Candle-Making
I. Goal:
The Candle shop will provide an interpretive experience to help the student understand the
basic life and work of the inhabitants of the Fort. It will also illustrate the dull and laborious
nature of many period crafts.
II. Objectives:
A. Students will recognize how candles were made and used in a historic setting.
B. Students will participate in the candle making process and will produce at least one
candle each.
III. The People:
The only known reference to a chandler (candle maker) at the Fort occurs in a letter from
Sutter to U.S. Consul Thomas Larkin on the 15th of July 1845. As postscript to the letter,
Sutter appends a list of immigrants who arrived from Oregon on the 10th of July 1845 along
with their occupations. Included on this list is an F. Lichtenstein soapmaker and chandler.
The Bancroft Pioneer Register shows a Lightston, Frank, 1845, German soapmaker and
chandler, original name Franz Lichtenstein, who came from Oregon in the McMahon-
Clyman party, in the spring of 1846.
IV. The Place:
The existence of a storage shop for candles, oil, and lanterns within the walls of the Fort is
supported by the Kunzel map of 1846. Candles were probably manufactured in the east
yard or outside the Fort walls. Tallow, which is rendered animal fat, was used for candle
making at Sutter’s Fort. Tallow was generally stored in a rawhide bag sewn with the hair
out, averaging 25lbs., called an arroba. Tallow was made from beef, mutton, or venison
and was used not only for candles, but also for hide dressing, water proofing, lubrication,
and as a base for some medicinal salves.
V. The Craft:
Wicking
1840’s period wicking was soft loose cotton yarn, usually cut to double the candles length
and twisted. It was either home spun or purchased in bulk as wicking yarn. All sources of
reference agree that Turkish cotton produced the best wicks. This wicking was being
imported to Yerba Buena and it is reasonable to believe Sutter obtained his wicking th