Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Great Solar Eclipse of 1889

Are you heading up to Oregon to see the total eclipse of the sun? Are you already there, waiting for the event tomorrow? Here in Chico we will see a partial eclipse, about 83% coverage, I am told. To see … Continue reading

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Two More Letters from Nancy

Kelsey, that is. Two more letters to her friend, Helen Weber, are in the Weber Family Papers. They are written from Gilroy, where the Kelseys moved after they left Lone Pine, Inyo County. The earthquake occurred in March 1872. By … Continue reading

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The Lone Pine Earthquake

The 1872 Lone Pine Earthquake experienced by Nancy Kelsey was felt throughout California. John Bidwell, almost 400 miles north in Chico, recorded in his diary for March 26: Very heavy earthquake at about 2.24 a.m So the earthquake was noticeable … Continue reading

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Letters from Nancy Kelsey

I am working on a picture book biography of Nancy Kelsey, who came to California in 1841 as the only female member of the Bidwell-Bartleson Party. I’ve done lots of research, but I am always looking for that last elusive … Continue reading

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More from The Center for Sacramento History

It’s been over two weeks since I have posted anything about California history, but I have a good excuse. My three cute granddaughters were visiting for two weeks, and when you have grandchildren around, nothing else gets done. But now … Continue reading

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A Chico Fourth of July

How did 19th century Chicoans celebrate Independence Day? Here’s an entry from John Bidwell’s diary for 1876 that will give you a glimpse: Tues. July 4 Warm, very – no wind. = Bells rang & cannon & anvils roared all … Continue reading

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A Visit to the Bayliss Library

The Bayliss Library, in Glenn County, celebrates its centennial this year, and yesterday the community marked one hundred years of library service to this rural area with everything you could want in a community celebration: speeches, music, food, activities for … Continue reading

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My New Project

I am working on a picture book biography of Nancy Kelsey, the first American woman to come over the Sierra Nevada into California. Nancy was seventeen years old when she set out across the plains with her husband Ben and … Continue reading

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Lassen Volcano — 102 Years Ago Today

This is really neat footage of the eruption of the volcano in our backyard. Lassen Peak erupted on May 22, 1915 and the event was caught on film by Justin J. Hammer of Red Bluff. The film comes from the … Continue reading

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The Sensational Saga of Talbot H. Green — Part 2

No extant portrait of Talbot H. Green exists. In a day when forty-niners right and left were having their likenesses made, he avoided the camera. He is absent from a group photograph of Thomas O. Larkin and his business associates. … Continue reading

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