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.

Happy Gold Discovery Day!

Posted on January 24, 2023 by nancyleek

John Sutter needed lumber. He was always building — on his fort, around the fort, up at his farm. He also planned to sell lumber to the settlers who were coming into California in increasing numbers. He needed a sawmill. … Continue reading →

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February Is Black History Month

Posted on January 20, 2023 by nancyleek

Get ready for Black History Month! Alvin Coffey is the ideal book to highlight black history in California. As 4th grade students study the Gold Rush, they learn about the prospectors who came seeking gold in the rivers and streams … Continue reading →

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Finnicum, Father and Son

Posted on January 14, 2023 by nancyleek

When Randy Taylor posted this business card on Facebook, I figured that J.D. Finnicum must be the same man as “Joe Finnicum, the Jehu” immortalized in poetry by Pres Longley. But that is not the case. James Duncan Finnicum, stage … Continue reading →

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The Floods of 1852

Posted on January 5, 2023 by nancyleek

It’s a rainy January all over California this year, a welcome relief after several years of drought. I have written before about the floods in Sacramento in 1850 and in 1862. Flooding came again in 1852. Determined to build on … Continue reading →

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For Auld Lang Syne and the Days of ’49

Posted on January 3, 2023 by nancyleek

My mother, being of Scottish heritage, was fond of the song “Auld Lang Syne” and we would gather round and sing it every New Year’s Eve. Since this blog is about “auld lang syne” or the days long past, I … Continue reading →

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A Chico Christmas Eve, 1869

Posted on December 24, 2022 by nancyleek

From John Bidwell’s diary for 1869: Sat. December 25. Christmas – Rained last night with a furious wind – Boys & girls of the town invited and had a high old time – That “high old time” happened at the … Continue reading →

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Christmas with Lola Montez

Posted on December 20, 2022 by nancyleek

Lola Montez’s stay in Grass Valley was brief, but memorable. Matilda Denzer (later Mrs. Uphoff) never forgot a Christmas party she attended at Lola’s house in 1853. In her memoir she recalled: There were only a few girls in Grass … Continue reading →

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Christmas with the Bidwells — 2022

Posted on December 18, 2022 by nancyleek

Live events are back at Bidwell Mansion! After a two year hiatus, the Bidwell Mansion Association invited members and guests to enjoy “Christmas with the Bidwells” live and in person at Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park. The evening featured dramatic … Continue reading →

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Give the Gift of Books

Posted on December 7, 2022 by nancyleek

Something they want, Something they need, Something to wear, Something to read. (Detail from Charles C. Nahl’s Sunday in the Mines. Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento.) As a librarian and devoted book reader, I have always given the gift of books. … Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving in California

Posted on November 22, 2022 by nancyleek

Thanksgiving in California / At the Cabin, 1849 — D.W.N. Or maybe it was really 1850. In Daniel W. Nason’s (unpublished) memoir of his two years in California, written twenty years later, he recalls the Thanksgiving feast he had with … Continue reading →

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