Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposal to close Sutter's Fort in downtown Sacramento as a way to trim the State's swollen budget is drawing jeers from school children.

For decades students on field trips have ventured into the wide open yard and small historic rooms at Sutter's Fort.

On Friday, about 90 fourth graders from Meteer Elementary School in Red Bluff spent the day learning about the fort's history. The students made the trip after reading the novel "Patty Reed's Doll," which tells the story of one of the survivors of the Donner party.

"I was really excited to see Patty Reed's doll," said 9-year-old Alexis Hernandez.

"This is a chance for them to see history in the real place where it happened," said fourth grade teacher Cheryl Bell. "It's one thing to read about it. It's quite another to actually see it."

Kaitlyn Miranda, 9, and several of her classmates were surprised at the size of the doll. "It's so small," said Miranda. "Because in the books, it's just a picture. But then you go and see it, you get to see it in real life."

It's that living history that excites Sutter's Fort employee Bob Russo. "There's no other place like this," said Russo. "It's had a long life as an educational institution."

Bell learned during Friday's field trip that Sutter's Fort is one of the 48 of the state's 278 State Parks that may be forced to close to the public in order to trim the state's budget.

"Oh, that would be a catastrophe," Bell said. "I mean this is one of the highlights of (the students') whole year. This is their best field trip and it supplements their history program."

When she heard of the proposed closure, Miranda said, "That's horrible."

Russo is hoping the state can find another way to trim the budget. "We'll see what happens," Russo said. "This is just an opening discussion."

In 1839, Swiss immigrant John Sutter received a land grant in the Sacramento Valley from the Mexican government and used the land to create a flourishing agricultural empire named New Helvetia. The empire established Sacramento's earliest settlement and the first non-Indian settlement in California's Central Valley.

In 1847, Sutter sent aid to the Donner Party, a group of immigrants trapped in a winter storm in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Word spread and Sutter became known for his hospitality and for providing temporary refuge to travelers. This reputation made New Helvetia the destination for early immigrants to California.

Less than a decade after they were established, Sutter's properties were overrun by gold seekers and the fort is all that remains of New Helvetia.
The Native Sons of the Golden West purchased the fort in 1890 and donated to the State in 1891. It has been restored to its former state based on an 1847 map published in Darmstadt, Germany.

In 1947, Sutter's Fort became part of the California State Park System. It is open daily for tours.