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.

Murder at the Mansion

Posted on February 28, 2024 by nancyleek

Fred Petersen, the head gardener at Bidwell Mansion, got an early start on the morning of February 28, 1900. And it was not long after his arrival that he made a grisly discovery. At 6:30 a.m., just as it was … Continue reading →

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Ladies! Here’s Your Chance!

Posted on February 25, 2024 by nancyleek

Ladies! Make your plans now for February 29th! 2024 is a Leap Year, and that means, according to an old custom, it is a year when women can propose marriage to men. Traditionally, it was the man’s role to propose … Continue reading →

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February Celebrations

Posted on February 13, 2024 by nancyleek

The Weekly Butte Record found a number of reasons to celebrate in February. All the following come from the issue for February 13, 1864. The event that got the most coverage was the completion of the California Northern Railroad, linking … Continue reading →

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Abraham Lincoln and Freedom

Posted on February 11, 2024 by nancyleek

February 12th 2024 marks the 215th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States, who led the country through four years of a bloody and bitter war, a war fought to end slavery and to maintain a government … Continue reading →

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A Visit to Ide Adobe State Historic Park

Posted on February 10, 2024 by nancyleek

Today is a beautiful day to be out and about, so I went to William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park in Red Bluff to walk their StoryWalk. The guides at Ide Adobe do a StoryWalk every month, featuring a … Continue reading →

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StoryWalk at Ide Adobe

Posted on February 4, 2024 by nancyleek

Alvin Coffey is getting some attention during Black History Month! The Red Bluff Daily News announced that my book, Alvin Coffey: The True Story of an African American Forty-Niner, will be the featured book at a StoryWalk activity at Ide … Continue reading →

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Reverend Mr. Obadiah Summers

Posted on February 3, 2024 by nancyleek

Obadiah Summers served as pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Chico in 1885, before moving on to serve congregations and build up churches in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Oakland. Summers was born a slave in Missouri in 1844. … Continue reading →

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February Is Black History Month

Posted on January 31, 2024 by nancyleek

Get ready for Black History Month! Alvin Coffey is the ideal book to highlight black history in California. As 4th grade students study the Gold Rush, they learn about the prospectors who came seeking gold in the rivers and hills … Continue reading →

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It’s Gold Discovery Day!

Posted on January 24, 2024 by nancyleek

A cold, clear morning in January 1848. Jim Marshall goes out early to check the tailrace of the sawmill that he is building for John Sutter on the American River. The night before he had turned the water from the … Continue reading →

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It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (or Afternoon)

Posted on January 1, 2024 by nancyleek

. . . as John Bidwell traveled toward Oroville on Friday, January 1, 1869. He drove a buggy and intended to take “the cars” (the railroad) to Marysville and then go by steamboat to San Francisco on business. But the … Continue reading →

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