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.

I’m Back!

Posted on October 8, 2019 by nancyleek

And you probably didn’t even know I was gone. I’ve been silent here for the last couple of weeks because I was on vacation. My husband and I went on a trip to Scotland, to see the land of my … Continue reading →

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Rise, Ruin & Restoration: A Review

Posted on September 24, 2019 by nancyleek

Sutter’s Fort stands at the center of California history. Here its biography, telling the  story of that iconic fort from the day John Sutter arrived at the spot in August 1839, through its building and its decline, to the State … Continue reading →

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Kit Carson

Posted on September 20, 2019 by nancyleek

I have enjoyed riches and suffered the pangs of poverty. I saw General Grant when he was little known. I baked bread for General Fremont and talked to Kit Carson. Nancy Kelsey When Nancy Kelsey was remembering her adventurous life, … Continue reading →

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A Russian in California

Posted on September 16, 2019 by nancyleek

San Francisco, Sacramento, Soapweed — the travels of a Russian in California. Nikolai Konstantinovich Sudzilovsky came to California in 1891, but not under that name. When he left Russia, he adopted the English-sounding name Nicholas John Russel, the surname being … Continue reading →

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Tehama County Jubilee!

Posted on September 14, 2019 by nancyleek

Look at that! Top billing at the Tehama County Museum’s 38th Annual Jubilee. If you like a good old-fashioned fair, not too big but with plenty to do for old and young, then the Jubilee was the place to be … Continue reading →

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California Admission Day

Posted on September 8, 2019 by nancyleek

Here’s Cuffy in a cartoon from 1850, reading the news of California’s admission into the Union.  The drawing comes from the Society of California Pioneers, but I don’t know anything else about the source of this picture. The SCP has … Continue reading →

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A Visit to the Haggin Museum

Posted on August 30, 2019 by nancyleek

I travel quite often from our home in Chico to our son’s home in Livermore (because that’s where the grandchildren are). Traveling down I-5 we pass through Stockton. I have never had any reason to stop in Stockton, until I … Continue reading →

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A Quick Visit to Rough and Ready

Posted on August 28, 2019 by nancyleek

If you drive along Highway 20 from Marysville to Grass Valley, you see a sign that points left and says “Rough and Ready 2 miles”. I have meant to take that turn for a long time now, and last Friday … Continue reading →

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August 27, 1847

Posted on August 27, 2019 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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The Grass Valley Museum

Posted on August 26, 2019 by nancyleek

I don’t think I have to tell California readers that Grass Valley is a beautiful place to visit. Gold Rush history, the homes of Lola Montez and Lotta Crabtree, the historic Holbrooke Hotel, a handsome and well-preserved downtown, a grand … Continue reading →

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