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.

The Last of Lola (Almost)

Posted on July 5, 2022 by nancyleek

Lola returned from her Australian tour in 1856 a changed woman. It had been a successful tour, but on the voyage back to the United States her leading man and lover, Frank Folland, fell overboard and was drowned. Or he … Continue reading →

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Ice Cream for the 4th of July

Posted on July 4, 2022 by nancyleek

On July 4th 1849, Charles Ross Parke wrote in his journal that: I determined to do something no other living man ever did in this place and on this sacred day of the year, and that was to make Ice … Continue reading →

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An Old-Fashioned Chico Fourth of July

Posted on July 3, 2022 by nancyleek

From the Chico Enterprise Weekly, here is what you could expect on July 4, 1877: The patriotic citizens of Chico, always ready to do homage to the birthday of a great and glorious Republic, made this the one hundred and … Continue reading →

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Lola and her Grizzly Bear

Posted on June 28, 2022 by nancyleek

In this contemporary picture of Lola’s cottage on Mill Street in Grass Valley, you can see a bear and a lady on the right. Lola Montez was fond of animals and kept a grizzly bear cubs in her yard. You … Continue reading →

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Lola Montez in Grass Valley

Posted on June 26, 2022 by nancyleek

From San Francisco and Sacramento, Lola took her performances to Marysville and then up into the foothills to Grass Valley and Nevada City. She drew appreciative crowds wherever she went, always to see her famed Spider Dance and sometimes in … Continue reading →

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A Little More about Lola

Posted on June 23, 2022 by nancyleek

I’ve been meaning to write more about Lola Montez in California, but first I had to do some research. I checked out a biography from the library — Lola Montez: A Life, by Bruce Seymour. This is the definitive biography, … Continue reading →

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Black Bart in Butte County

Posted on June 21, 2022 by nancyleek

On this date — June 21 — in 1879 the notorious stage robber Black Bart held up a stage coach near Forbestown in Butte County. It was his first robbery in the year 1879 and his ninth robbery since he … Continue reading →

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Happy Juneteenth!

Posted on June 19, 2022 by nancyleek

Juneteenth (June 19th) is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. Although only created a national federal holiday in 2021, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 since 1865, marking the date when … Continue reading →

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Lola in California

Posted on June 13, 2022 by nancyleek

In 1848 Lola left Bavaria for Switzerland, but when King Ludwig failed to join her there, she went on to London and a second marriage. The marriage to a young army officer with a recent inheritance lasted only two years. … Continue reading →

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Lola Montez in Bavaria

Posted on June 12, 2022 by nancyleek

At Nymphenburg Palace, whom should I run into but that famous adventuress on three continents, Lola Montez. Lola is featured among 36 other beautiful women in the “Gallery of Beauties,” a collection of portraits commissioned by King Ludwig I of … Continue reading →

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