Sutter's Fort State Historic Park

09/19/2026

While the blacksmith shop at Sutter’s Fort made tools and other utilitarian items out of iron in the 1840s, a blacksmith could still make artistic pieces.

In this video, Marco demonstrates the same blacksmithing methods available in the 1840s at the Fort by making a feather keychain. The bellows pumps air into the forge where the iron or steel is softened to a working temperature to be shaped with a hammer on the anvil.

Want to see the the blacksmith shop in operation? Come visit during our monthly Demonstration Days from 10am to 4pm on the second Saturday of each month and learn about the blacksmith shop’s environmental impacts in the 1840s.

Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park is a California State Park located in Sacramento, California.

09/16/2026

On September 16, 1810, Mexico declared its independence from Spain. However, Mexico’s war for independence continued for another 11 years ending with the Treaty of Córdoba in August 1821. Mexico in the 1820s, up until the Mexican-American War in 1846, was divided into two provinces: Baja California (what is mostly the country of Mexico today) and Alta California (today the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming).

In this video, Jared discussed Mexico’s independence, the province of Alta California, Sutter’s Fort’s connection to the Mexican Era Rancho period of California’s history, and the flag flown today at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park.

09/15/2026

ATTENTION TEACHERS: Have you ever thought what it would be like to have your class spend the whole day or stay overnight at Sutter’s Fort?

We still have program dates for school groups for this school year for the Environmental Living Program (ELP) and Environmental Studies Program (ESP). These programs focus on learning and understanding the complex history of Sutter’s Fort. Through staff-led presentations and hands-on learning stations such as baking bread in an outdoor bake oven, cooking, weaving a wool blanket, making rope, and many other activities, students will see the role Sutter’s Fort played as a catalyst of change in California in the 1840s.

For more information about the programs and dates available, please contact [email protected]

09/14/2026

ATTENTION TEACHERS: We are offering our popular “Sutter’s Fort Through Time” program as a PORTScast this Tuesday, September 15th, at 9am! This live Zoom webinar is open to multiple groups at once, including classes, homeschool families, and lifelong learners.

In this webinar offered through the California State Parks PORTS Distance Learning Program, students will join our presenter, Michael, to examine the significant historical events associated with Sutter's Fort. They will learn about the lasting impacts the Fort had on the Native peoples of the Sacramento Valley, how and why John Sutter and other European Americans came to California, why the Fort was built, what work took place at the Fort, and why the Fort was abandoned.

Throughout, students will learn about the diversity and complexity of Sutter’s Fort, as well as the basics of how and why we study the past. This program is geared towards 3rd to 5th grades, but all participants are welcome.

To register for this FREE 60-minute webinar, check out:

https://ports-ca.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KSbjQ7cASoCBeOh_Uw7CEQ #/registration

09/13/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended our Demonstration Day event yesterday at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park! Our next monthly Demonstration Day will be on October 10th from 10am to 4pm.

09/12/2026

09/10/2026

Join California State Parks and Miridae Mobile Nursery for the return of our FREE hands-on workshop series highlighting the importance of native plants and how you can naturally incorporate them into your gardens at home using easy-to-make seed bombs.

Our Poppies in the Park workshops will take place during our normal Family Activity Day on September 12th at 10:30am, 11:30am, and 12:30pm on the park grounds outside the State Indian Museum and are offered in support of California Biodiversity Week.

Join Grace Amico, owner of Miridae Mobile Nursery, for a 30-min workshop where you will learn how to create native seed bombs from scratch, care for them to ensure successful growth, and learn about the benefits of incorporating native plants in landscaping.

Each participant will receive enough supplies to make a seed bomb in the shape of a poppy, a bear, or even the State of California! Native plants will also be available for purchase.

State Park interpreters will also be present to discuss the cultural significance of poppies in our state and their role in supporting local ecosystems.

These workshops are sponsored by Midtown Association.

09/09/2026

On September 9, 1850, California became the 31st State. California was under the control of the U.S. military for two and a half years following the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in February 1848, which officially ended the Mexican-American War. The large influx in population during the beginning of the Gold Rush hastened California’s admittance to the Union.

In regard to Sutter’s Fort and California’s statehood, William Tecumseh Sherman once said, “No one was more responsible for California becoming part of the United States than John Sutter.” But how true is that statement?

In this video, Jared discussed John Sutter and Sutter’s Fort’s connection to California’s road to statehood and also the impact of it all.

09/08/2026

The blacksmith shop at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park represents what the shop would have looked like in the mid 1840s. The items made in the shop at the time ranged from small utilitarian items such as nails and hooks to farm tools. However, sometimes it is interesting to demonstrate making something that is a more modern custom.

In this video, Marco, one of our blacksmiths, demonstrates the same blacksmithing methods available in the 1840s at the Fort to make a coaster for a cup out of some quarter inch steel round stock.

Want to see the blacksmith shop in operation? Come visit during our next Demonstration Days on September 12th and October 10th!

Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park is a California State Park located in the Midtown Sacramento, California.

09/07/2026

Join us for an informative (and fun) Demonstration Day at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park (SHP) on Saturday, September 12th, from 10am to 4pm.

Experience firsthand some of the engaging activities featured in our popular school field trip programs. Participate in interactive learning stations, witness volunteer demonstrations, and attend staff-led presentations discussing the colonial legacy of 1840s Sutter’s Fort.

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ACTIVITIES MAY INCLUDE:
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- Blacksmithing demonstrations
- Cooking demonstrations
- Spinning wool into yarn
- Cooperage and Carpentry demonstrations
- Learning about overland migration at the wagon

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ADMISSION INFO:
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$5.00 - Adults
$3.00 - Youth
Children 5 and under free

As an added bonus, visitors receive complimentary admission to the State Indian Museum during Demonstration Day events.