About the name
Name. 'Sutter's Gold' = 'Sutter's gold'. Named after John August Sutter (1803–1880), a German-Swiss pioneer in California, at whose sawmill James Marshall found the first gold flakes in the American River in 1848 — the official start of the California Gold Rush (1848–1855), which changed the history of the United States. The golden-orange colour of the flower is like those same flakes. A poetic American name linking the rose to a historic event.
Breeding. Bred by Herbert C. Swim (1907–1988) at Armstrong Nurseries (Ontario, California). Introduced 1950. Parentage: 'Charlotte Armstrong' (Lammerts 1940 AARS) × 'Signora' (Aicardi 1936). Herbert Swim was one of the most influential American rose hybridisers of the twentieth century, the creator of Mister Lincoln (1964 AARS), Mojave (1954 AARS) and Helen Traubel (1952 AARS).
Significance. AARS 1950 (All-America Rose Selections — the main American award for garden roses, the analogue of the European ADR). The Gamble Fragrance Medal is the highest American award for rose fragrance, the analogue of the British RNRS Fragrance Award. Sutter's Gold stands among the most fragrant HT XX roses (Hybrid Teas of the twentieth century). Portland Gold Medal 1946 + Bagatelle Gold Medal 1948 (Paris) — awards before its official introduction, a rare occurrence. A classic American golden HT of the 1950s, the peak of the Hybrid Tea era, when AARS-varieties became the standard garden rose around the world. A strong fruity fragrance is a rare quality for yellow HTs (most yellow roses inherit a weak or 'foxy' scent from Soleil d'Or). A three-colour gradient on one flower — gold, orange and a yellow reverse.