Author Archives: nancyleek

Picture Annie Bidwell, sitting by the fireplace in the newly finished Bidwell Mansion, writing a New Year’s Day letter to “the dear ones at home” in Washington D.C. She misses her family, and she is sometimes lonely when “the General” … Continue reading →

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 →

Enjoy this vignette from 2021, in which the Bidwells entertain guests, General Bidwell and his friend tell the story of a Christmas feast at Sutter’s Fort, and the cook is in despair.

On Monday, December 17, 1849, the California legislature met for the first time in San Jose. They were actually scheduled to meet on December 15th, but it had rained steadily since October, and the roads were so muddy that many … Continue reading →

Come to the Annual Meeting of the Association for Northern California Historical Research and hear archaeologist Greg White talk about his investigations at Rancho del Llano Seco. This new book, and all of ANCHR’s books, will be available for purchase. … Continue reading →

At the end of her diary for the year 1904, Annie Bidwell listed the Christmas gifts she gave that year. She doesn’t record where she bought these gifts, but elsewhere she mentions shopping at Oser’s and at Hibbard and Sommer’s. … Continue reading →

For over forty years I have been using Guittard chocolate to make bonbons, truffles, and hand-dipped chocolates at Christmas time. Guittard chocolate is the best! Superb quality! I knew that the Guittard Chocolate Company was an old California manufacturer of … Continue reading →

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 →

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 →