Monthly Archives: April 2017

The Mysterious Death of Peter Lassen — Part 3

Whodunit? Lemericus Wyatt was quick to blame the Paiute Indians. The natives always made  convenient and believable scapegoats. A man named Fred Kingsbury, whose father had been Peter Lassen’s partner, later pointed out that: When Indians kill they want something … Continue reading

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The Mysterious Death of Peter Lassen — Part 2

Peter Lassen (or Larsen, since his father’s name was Lars) was born near Copenhagen in 1800.  He became a blacksmith. In 1830 he applied to the king for permission to immigrate, probably because the depressed European economy made it hard … Continue reading

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The Mysterious Death of Peter Lassen

On April 26, 1859 — 158 years ago — Peter Lassen was murdered at Black Rock Canyon in what is now Nevada. He had gone prospecting for silver with two men, Edward Clapper and Lamericus Wyatt. Clapper also lost his … Continue reading

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The Liberty Bell Comes to Chico

I read an article in the April 2017 issue of Smithsonian about the 1915 national tour of the Liberty Bell to promote war bonds (“Saved by the Bell” by Stephen Fried). Even though the U.S. had not yet entered World … Continue reading

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Gold, Grizzlies, and Mexican Land Grants

Take a trip back in time to hear John Bidwell recount his adventures in California. You’ll hear about gold mining, grizzly bears, and how he acquired a Mexican land grant. The year is 1858, and John Bidwell is 39 years … Continue reading

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Costume Time

Here’s the dress I spent a good part of two months working on— (actually half the time was on the underpinnings of the dress) We look serious because this is the 19th century, when no one smiled for photos 🙂 … Continue reading

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Bidwell, Kelsey, and Mary Ray King

I haven’t been blogging much lately, but I have been working on several projects—- An article for The Diggin’s: If you live in Butte County you probably know that The Diggin’s is the quarterly journal of the Butte County Historical … Continue reading

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One Last Thought from Nicholas Dawson

On how to NOT get rich in California: While I was slowly accumulating, the majority of fortune seekers in California were saving nothing. If they mined, they were shifting from place to place, or squandering money in impracticable ventures, such … Continue reading

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Beautiful Northern California

It’s a rainy night all over the North State, so here is some beautiful scenery from Table Mountain to brighten your evening. We were there on a sunny Tuesday and hope to go again soon.

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