Author Archives: nancyleek

The Megquiers shipped a “portable iron house” to San Francisco, figuring it would be a good investment in a city where people were living in shacks and tents, and indeed it was. They used the ground floor for a store, … Continue reading →

Mary Jane, known as Jennie, arrived in San Francisco on June 13, 1849. Her husband, Thomas Megquier, was a medical doctor and planned to practice medicine and open a drug store. Jennie knew she could make money running a boarding … Continue reading →

On February 7, 1854 James C. Callen wrote John Bidwell about an “Indian ware on the clammoth river.” A ’49er, Callen had been residing in Butte County in 1850, but by 1854 he was living on the Klamath River “ten … Continue reading →

What do a 12th century Spanish monastery, Peter Lassen’s ranch, Stanford University, and New Clairvaux Vineyard have in common? They all come together at Vina. I have been planning to take the short (19 miles from Chico) drive north to … Continue reading →

The murders of four Chinese men at the Lemm Ranch near Chico in March 1877, plus several cases of arson against the Chinese and their employers, put Chico on the map as a locus of anti-Chinese agitation. Even though most … Continue reading →

I have been looking at the 1860 Federal Census for Butte County. I accessed it at a website called fold3.com, a division of ancestry.com. Fold3 focuses on military records, but for some reason it is the only place I found … Continue reading →