Category Archives: Uncategorized

Jennie Megquier ran a boarding house in San Francisco, and the work was never-ending. She writes: I should like to give you an account of my work if I could do it justice. . . In the morning the boy … Continue reading →

The Megquiers shipped a “portable iron house” to San Francisco, figuring it would be a good investment in a city where people were living in shacks and tents, and indeed it was. They used the ground floor for a store, … Continue reading →

Mary Jane, known as Jennie, arrived in San Francisco on June 13, 1849. Her husband, Thomas Megquier, was a medical doctor and planned to practice medicine and open a drug store. Jennie knew she could make money running a boarding … Continue reading →

On February 7, 1854 James C. Callen wrote John Bidwell about an “Indian ware on the clammoth river.” A ’49er, Callen had been residing in Butte County in 1850, but by 1854 he was living on the Klamath River “ten … Continue reading →

What do a 12th century Spanish monastery, Peter Lassen’s ranch, Stanford University, and New Clairvaux Vineyard have in common? They all come together at Vina. I have been planning to take the short (19 miles from Chico) drive north to … Continue reading →

The murders of four Chinese men at the Lemm Ranch near Chico in March 1877, plus several cases of arson against the Chinese and their employers, put Chico on the map as a locus of anti-Chinese agitation. Even though most … Continue reading →

I have been looking at the 1860 Federal Census for Butte County. I accessed it at a website called fold3.com, a division of ancestry.com. Fold3 focuses on military records, but for some reason it is the only place I found … Continue reading →

The attitude toward the Chinese in California was one of ambivalence. Employers liked getting labor at low cost. Middle-class families that employed Chinese domestic servants could hardly do without them. And everyone in town turned out to watch the colorful … Continue reading →

Correction:  In reading the census tables, I thought Butte County had the highest percentage of Chinese residents in the state, but that honor goes to Trinity County. Although small in population, Trinity County had the largest proportion of Chinese miners … Continue reading →

Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park is giving thematic tours on the Chinese in California during the month of May. If you are interested, check out the dates and times here.  I took the tour last Saturday and came away with … Continue reading →