County Histories
Sutter County
“Sutter County lies in the center of the Sacramento Valley on the east bank of the Sacramento River. It is strictly a fruit growing, dairying and general farming community. It is named after General John A. Sutter, the sturdy pioneer, who settled in the Sacramento Valley in 1837. It is one of the smallest but one of the most fertile counties in California. It is an alluvial plain, forty miles long and approximately thirty miles wide, between the Sacramento and Feather Rivers.
“The area of the county is 608 square miles. It is all valley land with the exception of a curious formation of rocks and earth that rises from the center of the county to an elevation of about 2,000 feet. These isolated peaks are known as the Sutter Buttes. They cover a base area of 14,000 acres and can be seen from all parts of the Sacramento Valley. The slopes form excellent pasture lands during the Spring months.
“The soil is alluvial sandy loam. It is deep and productive of all forms of plant life. The Winters are mild and the Summers pleasant and dry. The rainfall averages from 20 to 30 inches and well water for irrigation may be struck at a depth of from fifteen to twenty-five feet at any place in the county.
“These conditions are, of course, ideal for husbandry in all its branches and hence there are a large number of very prosperous farms in Sutter. Along the Feather River for a distance of about thirty miles and extending for several miles back is one of the greatest deciduous fruit belts in the West. Peaches of all varieties reach perfection here. Sutter cling peaches bring the highest prices at the canneries. The fruit is of excellent color, size and flavor.
“Sutter is famous as the home of the Thompson Seedless grape. This grape is sweet and delicious when eaten fresh, and when sundried and cured it makes a dainty raisin, which is highly valued as a confection. It grows in huge clusters and produces heavily. The largest vineyard in the world devoted exclusively to Thompson Seedless grapes is in Sutter County.
“The prune is also a paying fruit in Sutter. The tree is longer lived than the peach and conditions here for drying the crop are all that could be desired. Rains seldom fall until after the crop has long been harvested and ready for the market. The Bartlett pear is also produced in quantities along the river lands of Sutter. The alluvial soil and climatic conditions favor pear production. The tree matures at six years and bears heavily for several generations.
“Figs are grown on many farms and apricots are also a paying crop. There are over 5,000 bearing apricot trees in the county. Olives, oranges and lemons all do well.
“Sutter is one of the leading counties in California in almond production, certain localities being exceedingly favorable to the crop. In 1910 there were 61,572 bearing trees in the county and since that date the acreage has steadily increased. The slopes of the Sutter Buttes, where there is excellent air drainage, making the orchards practically immune from frosts, produce heavy crops of almonds annually. Walnuts are also grown and there is excellent opportunity for the extension of this industry.
“Sutter is a county of general farming. In addition to fruits, it produces grain, hay and alfalfa. Dairying and stock raising are also followed. Indian and Egyptian corn are grown and fed to hogs. There are a number of private dairies with over one hundred cows each. On the river lands alfalfa produces ten and twelve tons to the acre annually and keeps the meadows green both Winter and Summer.
“The river lands of Sutter are wonderfully fertile, and great acreages are planted to beans, sugar beets and kindred crops.
“Rice is also grown in this county, there being a large expanse of land suited to the crop.
“Quite an area along the Sacramento River is marsh land. This is now being reclaimed by the construction of immense levees to protect the lands from the river waters. Great drainage systems are being installed to care for the seepage and surface water. The river reclaimed land produces heavily without irrigation.
“For several years Sutter County has felt the stimulating effect of the increase in rural population. New families have been arriving and settling upon the farm lands. Grain fields are giving way to orchards, vineyards and other forms of intensive cultivation.
“Sutter County has Winter and Summer grazing land for stock. Upwards of 100,000 sheep are run into the county every year to be fattened for market.
“In the northern part of the county thousands of acres are irrigated by the Sutter-Butte Canal, which takes it water from the Feather River. In sections not served by the canal, pump irrigation from wells is followed successfully and economically.
“Transportation facilities are good. The Sacramento River is an outlet for the products on the western border of the county. Two lines of the Southern Pacific Railroad pass through the county and the Northern electric road crosses the county in two directions.
“The total assessed valuation of Sutter is $13,270,000. The county is entirely free from debt and enjoys an economical government.
“Being primarily a farming county, Sutter has no large cities. Yuba City, the county seat, situated on the west bank of the Feather River, opposite Marysville, the county seat of Yuba County, is a beautiful little city of homes. The character of the residences testify to the prosperity of the community. The city owns its own water systems, is lighted by electricity and has good business houses.
“Meridian, on the Sacramento River, is in the center of a wonderfully rich farming section. It is connected with Yuba City by an electric railway. Live Oak is a rapidly growing town in northern Sutter.
“Nicolaus, Vernon, Tudor, Sunset, Sutter City, Oswald, Marcuse and Chandler, are all centers of producing sections.
“Sutter invites thorough investigation of new settlers in the Sacramento Valley. Its advantages are many. It has an excellent system of schools and all the towns have churches of various denominations. No liquor is sold in the county.
“Land can be purchased in Sutter at prices ranging from $100 to $300 an acre. The price variation is determined by location, quality of soil and transportation facilities.”