It’s here! My new book, a collaborative history of Bidwell Mansion, from 1865 to 2024.

The book was written by Dave Veith, and completed by me after Dave’s passing in 2024.

Dave worked on this book for over a decade. As a community landmark and the emblem of the city of Chico, he felt the building deserved its own biography. His work formed part of a larger project about the dynamics of John and Annie Bidwell’s marriage, a project which he called “The Grand Bargain.” The Mansion was central to that relationship, and so he came to write the story of the Mansion. Feeling that “Tower in the Trees” was nearly ready for publication, in 2023 he asked me to look it over and make suggestions.

Dave had done an impressive amount of research, scouring books, letters, diaries, newspapers, and government publications for information about the design, construction, and use of the Mansion from the time it was just a notion in John Bidwell’s brain, to the day it became a state historic park. But he and I agreed that the book was too long, and I volunteered to help him cut the narrative down to a reasonable length.

After Dave’s passing, and with the permission of his wife Gloria, I took on the task of completing the book — checking the references, trimming the chapters, gathering photos, and adding a bit of new material from letters and ledgers in the state library.

Tower in the Trees: The Story of Bidwell Mansion is edited by Josie Reifschneider-Smith and published by the Association for Northern California Historical Research. It will soon be available on the ANCHR website and in The General’s Store at Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park. (The gift shop is open Fridays and Saturdays 10-3.) I am looking forward to our book launch at the Chico History Museum on Sunday, December 6th, 4-6 p.m. I hope I see some of you there!