JOHN SUTTER OF CALIFORNIA

by Glenn Clairmonte ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 20, 1954

Good- this new biography of the youthful Sutter, for it portrays Sutter's role as paternalistic empire builder in vivid terms against the background of the period and Sutter's individuality. The account starts with Sutter en route to California,- unprepossessing but self-possessed, a man who could await an Indian attack and then make friends instead of fighting. With California his dream, a trick of fortune took him first to Hawaii, then to Alaska, and finally the Spanish gave him a land deed and the opportunity to build his famous fort and to gather settlers around him. Always sympathetic to the U.S., Sutter played a patriotic role during the struggle with Mexico before the gold was found, and it is in this role he is presented, rather than in the aftermath of the ruin the gold rush brought him. Within its limitations, excellent.

Pub Date: Sept. 20, 1954

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Nelson

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1954

Categories: NONFICTION