1853 Rio Chico
May 6: Planted Watermelons and Cantaloupes
May 11: Hoed Sweet Corn
Planted Lima Beans
Irishmen dug Ditch
Heavy Shower this evening
Sowed a few Marrowfat Peas
Rained all nightMay 12: Rained hard this forenoon
Sund[ay] 15: Arrived Barber from the Meadows with wagon
Barber is Alexander H. Barber, Bidwell’s ranch manager at the time. He supervised various activities around the ranch, and often went on business trips to Marysville and Sacramento. Marrowfat peas are the traditional starchy green peas.
I don’t know who the Irishmen were who were digging the ditch. Bidwell had a great number of men working for him, and the roster changed all the time as the men came and went.
goldfields 