Rancho New Helvetia (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Rancho New Helvetia (also called "Nueva Helvetia") was a 48,839-acre (197.64 km2) Mexican land grant in present day Sacramento County, Sutter County and Yuba County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to John Sutter. The name means "new Switzerland" after Sutter's home country. The grant extended roughly from near present day Marysville south along the Feather River, to the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River near present day Sacramento. By 1840, the settlements in Mexican California were limited for the most part to lands near coastal waters, and the Californios were worried about encroachments by foreigners, especially by Americans.