The land on which Marysville was founded was originally leased in 1842 by John A. Sutter to Theodore Cordua, a Prussian emigrant. Naming it for his homeland, Cordua established a trading post and stock ranch on the Calif.-Oregon Trail to serve emigrants, miners, and hunters. In 1849 he sold his holdings to several people, including Michael Nye, and the site then became known as Nye’s Ranch.