SS 3-1: Where were
California Settlements?
Fort Ross was established north of San
Francisco
• Fort Ross was built in 1812 by fur trappers from Russia and Alaskan
settlers
• Built to help Russian trade with Spanish settlers in CA
• Became the largest fur-trading post south of Alaska
• Fur trapping began after Vitus Bering discovered the Bering Strait and path
to resources of the North American continent
• Other forts served as military posts
• Forts established later served as trading posts
Russian Settlements
• Mexico came from the south and Russian settlers came from the
northwest
• 1812 Ivan Kuskov led group of Russian and Alaskan fur trappers to
San Francisco area
• Within 10 years the trappers caught most of the sea otters for fur
• Left in early 1840’s because they couldn’t farm the land
Many Mexican settlements were located near
the coast
• 1821 Mexico gained independence from Spain and took control of
CA
• Mexicans moved north to CA for farmland
• Missions became Mexican settlements
• Mission settlements= good place to live, farm and trade b/c near
coast
• Original San Diego missions abandoned in 1834
• Troops occupied it and surrounding area
• The church regained control of SD mission in 1834
• Operated as a school for CA Indians from 1887-1907
Sutter’s Fort established near Sacramento
• 1839 Mexican government gave John Sutter a land grant for an area in
Sacramento Valley
• Center of the colony Sutter established
• Where Sacramento and American Rivers met
• Sutter sold supplies to travelers
• He offered employment
• Immigrants and CA Indians
• Gold discovered on Sutter property by James Marshall
• Marshall was a carpenter
• Sutter’s son founded Sacramento in 1848
Cause and Effect
Mexico won independence from Spain
CA became part of Mexico
Mexicans moved north to CA to farm
Mexicans built settlements in CA
Kuskov led a group of trappers to
area north of San Francisco
They built Fort Ross as a trading
post
Open Book Quiz
Answer each question in a paragraph.
Restate the question in your answer.
1. Explain why Mexicans built settlements in
CA
2. Compare and contrast Fort Ross and
Sutter’s Fort