Author Archives: nancyleek

As usual, I was looking for one thing in the old newspapers, and came up with another. Most businesses advertised their wares by simply listing them, but not J. L. Polhemus. He had a lively and creative mind, and put … Continue reading →

Not my own bookshelf, but the local radio program where Nancy Wiegman interviews authors about their books. If you would like to hear these two Nancys talk about my new book on Peter Lassen, you can listen to the podcast … Continue reading →

Just putting this here because I like the painting — “Placer Mining” by William F. Chadwick, 1854. It hangs in the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. Not much is known about the artist. He was born in Maine in 1828 … Continue reading →

Old Town Sacramento is a fun place to visit, even if it is full of junky tourist trap shops. Jim and I went there today to take the Sacramento History Museum‘s Underground Tour. Our guide on the tour was “Eugenie … Continue reading →

Melinda said their story would make a good buddy movie. Maybe they were too similar to give their story the contrast it needs, but pioneers Robert H. Thomes and Albert G. Toomes certainly were life-long friends. Yesterday I went to … Continue reading →

On May 19, 1841, the Bidwell-Bartleson Party started for California. John Bidwell, as secretary of the group, kept a journal. Later, while at Bodega Bay, he tidied up his journal entries and sent them back to a friend in Missouri, … Continue reading →

I have been looking through a Butte County history curriculum binder developed by the Butte County Office of Education for 3rd grade teachers, and I came across a catchy little item. It’s “The Ballad of John Bidwell”, written by the … Continue reading →