What john sutter is famous for?

Sutter owned the mill where gold was first discovered in California.

Sutter was more than just the owner of the saw mill where gold was discovered. He was the "father" of the city of Sacramento. He came to the area with a Mexican land grant and built a fort. He was the last stop for settlers coming into CA. Later, he will hold the Mexican governor when CA is declared a territory by John C Fremont. Because of the finding of gold at his mill he ended up loosing everything he had gained or built and died an unhappy man. His fort is now state property and can be seen.