Category Archives: Uncategorized

John Bidwell loved casaba melons and always noted in his diary when the first one was ready, usually in mid-August. Mon. Aug. 25 [1884] First good Casaba this morning. I grow them too and have harvested a couple of them … Continue reading →

John Bidwell wanted Rancho Chico to be more than a wheat and cattle ranch. He foresaw that California could be “one grand fruit orchard”, and he would start on his ranch. This newspaper report from 1855, only six years after … Continue reading →

Happy Birthday to California pioneer and Chico founder John Bidwell! John Bidwell was born on August 5, 1819 in Chautauqua County, New York, near the shores of Lake Erie, 204 years ago. Bidwell rarely noted his birthday in his daily … Continue reading →

On August 1st, 1856, The Marysville Daily Herald published their thanks for the gift of a 30-pound watermelon, sent by Thomas Bidwell, younger brother of Major John Bidwell. Why were they honored with such a hefty and delicious gift? It … Continue reading →

What is a man who has just married a temperance wife to do with five hundred gallons of “superior wine”? That was John Bidwell’s dilemma and here is his solution. Bidwell had never been a drinking man, and once he … Continue reading →

Writing about Bidwell’s old adobe house a few months ago, I posted this picture of Bidwell Mansion, which shows the adobe on the left-hand side and Bidwell Mansion in the center. At the time I said it was an “undated … Continue reading →

On this date — June 21 — in 1879 the notorious stage robber Black Bart held up a stage coach near Forbestown in Butte County. It was his first robbery in the year 1879 and his ninth robbery since he … Continue reading →