Goldfields (Lasthenia californica) is a common California wildflower—you can see it all over over Table Mountain in the spring. For me the name combines two of my favorite things: California wildflowers and California history.

I am lucky enough to live in beautiful Butte County, where the wildflowers and the history are abundant. Butte County was home to one of California’s greatest pioneers—John Bidwell. His home, Bidwell Mansion, still stands in Chico and is a state historic park, well worth a visit. In my time as a librarian for the Butte County Library, I noticed that there was no biography of John Bidwell for young readers, so I wrote one. This blog will introduce that book, as well as chronicle other adventures in Northern California.