Born February 15, 1803

Kandern, Germany

Died June 18, 1880

Washington, D.C.

Pioneer

John Augustus Sutter. (Reproduced from the Collections of the Library of Congress.)

"I have been robbed and ruined by lawyers and politicians.... my cattle were driven off by hungry gold-seekers; my fort and mills were deserted and left to decay; my lands were squatted on by overland immigrants; and, finally, I was cheated out of all my property. All Sacramento was once mine."

From Fool's Gold by Richard Dillon

John Augustus Sutter has been heralded as one of the heroes of America's westward expansion. According to popular history, Sutter left Europe for the American frontier, where he realized his dream of creating an empire in the Sacramento Valley of the Mexican territory of California. At his California colony—named New Helvetia—Sutter welcomed the immigrants who streamed into the territory, especially after gold was...