Rise, Ruin & Restoration

Book excerpt: Every year, Sutter's Fort attracts more than 100,000 visitors from all over the world, and occasionally the very famous come. Queen Elizabeth II scheduled Sutter's Fort as a must-see during her 1963 tour of California. Rise, Ruin and Restoration answers the questions visitors ask: - Why (and how) did Swiss immigrant John Sutter build a high-walled fortress in the wilderness? Who were his employees? - Who were the pioneers that traveled to California in covered wagons, making Sutter's Fort their initial destination? - What was the role Sutter's Fort played in the rescue of the Donner Party? The Bear Flag Revolt? The American conquest of California? - Why did the 1848 gold discovery bring ruin-and who owned Sutter's Fort after John Sutter left? When did the structure decay and collapse? - Why was it important to restore Sutter's Fort in the 1890s? How much did it cost? - What great discovery in the 20th century changed the ways in which visitors experience Sutter's Fort today?