Category Archives: William Tecumseh Sherman

General Sherman at Cherokee

Posted on December 7, 2023 by nancyleek

John Bidwell found a unique way to entertain General William T. Sherman on his visit to Chico. The public was delighted to watch the general as he inspected the workings of the hydraulic mine at Cherokee. In September 1880, Sherman … Continue reading →

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The Presidential Visit to Cherokee

Posted on October 19, 2023 by nancyleek

President Rutherford B. Hayes and his party only spent one day in Butte County and most of that day was taken up by a visit to the mining town of Cherokee. Carriages and wagons wound their way across the valley, … Continue reading →

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“I am always ready for California”

Posted on October 1, 2023 by nancyleek

John Bidwell urged General Sherman to stop over in Chico, enjoy a rest, and see his ranch. But Sherman had urgent business and couldn’t stay. Here is his letter of apology– San Francisco, Cal.  Oct. 8 1877 General John Bidwell … Continue reading →

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General Sherman and General Bidwell

Posted on September 30, 2023 by nancyleek

John Bidwell first met William Tecumseh Sherman in California in 1847 when Sherman was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and Bidwell was a surveyor and a major in the California Battalion. I’ve written about that encounter, as told … Continue reading →

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“What Shall I Do?”

Posted on November 15, 2014 by nancyleek

John Bidwell sent this letter to Annie in 1880, when he was in San Francisco and she was visiting her family in Washington, D. C.:             SF Aug 24, 1880 My Dear Wife By the bye. The President and General … Continue reading →

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Sherman and Bidwell

Posted on September 4, 2014 by nancyleek

I am currently reading Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, by Robert L. O’Connell. I recommend it to all you Civil War buffs out there, as well as anyone who wants to read a well-written biography of … Continue reading →

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Why Did President Hayes Visit a “Backwater” Like Chico?

Posted on May 5, 2014 by nancyleek

Larry commented on my previous post about bridges that “Someone asked me why these dignitaries came to a “backwater” place.” What was the president of the United States, the First Lady, Secretary of War Ramsey, General William Tecumseh Sherman, and … Continue reading →

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Bidwell and Bridges

Posted on April 24, 2014 by nancyleek

I have been puzzling over these two photos. Both come from CSUChico Meriam Library Special Collections, and both show John Bidwell standing with a group of people on a bridge. Where was the bridge? Who are the other people in … Continue reading →

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First Meeting: John Bidwell and William Tecumseh Sherman

Posted on March 18, 2012 by nancyleek

John Bidwell spent much of the 1840’s in California surveying land and mapping land grants for other men. It was during one of his surveying trips in 1847 that he met future Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman, he of … Continue reading →

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