Gain an appreciation of life for California’s first European settlers at this downtown Sacramento museum.
The range of fascinating artifacts held at Sutter’s Fort offer a glimpse into America’s pioneering history. Objects include early pistols, Bibles and a doll that was carried hidden in the dress of a young girl from Switzerland. The items show you what the pioneers considered vital to their survival when they made the long trip west. The first of pioneers was John Augustus Sutter, who was granted the land to build the fort in 1839. The colony that he subsequently established was the first European settlement in the Central Valley. He planned to build a community based on agriculture. A few of his personal effects remain in the museum. In an exhibition dedicated to his story you will find his German prayer book, some opera glasses and a pewter lamp. It was in the light from this lamp that Sutter first examined the gold discovered by another pioneer, James Marshall. This discovery led to the California Gold Rush and the subsequent decline of the Sutter Fort, when many left to seek their fortunes. Restored in the 1890s by a group known as the Native Sons of the Golden West, the Sutter’s Fort became a museum in which the stories of the early pioneers could be told. To get a sense of what life was like, spend time browsing excerpts from diaries, birth certificates of the first children born in the fort, and artifacts such as musical instruments and soil from settlers’ homelands. One of the most touching examples is Patty Reed’s doll, which was hidden in her dress the whole way from Switzerland after she was told she had to leave all her toys behind.Each exhibit is accompanied by detailed information. Audio recordings that play as you enter each room provide further details. Costumed docents churning butter, roasting chickens on a spit, or making candles lend an authentic atmosphere to the surroundings. The grounds surrounding Sutter’s Fort provide a pleasant place to rest for a while with a picnic, with no charge to enter.Sutter’s Fort is located in downtown Sacramento, opposite the State Indian Museum. Parking is metered but free on Sundays. The fort is open daily and there is a small charge to enter the building.