Category Archives: Uncategorized

Thursday, 22nd. Descended Big Sandy about 12 miles and stopped where we found plenty of grass — this was very acceptable as our teams were already much jaded for the want of grass. Gray returned this evening having found Trapp’s … Continue reading →

Friday 16th. Traveled about 10 miles and encamped opposite the Wind River mountains where we were in full view of many lofty peaks glittering with eternal snow and frost under the blaze of a July sun. Sunday, 18th. Left Sweet … Continue reading →

John Gray and W.G. Romaine had set out on July 6th to see if there were any fur-trappers camped at Green River, where the trappers usually had their rendezvous at this time of year. They didn’t find anyone, so the … Continue reading →

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 →