New Helvetia Diary: A Record of Events Kept by John A. Sutter and His Clerks at New Helvetia, California from September 9, 1845 to May 25, 1848

San Francisco: The Grabhorn Press, 1939. First Edition. 138pp. Quarto [31 cm] 1/4 tan cloth over decorative paper boards. Paper label on the backstrip. Color frontispiece. Better than very good. 950 copies of this work were printed by the Grabhorns for The Society of California Pioneers. This work by John Sutter and others chronicles daily events, arrivals, and significant happenings in pre-Gold Rush California, including the Bear Flag Revolt, the U.S. takeover, and the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill. A nice firsthand account of the era, detailing life at the fort, interactions with Native Americans, and the influx of pioneers. Work concludes with an index of the people at Sutter's Fort at the time and a map of Central California.