Author Archives: nancyleek

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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.

Best-Sellers at Bidwell’s Bar

Posted on January 27, 2021 by nancyleek

Take a guess — What were the best-selling items at John Bidwell’s store? When I wrote a biography of John Bidwell in 2010, I wanted to include a photo of a page from his 1849 store ledger. I paged through … Continue reading →

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Jennie Wimmer and the Gold Discovery

Posted on January 24, 2021 by nancyleek

Happy Gold Discovery Day! January 24, 1848 is the date usually given for the discovery of gold at Coloma on the American River, where James Marshall found those first few flakes of gold in the millrace. It may have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Jennie Wimmer | 4 Comments

Gold Rush Medicine

Posted on January 23, 2021 by nancyleek

Say you’re a young miner, come to Bidwell’s Bar to dig for gold in 1849. You are generally a strong and healthy young man, but the work is hard and your meals are not exactly mom’s home cooking. Beef and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidwell's Bar, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Merchants of Sacramento

Posted on January 21, 2021 by nancyleek

When John Bidwell or his partner George McKinstry went shopping for goods to supply their store at Bidwell’s Bar, Sam Brannan & Co. wasn’t the only business they patronized. There were a number to choose from, and they went to … Continue reading →

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Sam Brannan, Gold Rush Capitalist

Posted on January 19, 2021 by nancyleek

When news of the gold discovery on the American River reached Sutter’s Fort, John Sutter did his best to keep it quiet. He knew if word got out his sawmill would never be finished and his crops would never be … Continue reading →

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John Bidwell, Storekeeper

Posted on January 17, 2021 by nancyleek

A great many people have crowded upon this stream since you left. About 300 people have arrived from Oregon inpressly [sic] for Gold digging.  I have heard of the arrival of several companies from the States – and have seen … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidwell's Bar | 2 Comments

A Wicked War

Posted on January 10, 2021 by nancyleek

I do not think there was ever a more wicked war than that waged by the United States on Mexico. I thought so at the time, when I was a youngster, only I had not moral courage enough to resign. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Shopping at Sutter’s Fort, 1849

Posted on December 28, 2020 by nancyleek

Today in History — Courtesy of the Sacramento History Museum: December 28, 1848 On this day in 1848, John Sutter Jr., in an effort to raise capital to pay off his father’s looming debts, started to sell portions of Sutter’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Sutter's Fort, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

“The Best Land Under Heaven”

Posted on December 27, 2020 by nancyleek

On April 14, 1846, the Donner and Reed families set out from Springfield, Illinois, for Independence, Missouri, to commence their journey to a place that had been advertised to them as “the best land under heaven.” Around this core would … Continue reading →

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A Miserable, Merry Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2020 by nancyleek

Lincoln Steffens, notable muck-raking journalist of the late 19th and early 20th century, was born in San Francisco in 1866 and grew up in Sacramento, where his father owned a prosperous store. There in Sacramento he watched as the city … Continue reading →

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