Author Archives: nancyleek

About nancyleek

Nancy is a retired librarian who lives in Chico, California. She is the author of John Bidwell: The Adventurous Life of a California Pioneer.

Lightening the Load

Posted on March 13, 2023 by nancyleek

Wagon train pioneers inevitably had to lighten their loads. First to go were heavy items like the rocking chair and the cast iron stove. Some emigrants took equipment that they thought would pay off in their new home, like pickaxes … Continue reading →

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The Monotony of the Trail

Posted on March 11, 2023 by nancyleek

Nothing but actual experience will give one an idea of the plodding, unvarying monotony, the vexations, the exhaustive energy, the throbs of hope, the depths of despair, through which we lived. Day after day, week after week, we went through … Continue reading →

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On the Trail with Luzena

Posted on March 9, 2023 by nancyleek

Luzena Stanley Wilson and her husband Mason, with their two small boys — three-year-old Thomas and almost one-year-old Jay — set out for California one bright May morning in 1849. More than 25,000 people, lit by the lure of gold, … Continue reading →

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Luzena’s Big Adventure

Posted on March 8, 2023 by nancyleek

In honor of Women’s History Month, I am going to recycle a series of posts I did five years ago, with a bit of expansion and augmentation. These are the adventures of Luzena Stanley Wilson, overland pioneer. Her account is … Continue reading →

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Paraph

Posted on March 7, 2023 by nancyleek

I just learned a new word. I had never heard the word “paraph” before, and I can pretty much guarantee that you have never heard it either. So what is a paraph? It is “a flourish at the end of … Continue reading →

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Farewell to Jennie Carter

Posted on February 28, 2023 by nancyleek

Jennie Carter wrote for The Elevator from July 1867 to December 1874. She may have written more, but a number of issues of The Elevator are missing in the years leading up to her death in 1881. Her last offering … Continue reading →

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A Grand Celebration

Posted on February 26, 2023 by nancyleek

For her column in The Elevator Jennie Carter reported on a grand celebration in Nevada City. Jennie wrote: Mr. Editor.– The celebration here on the 12th was a decided success, and has done much to give influence to the colored … Continue reading →

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Free Museum Presentation

Posted on February 24, 2023 by nancyleek

It’s free museum weekend in Butte County and I will be giving a free talk at the Pioneer History Museum in Oroville. Please come and meet me, enjoy the museum, and learn about Alvin Coffey and Black Slavery in Gold … Continue reading →

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Jennie Carter Visits Oroville

Posted on February 23, 2023 by nancyleek

Jennie Carter, African-American journalist writing for The Elevator, predicted the future of California in all its scenic variety and human diversity. Oroville, June 13, 1869 Mr. Editor,–California as a part of Uncle Sam’s domains is truly an important part, and … Continue reading →

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Jennie and Dennis Carter

Posted on February 21, 2023 by nancyleek

Jennie occasionally used stories from her husband’s life to illustrate her writings. In 1866 she had married Dennis Drummond Carter in Nevada County, California. Dennis was born free in Virginia in 1814. After the death of his father, his mother … Continue reading →

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