Monthly Archives: December 2019

Christmas with the Bidwells 2019

Posted on December 24, 2019 by nancyleek

The Bidwell Mansion Association celebrated “Christmas with the Bidwells” on December 6th with delicious holiday treats, live music, and a vignette inside Bidwell Mansion. In the vignette, Mrs. Swasey (LaShona Haskell), William Swasey (Mike Swann), John Bidwell (Nick Anderson) and … Continue reading →

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Pres Longley’s Christmas Column

Posted on December 23, 2019 by nancyleek

Pres Longley, the “Bard of Butte,” wrote many columns and poems for the newspapers. This column appeared in the Weekly Butte Record on December 26th, 1868. It’s lengthy, so I am just going to give you the beginning, and the … Continue reading →

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“A Pioneer Repast” and Its Author

Posted on December 15, 2019 by nancyleek

A couple weeks ago I told you about Christmas dinner at Sutter’s Fort in 1845 and its crowning finale, a genuine John Bull plum pudding.  All the information for those two posts came from an article that appeared in the … Continue reading →

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A Real John Bull Plum Pudding

Posted on December 4, 2019 by nancyleek

The cook at Sutter’s Fort, an Englishman, promised he could produce a Christmas dinner “that would rival Delmonico’s best efforts.” (Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City being the epitome of fine dining.) He also promised to top off the whole … Continue reading →

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A Pioneer Repast

Posted on December 2, 2019 by nancyleek

If you were living at Sutter’s Fort in 1845, before the Gold Rush, what was available for you to eat? Would you enjoy lots of good foodstuffs, or a limited diet? It could be both, depending on the time of … Continue reading →

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