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.

Black Bart in San Quentin

Posted on October 8, 2022 by nancyleek

Charles E. Bolton, aka Black Bart, entered San Quentin State Prison on November 21, 1883. It had only been eighteen days since his arrest. Justice was swift in those day. While in prison Bart wrote letters to his family in … Continue reading →

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FX07

Posted on October 6, 2022 by nancyleek

FX07 was the code that brought down Black Bart. It was a laundry mark. In the day when men had their shirts, detachable collars and cuffs, handkerchiefs, and other items of clothing cleaned at a laundry, the items were marked … Continue reading →

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Black Bart: The Search is Over

Posted on October 5, 2022 by nancyleek

Law enforcement lost track of Charles E. Boles, the gentleman bandit known as Black Bart, after his release from San Quentin Prison on January 21, 1888. During March he was seen in Stockton, Oakdale, and Modesto. He was last spotted … Continue reading →

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Invitation to a Hanging

Posted on October 2, 2022 by nancyleek

Not the sort of invitation you are likely to get in the mail today— This invitation to a hanging resides in the Pioneer Memorial Museum in Oroville. It was donated by Viola Pacheco of Redding, California. I can’t make out … Continue reading →

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A Visit to the Butte County Pioneer Museum

Posted on September 19, 2022 by nancyleek

Yesterday I visited the Butte County Pioneer Museum in Oroville. Open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:15 to 2:15, it’s worth visiting to get a flavor of old-time life in a town that gained its wealth from gold-mining. The stone … Continue reading →

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Three Handsome Gentleman from Helltown

Posted on September 13, 2022 by nancyleek

Who are these three gentlemen? The photograph was taken at the Chico photography studio of H.H. Frye, but the three men are not identified. The photo was brought to a committee meeting of the Association for Northern California Historical Research … Continue reading →

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Slavery in Butte County

Posted on September 5, 2022 by nancyleek

Even though California was a free state, slavery certainly existed here. Slaveholders brought their slaves with them from the South, and they did everything they could to hold on to their “property.” But were slaves bought and sold in California?* … Continue reading →

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The Perkins Case

Posted on September 3, 2022 by nancyleek

The first test of the California Fugitive Slave Act (enacted in April 1852) came shortly after its passage. Three men, Carter Perkins, Robert Perkins, and Sandy Jones, were seized on the night of May 31, 1852, by the sheriff of … Continue reading →

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A Young Man Named ‘Frank’

Posted on August 29, 2022 by nancyleek

This is the story of the case that led to the enactment of the California Fugitive Slave Law. In 1850 a man named John Calloway brought an enslaved man named Frank from Missouri to California. Frank was eighteen years old. … Continue reading →

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The California Fugitive Slave Law

Posted on August 28, 2022 by nancyleek

As a student of history, I knew about the federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. What I didn’t know about until recently was that California had its own Fugitive Slave Law, enacted in 1852, to deal with the unique circumstances … Continue reading →

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