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From John Bidwell’s journal for July 10, 1841: “Saturday, 10th. Travelled about 14 miles and stopped to kill and dry meat. Buffalo began to grow scarce.” By this time on their journey the company had almost exhausted its supplies of … Continue reading →

John Grey (Bidwell spelled it Gray) was hired by the Englishman W. G. Romaine as a guide for his summer tour of the American West. Grey was half Iroquois and half Scottish, a St. Regis Mohawk, born around 1795 in … Continue reading →

From the Chico Enterprise Weekly, here is what you could expect on July 4, 1877: The patriotic citizens of Chico, always ready to do homage to the birthday of a great and glorious Republic, made this the one hundred and … Continue reading →

Friday, 2nd. Continued to coast up the N. fork [of the Platte River]; the bottoms of the river were in many places completely covered with Glauber Salts, so much so that even handfuls could be taken up perfectly white. Glauber’s … Continue reading →

When I talk to 3rd and 4th grade classes about John Bidwell, I usually start with his westward journey. I show them a picture of a small ox-drawn wagon, the kind he would have taken, and ask them what they … Continue reading →

We gradually receded from the river in order to pass through a gap in a range of high hills called Scott’s Bluffs. As we advanced towards these hills, the scenery of the surrounding country became beautifully grand and picturesque–they were … Continue reading →

From John Bidwell’s Journal: Thursday 17th. Continued to coast along up the river — encamped on its banks nearly opposite to a huge isolated bluff bearing some resemblance to an immense castle in  ruins. Its distance from us no one … Continue reading →