Category Archives: Uncategorized

It used to be common for teacher’s colleges to be called “normal schools.” The term has an odd ring to it, since the first meaning of “normal” that comes to mind is “typical, usual, average, ordinary.” We speak of “normal … Continue reading →

Just for fun, here’s a little quiz about John and Annie Bidwell: 1.  John Bidwell came to California in: A) 1841    B) 1845    C)  1848 2.  John Bidwell called this man “the meanest man in California.”  He was referring to: … Continue reading →

When Lt. William T. Sherman met John Bidwell in 1847, Bidwell was searching for a runaway horse that had $600 in its saddlebags. This was money Bidwell had earned during a summer of surveying land for various people in 1847. … Continue reading →

“Hastening up the valley, we struck the trail of the Oregon company, on what is now known as Chico Creek, Rancho Chico, and to me one of the loveliest of places. The plains were covered with scattered groves of spreading … Continue reading →

Bidwell kept on wondering if there might be gold in the California hills. In 1845, while acting as Sutter’s manager, he went looking again. Years later he related the following: “In July, 1845 I went into the Sierra Nevadas ostensibly … Continue reading →

Throughout the 1840’s John Bidwell occasionally looked for gold in California, although he doesn’t seem to have put much effort into the project. During the Micheltorena War of 1845 he checked out a gold mine in the San Fernando Hills. … Continue reading →

Would you like to know more about the history of Bidwell Mansion?  David Nopel and David Veith have written a wonderful article about the changing fortunes of this icon of Chico history in the Chico News & Review. Check it … Continue reading →

Today marks the 162nd anniversary of the discovery of gold in California by James Marshall, an incident which touched off the California Gold Rush and changed the course of history. John Bidwell was intimately involved in the discovery of gold. … Continue reading →