Hock Farm

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Sutter's Hock Farm

The Hock Farm (also Hok ranchería) was the first non-Indian settlement built in 1841 by Johann August Sutter in what is now Sutter County in California . A California Historical Landmark is now located on the property in Yuba City .

Surname

The name Hock is derived from the Nisenan village of "Hok" , which was south of Marysville on the Feather River .

history

In 1839 Johann August Sutter began to settle his colony New Helvetia , which he then received in 1841 as a Mexican land allocation . In addition to its main settlement, Sutter's Fort , the Hock Farm, built in 1841, became the colony's most important settlement. The farm was the first large agricultural property in Northern California on which, in addition to raising cattle and horses (around 1,000 animals each), grain and fruit growing were also carried out.

After his family from Switzerland arrived in 1850, Sutter had a representative house built on Hock Farm - the site manager was John Bidwell . The building was made of adobe bricks and had two floors. Sutter also pioneered fruit growing in California, experimenting with a variety of fruit and vegetable seeds and saplings; he also planted vines. The farm achieved the status of a model farm and an agricultural seminar in California. The intensively cultivated area of ​​the Hock Farm for growing fruit and vegetables as well as wheat fields amounted to around 2.5 square kilometers, while the area used by Sutter for the Hock Farm and partly used for cattle was around 31 square kilometers. In 1850 there were about 30 Europeans and up to 75 Indians living on the farm.

On March 21, 1852, Sutter's daughter Elisa married on the farm. In general, Sutter led a very lavish and generous social life on the Hock Farm and had many visitors there.

In May 1857 the farm was auctioned off as part of bankruptcy proceedings, but Sutter managed to re-acquire the property.

On June 21, 1865, the buildings of Sutters Farm burned down by arson. Documents, correspondence, the library and the memoirs started by Sutter were also destroyed in the fire. Sutter sold the property and left California, living in hotels and pensions in Washington, DC until 1871 to continue his struggle for land rights. In 1871 he moved to Lititz (Pennsylvania) .

Christian Schmidt, one of the subsequent owners of the property, had new farm buildings built between 1875 and 1879, which in turn fell victim to a fire in 1902. In 1907 the farm was ravaged by floods, and the iron warehouse was also washed away.

California Historical Landmark

Former warehouse of Sutters Hock Farm - replica of a wall with the gate

Since August 8, 1939, "Site of Hock Farm" has been a California Historical Landmark, commemorating the first construction of Sutter. In 1927 the "Sutter and Yuba Bi-County Federation of Women's Clubs" erected a memorial plaque and a replica of a wall of the old iron warehouse (made of the iron parts and doors partially found in the river) was inaugurated. In 1930 a bronze plaque was added to the site at its inauguration 12 000 visitors were present. So today's pictures do not show the Hook Farm, but their warehouse. The iron plates of the warehouse construction came from Germany and were transported around Cape Horn . The warehouse was initially built in the town of Eliza, founded in 1950, on the other side of the Feather River . After a few months, this city was abandoned because it could not prevail against the nearby Marysville . Eliza City had been named after Sutter's daughter by its founders in order to ingratiate themselves with him. After the city was abandoned, Sutter had the warehouse dismantled and taken across the river to his Hock Farm. In Sutter County, the iron warehouse was referred to as a "fort," but it was never used or unsuitable for military use. The name fort is to be regarded as a mock name, since an iron warehouse was thought to be excessive. In 2010 the replica of the warehouse was restored.

literature

  • William Henry Chamberlain, Harry Laurenz Wells: History of Sutter County, California. With illustrations descriptive of its scenery, residences, public buildings, fine blocks and manufactories , Thompson & West, Oakland 1879 in the Internet Archive ; Drawing p. 32 in the Internet Archive ; History p. 22 in the Internet Archive
  • Don Burtis: The Fort at Hock Farm. A History of the Iron Building at Hock Farm. In: Sutter County Historical Society. News Bulletin , Volume 51 (LI), No. 4, October 2009, pp. 4–10 ( pdf ; 442 kB)
  • The Army Surveys of Gold Rush California: Reports of Topographical Engineers … edited by Gary Clayton Anderson, Laura Lee Anderson
  • James Peter Zollinger: Johann August Sutter. King of New Helvetia. In: Zürcher Illustrierte, Volume 14 (1938) - abridged version of the book publication
  • Albert L. Hurtado: Hock Farm Homestead. In: John Sutter. A Life on the North American Frontier . University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK 2006, pp. 286-296 available for loan from the Internet Archive

Web links

Commons : Hock Farm  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Victor Golla: California Indian Languages , Berkeley, Los Angeles, London, 2011, p. 138, Google digitized version
  2. ↑ Entry Historic Marker # 346 on visityubasutter.com; accessed on March 5, 2020
  3. ↑ a b see Zollinger p. 1421 ( e-periodica )
  4. ^ Albert L. Hurtado: John Sutter. A Life on the North American Frontier . University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK 2006, p. 287 can be borrowed from the Internet Archive
  5. ↑ see Hurtado p. 288
  6. ↑ see Burtis p. 9; Hurtado gives a description of the wedding celebration on pp. 293–294.
  7. ↑ a b see Zollinger p. 1480 ( e-periodica )
  8. ↑ Office of Historic Preservation HOCK FARM (SITE OF) , no. 346
  9. ↑ see Burtis p. 7
  10. ↑ see Burtis
  11. ^ Howard Yune: Hock Farm monument restored in Sutter County on Appeal Democrat dated December 30, 2010; accessed on March 4, 2020

Coordinates: 39 ° 2 ′ 56 ″  N , 121 ° 38 ′ 0 ″  W.