Monthly Archives: October 2025

Chico Halloween

News stories about Halloween from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Chico don’t mention anything about trick-or-treating. Instead it is all parties and pranks. The parties were put on by families and churches, and featured fall decorations (lots … Continue reading

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Murder at the Mansion — in print!

Back in March I wrote a series that I called “Murder at the Mansion,” the true story of the brutal murder of Billy Simpson, a Rancho Chico employee, for the gain of a few dollars. That story has now been … Continue reading

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Passengers Made to Pungle!

Whenever I am looking for a particular story in an old newspaper, I always come across something else, every bit as interesting. This one introduced me to a new word — pungle. The story appeared in the Northern Enterprise (which … Continue reading

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Book Signing at B&N

I will be at Barnes & Noble in Chico this Saturday, October 11th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with piles of my biography of John Bidwell, ready to sell and sign and chat about books and history. I hope … Continue reading

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