Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-01-24
GOLDEN JUBILEE.
CONTINUED from first pagel

yersary Of which IL to be thus cele.
braJed, has been told again and again
but Is we'll worth retellinQ, insepara
bly, connected as 10 Is with the names
Of two remarkable men-John A.
Sutter and James w. Marshall.
Sutter was always wanderer
Born ia Baden, Germany. 10 1903, he
was graduated from the militaiy
school at Berne, at the aye Of twenty.
and enlisted In the Swiss Guard OF the
French army, successors OF that IA
NOUS band OF mercenaries who so faith
fully stood 20 be butchered on the
stairs OF Tuileries thirty years before
After seven years service he changed
his cOlOrs and entered the army OF
Switzerland, in which he served until
1884. Then he put of his uniform and
came u America.
ter crossed the plains TO Oregon, and
made his way down the Columbia river
To Vancouver, whence he sailed to the
Sandwich Islands.
There he got an interest in trad.
Ing vessel, with which he sailed u
Sitka aud the seal islands toward Beh-
rings Strait. Turning southward
after some profitable trading, he ar.
riyed in the bay of San Francisco.
July 2, 1899. The appearance OF the |
country pleased him, aud he decided |
TO remain there.
Sutter made settlement some dis
tance up the Sacramento river, built |
grist mill, a tannery and a fort, |
founded colony and called IL New
Helvetia. His restless energy was
still unsatisfed. He took commits.
sion as captain In the Mexican ser
vice, and afterward served as a magis-
trate under the same government. He
TOOK no active part In the war be-
tween this country and Mexico, OF
which California was then part, and
after the annexation he was alcalde
and Indian commissioner.
Then came the discovery that en-
Tlched the world and impoverished
Sutter.
The finding OF gold f., California
was accidental. Suffers Fort was
the first settlement In the valley Of
the Sacramento reached by immi-
grants coming from the East. 1his
early imposed upon It's owner &, OBJ
legation of furnishing provisions and
supplies TO the newcomers, and in
l647 prompted him, In anticipation of ,
the rush OF settlers from the East
that 1t was expected would follow the !
cession Of California TO the United !
States, to begin the erection Of tiour !
mill TO grind the wheat which he cul- 7
tlvated In considerable quantity. To
get the lumber for IL he determined !
TO build a sawmill also.
The site selected for the proposed q
sawlnill by James w. Marshall, a
wandering wheelright from New
Jersy, who had drifted from the East a
TO Oregon and then TO California, u
where he entered Suffers service, was I
In the small valley of the Coloma. !,
forty.iive miles from Suffers Fort 4
Excellent water-power was to be had "
In the valley, and yellow pine timber s'
abounded In the nearby hills. SuCter U
left the plans and construction OF the o
mill TO Marshall, and in August, lS47 o
the two signed an agreement OF part. n
nership, under which Sutter was TO x
furnish money, men, tools and teams,
and Marshall was TO supply the skill le
Tor building and managing. ~
About this time number OF Nor. u
mons arrived In Helvetla aud asked "
Tor employment. They had belonged ~
10 the battalion, which, after enlist ct
ng in Nebraska for one year, march. ~
ng TO the Pacific by way OF the Gila. Io
Ind grarisoning San Dlago, had been ul
mustered out at Los Angeles in the ae
July. They were Gu their al