Author Archives: nancyleek

John Bidwell had heard that a man by the name of John Sutter was starting a colony about a hundred miles to the north of Marsh’s ranch in the Sacramento Valley. The Mexicans had colonized the land along the coast, … Continue reading →

John Marsh went to San Jose and got passports for everyone in the Bidwell-Bartleson Party—everyone except John Bidwell. Bidwell suspected that Dr. Marsh wanted to keep him at his ranch as a useful person to have around, but Bidwell was … Continue reading →

Google reminded me that today is the birthday of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson, author of such classics as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kidnapped, and that consummate pirate adventure, Treasure Island. And what does RLS have to do with … Continue reading →

One of the men, Michael Nye, who gone down to San Jose to look for work cam back to Marsh’s ranch with the report that the other men were “detained” there, and the Mexican authorities wanted the rest of the … Continue reading →

“I went to R. Livermore’s, which is about 20 miles from Marsh’s, nearly W[est]; he has a Spanish wife and is surrounded by 5 or 6 Spanish families.” Robert Livermore was an Englishman; one of those sailors who jumped ship … Continue reading →

John Bidwell stayed at Marsh’s rancho, while fifteen of the company went to “the pueblo of St. Joseph” (San Jose) to look for work. Bidwell wanted to pump Marsh for more information about California and its resources, as well as … Continue reading →

On November 4th the Bidwell-Bartleson Party finally arrived at the home of Dr. John Marsh. Considering the glowing reports of California that Marsh had sent back east, Bidwell was surprised at the primitive conditions he was living in. He had … Continue reading →

The Bidwell-Bartleson Party was almost out of the hills. Yesterday they had finally spotted the Central Valley, and now knew that the mountains did not go on endlessly. They headed for the nearest timber (which indicated water) and reached a … Continue reading →

“It commenced raining about one o’clock this morning and continued till noon–threw away all our old clothes to lighten our packs, fearing the rain would make the mountains so slippery as to render it impossible to travel.” The Bidwell-Bartleson Party … Continue reading →

On October 24, 1841, John Bidwell and the rest of the Bidwell-Bartleson Party were still in the Sierras, and very lucky that the winter storms had not yet begun. John had left the rest of the company to hunt for … Continue reading →