Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Devil’s Gate is a picturesque feature a few miles south of Independence Rock. John Bidwell doesn’t mention it. He only says: Tuesday, 6th. . . .  Went upstream about 8 miles and encamped on Sweet Water. Which means they … Continue reading →

When I wrote my book about John Bidwell in 2010, I had never seen the country he traversed on his journey from Missouri to California in 1841 (other than, of course, parts of California, where I live.) I got it … Continue reading →

Tuesday, June 22nd. Eight miles this morning took us to Fort Larimie, which is on Larimie’s fork of Platte about 800 miles from the frontiers of Missouri. It is owned by the American Fur Company. . . . The Black … Continue reading →

One day’s journey west of Chimney Rock the emigrants came to Scott’s Bluff, a rock formation named for Hiram Scott, a wounded fur trapper left behind to die by his companions in 1828. The fantastical shapes of the rocks were … Continue reading →

There’s a lot going on the weekend of May 10-11, with events for every interest and taste, all in beautiful Butte County. Here are two of them: Feather Fiesta Days is the big event in Oroville. The Butte County Historical … Continue reading →

Anyone interested in the Russian presence in early California can do no better than to read California through Russian Eyes, 1806-1848, compiled translated, and edited by James R. Gibson (Arthur H. Clark Company, 2013), the second volume in a series … Continue reading →

Sorry that it’s taken me so long to get around to the end of the story. But it is no where near as long as Conchita had to wait to learn the fate of her lover, Nikolai Rezanov. Rezanov left … Continue reading →