waiting for them. left a small Garrison at home, Canons & other Arms loaded, and left with 6 brave men & 2 Baquero's in the night and took them by surprise at Day light. the fighting was a little hard, but after having lost about 30 men, they was willing to make a treaty with me, and after this leeon they behalved very well, and became my best friends and Soldiers, with which I has been assisted to conquer the whole Sacramento and a part of the San Joaquin Valley.
"At the time the Communication with the Bay was very long and dangerous, partienlarly in open Boats, it is a great Wonder that we got not swamped a many times, all time with an Indian Crew and a Canaea at the helm. Onec it took me (in December 1839.) 16 days to go down to Yerba buena and to
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BIOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF GENERAL SUTTER.
return, I went down again on the 22d Xber 39. to Yerba buena and on account of the inclemency of the Weather and the strong current in the River I need a whole month (17 days coming up) and nearly all the provisions spoiled.
"On the 23d Augt, 1841. Capt. Ringold of Coma- dore Wilkse Exploring Squadron, arrived on the Embarcadero, piloted by one of the Launches Indian crew, without this they would not have found so easy the entrance of the Sacramento. They had 6 Whaleboats & 1 Launch 7 Officers and about 50 men in all, I was very glad indeed to see them, sent immediately saddled horses for the Officers, and my Clerk with an invitation to come and see me, at their arrival I fired a salut, and furnished them what they needed. they was right surprised to find me up here in this Wilderness, it made a very good impression upon the Indians to see so many whites are coming to see me, they surveyed the River so far as the Butes.
"September 4th 1841. Arrived the Russian Govr Mr. Alexander Rottiheff on board the Schooner Sac- ramento, and offered me their whole Establishment at Bodega & Ross for sale, and invited me to come right off with him, as there is a Russian Vessel at Bodega, and some Officers with plein power, to trans- act this business with me, and particularly they would give me the preference, as they became all acquainted with me, during a months stay at Sitka. I left and went with him down to the Bay in Com- pany with Capt. Ringold's Expedition, what for a fleet we thought then, is on the River. Arriving at Bodega, we came very soon to terms, from there we went to fort Ross where they showed me everything and returned to Bodega again, and before the Vessel sailed we dined on board the Helena, and closed the bargain for $30,000, which has been paid. And other property, was a separate account which has been first paid.
"On the 28th of September I dispatched a number of men and my Clerk by Land to Bodega, to receive the Cattle, Horses, Mules & Sheep, to bring them up to Sutter's fort, called then New Helvetia, by crossing the Sacramento they lost me from about 2000 head about 100, which drowned in the River, but of most of them we could safe the hides, our Cal. Banknotes at the time.
"March 6, 1842. Captain Fremont arrived at the port with Kit Carson, told me that he was an officer of the U. S. and left a party behind in Dis- tress and on foot, the few surviving Mules was packed only with the most necessary, I received him politely and his Company likewise as an old acquaint- ance. the next Morning I furnished them with fresh horses, & a Vaquero with a pack Mule loaded with Necessary Supplies for his Men. Capt. Fre- mont found in my Establishment every thing what he needed, that he could travell without Delay, he could have not found it so by a Spaniard, perhaps by a great Many and with loosing a great deal of time. I sold him about 60 Mules & about 25 horses, and fat young Steers or Beef Cattle, all the Mules & horses got Shoed, on the 23d March, all was ready and on the 24th he left with his party for the U. States.
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