Out And About: Sutter's Fort
In 1840, Captain John Sutter began what would become an adobe
fort in Sacramento. This fort would be instrumental in settling
California after the gold rush of 1849. This State Historic Park
is a wonderful excursion. It is a self-guided tour through the
fort, with audio stations at most every room. They well explain
the purpose of each stop, and give a good flavor to the fort.
The fort stands today very much the same as it did 150+ years
ago. We found this a very interesting place to visit, though
it is certainly much more so on the Living History Days or Demonstration
Days (Saturdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day). A nice trip
back in time. We've been playing the Oregon Trail II game for
awhile now, so my children were familiar with the movement west
and the importance of Forts in that expansion. For children who
have not yet studied it, it's probably best to read The Cornerstones
Of Freedom's Sutter's Fort beforehand. There is no eating or
drinking allowed inside ('cept water fountains), but there is
a big grassy area outside for picnics. We opted instead to walk
a block down to J street and eat at Carrow's Restaurant (kids
meals are ~$3; well worth the air conditioning!). The California
State Indian Museum is adjacent to the fort -- however, it requires
its own admission fee.
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At A Glance Sutter's Fort 2701 L Street, Sacramento (916) 445-4422 Admission: $3 adults, $1.50 6-12; 5- free. Living History, Demonstration and History Live days are $6 adults, $3 6-12 Metered parking Appropriate for all ages |
Copyright (c)1999 Paul and Julie Gentry. Permission is granted to copy and distribute this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation [copyleft].
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