Category Archives: Uncategorized

In 1805-06 Nikolai Rezanov spent a miserable winter in the Russian outpost at Sitka. Life in the Russian colony was beyond wretched: the log cabins were cold and damp, the food stores were dwindling, the clothing was infested with vermin, … Continue reading →

A few paragraphs from an Address by Major John Bidwell to the California State Agricultural Society, 1860: There is no reason why we cannot supply ourselves with the thousands of barrels, boxes, hogsheads, and casks, of dried apples, peaches, nuts, … Continue reading →

The Annual Meeting of the Bidwell Mansion Association is coming up on Sunday January 26, and John Rudderow and I will be speaking on our book The Miner Poet: Poems of Pres Longley. There is a reception at 5:30 (cookies, … Continue reading →

It’s a little tricky to trace the movements of the Sutter Gun during the Mexican War in California. When John Sutter returned to his home on the American River after the Micheltorena incident, his Russian 4-pound bronze cannon was left … Continue reading →

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Bidwell Mansion. BMA elves were busy decorating last week with new old-fashioned holiday decor. December is a wonderful time to visit the Mansion, and a great place to take your out-of-town … Continue reading →

John Bartleson took a look around California, decided it wasn’t for him, and left the next year to return to Missouri. Joseph Chiles took a look around California, and decided it was for him, and also returned the next year … Continue reading →

So now we have gotten John Bidwell to California in November of 1841. On the 1st they arrived on the Central Valley floor, where they found an abundance of game–good eating at last!–and by November 4th the company was at … Continue reading →