Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Death of General Bidwell

Posted on April 4, 2020 by

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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The Wasp

Posted on March 27, 2020 by

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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Thomas Bidwell — The Rest of the Story

Posted on March 22, 2020 by

Thomas Bidwell kept up his correspondence with his brother, John Bidwell, from St. John’s College through 1854. Some of the letters were written in Spanish, as an exercise in improving his language skills. He wasn’t quite sure what to do … Continue reading →

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Table Mountain 2020

Posted on March 20, 2020 by

My daughter, granddaughter, and I made our annual pilgrimage to Table Mountain today to look at the wildflowers. We knew it wouldn’t be the best year for them — no rain in January and February made the display kind of … Continue reading →

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Thomas Bidwell and Amos Frye

Posted on March 19, 2020 by

Thomas Bidwell, studying at St. John’s College in New York, says he wrote often to his brother John, but got few letters in return. Unfortunately, what few letters John Bidwell did write have been lost, so all the news we … Continue reading →

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Brother Tom Goes East

Posted on March 17, 2020 by

Thomas Bidwell was only in California about six months. In the Spring of 1850 he decided that he wanted to return to college and resume his studies at St. John’s College in New York, now Fordham University. Here are two … Continue reading →

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Of Cattle and Mules and Potter and Cats!

Posted on March 15, 2020 by

An “uncertain state of affairs” on Rancho Chico — the price of beef is low, old Mr. Potter is sick and near death, too many of the former employees were nothing but a “gang of loafers and idlers,” the cooking … Continue reading →

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