What work did John Bidwell do for John Sutter?

Answer 1

According to Bidwell's own writings, he stayed at John Sutter's Bodega Fur Trade until it could be moved to the Sacramento Valley. Basically, he was a "squatter" living at Sutter's business until it could be removed to the new location. This was an important job, as Bidwell himself could attest to, because the reason he moved to California was that his farm got claim-jumped while he was on vacation. John Sutter hired Bidwell to keep claim-jumpers or "native Californians" from stealing his business while it was being transported to Sacramento.

Once the business was moved, John Bidwell worked Sutter's Hock farm for about a year. Bidwell, was not impressed with Sutter's business practices, however, and was often critical of Sutter's dealings.