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 Wasp Loved a Juicy Scandal

Posted on April 15, 2020 by nancyleek

And there was none juicer in 1880s San Francisco than the case of Sharon v. Sharon, which pitted elderly millionaire William Sharon against his mistress/wife (take your pick) Sarah Althea Hill. I wrote about this Scandalous Saga last year and … Continue reading →

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Sacramento History Tours

Posted on April 13, 2020 by nancyleek

The Sacramento History Museum has some fun and short video tours you can enjoy during this time of confinement. The museum is closed, and they probably don’t encourage you wandering around the streets of Old Sacramento, but there are still … Continue reading →

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The Pacific Tourist — 1881

Posted on April 9, 2020 by nancyleek

Take a ride on the Union and Central Pacific Railroads! This series of guidebooks told you everything you needed to know as you rode the train across the continent, bound for California. Once you got to the Golden State, the … Continue reading →

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California Wants a Canal

Posted on April 7, 2020 by nancyleek

I like these cartoons that feature California as a goddess in all her glory, so here is another one. This one shows California looking peeved. What has her so exasperated? The caption reads: A YEAR OF PLENTY: California — What … Continue reading →

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How The Wasp Saw Women

Posted on April 5, 2020 by nancyleek

As much as I enjoy paging through the Wasp and looking at the cartoons, I have to acknowledge that it was a newspaper produced by men for men. Two cartoons from 1878 issues of the Wasp will give you a … Continue reading →

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The Death of General Bidwell

Posted on April 4, 2020 by nancyleek

The following account was written for Annie Bidwell by one of her maids, Florence, who had gone with General Bidwell on the morning of April 4, 1900. I don’t know Florence’s last name. The account can be found in the … Continue reading →

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Another Cartoon from the Wasp

Posted on April 1, 2020 by nancyleek

I am putting this one up just so you can admire the artistry of the cartoonist Charles Saalburg. It appeared in the Wasp on February 7, 1891. Sometimes the Wasp explained the cartoons, but I couldn’t find anything in this … Continue reading →

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Bidwell Cartoon

Posted on March 30, 2020 by nancyleek

John Bidwell is struggling to carry the burden of two nominations for governor of California in this cartoon by Charles W. Saalburg from The Wasp, August 23, 1890. Most of the political cartoons that appeared in the Wasp over one … Continue reading →

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The Wasp — California vs. Florida

Posted on March 28, 2020 by nancyleek

Here is another cartoon showing “California,” as she is depicted on the State Seal. The Wasp didn’t always explain its cartoons, but this seems to have reference to a short item in the paper: Word comes from Chicago that California … Continue reading →

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The Wasp

Posted on March 27, 2020 by nancyleek

Looking for an entertaining and historical way to spend a few hours? Time will fly while you peruse the pages of The Wasp, San Francisco’s premier satiric periodical, digitized by the California State Library and available online at the Internet … Continue reading →

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