Sutter Island
island in Sacramento County, California, United States
Sutter Island (formerly Schoolcraft Island) is a small island of the Sacramento River in California. It is bordered by the Sacramento River on the northeast, Steamboat Slough to the southeast, and Sutter Slough to the west. It is located across the Sacramento River from Paintersville. It is part of Sacramento County, and managed by Reclamation District 349. Its coordinates are 38°17′37″N 121°35′32″W. It is shown, labeled "Schoolcraft Island", on an 1850 survey map of the San Francisco Bay area made by Cadwalader Ringgold and an 1854 map of the area by Henry Lange.
The public source identifies “Sutter Island” as island in Sacramento County, California, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sutter, Island and island.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Sutter Island”, the useful work is to connect “island in Sacramento County, California, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q104901938. Authority coordinates are 38.294, -121.592. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1850 and 1854.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sutter Island”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sutter Island primary sources, Sutter Island archive and Sutter research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sutter Island”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sutter Island” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.