goldfields

In 1903 Annie Bidwell described the Christmas celebration at the Indian Rancheria on December 24th, and a party she hosted at Bidwell Mansion for friends and family on the 29th. Here are the entries from her diary:

Thurs., December 24

Indian Christmas festivities this evg.  Attended Indian Christmas celebration their Chapel this evening. Took Ida Bohlender & Eva with me. Indians conducted all the services except short address by myself at their request. Santa Wilson, Pablo Silvers, Wm. Conway, Jas. Nichols, Elmer Lafonso and Maggie sang exquisitely as a choir, such hymns! I was overcome completely by the grand surprise. Maggie sang solo – Jerusalem. Eva Kennedy accompanied her with piano. Elmer Lafonso sang solo -“Flee as a bird to Your Mountain,” Eva accompanying on piano. Elmer sang delightfully. Santa Wilson read Matthew’s and Luke’s account of birth of our Lord – & read it well. Lily recited, & Martha, Bernie. Indians distributed presents from the tree. Susunny (Johnny Stack) gave me beautiful little basket which held candy, oranges & cakes for Christmas dinner.

Christmas celebration in old Indian Church–no year.

Tues., December 29th:

Events: Mansion decorated for Christmas Presbyterian Church Social. Prof. Merriam, Mr. Gibson committee on tree. Mr. G. & 2 daughters decorated tree beautifully. Fred made shrubbery garden of Hall and staircase – pretty & unique. It was said that 300 persons were present this evening! Such a happy party!

Games in rooms upstairs, in upper hall, & dining. Library & parlor & lower hall filled with older persons. Crowd of gentlemen who filled Library, evidently happy. Abundance of ice-cream & cake for all. Fine singing – sacred music by young people. Solo by Ruby Hart & others. Guest dispersed by ll O’C with exclamations of delight over their happy Evening.

Note the plentiful cake and ice cream—yum! And games in many of the rooms. I wish I knew what games they played. Maybe Charades or Dumb Crambo, or Twenty Questions, all popular parlor games of the era. In the entry about the Indian celebration she is evidently very proud of the talents displayed by her Indian friends.

Be sure to go to Pioneer Hall at the Presidio. The Society of California Pioneers has a new museum location, and their opening exhibit is Circa 1849: Treasures from the Archives.  The exhibit is only on until December 31, so make your plans to go soon.

These are rarely-seen treasures–photographs, paintings, manuscripts and artifacts from the Gold Rush. Pick axes and shovels, pistols and rifles that the miners used, and evening clothes, even a gold toothpick, for the ones who struck it rich.  Read the San Francisco Chronicle review here.

The new museum location at the Presidio will have a changing display of materials from their collections. In January they will be showing old daguerreotypes and ambrotypes. If California history fascinates you, then put the Society of California Pioneers on your list of places to visit. And if your ancestor came to California before 1850, if you are the descendant of a true 49er, then you can join the Society. But for a Johnny-come-lately like me, I’ll just have to be a visitor.

The “time capsule” found in the base of the pioneer monument in Chico was opened today at Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park.

The box is made of copper and was sealed with lead solder. Inside was a paper scroll, yellowed and fragile, and two rolls of straw padding. I don’t think there is anything under the scroll and padding, but it is hard to tell. There might be some coins or other small artifacts in there.

The box is now on display in the Visitor’s Center, so if you would like to take a look, you can go anytime BMSHP is open, Friday-Monday, 11-5.

The contents were not taken out of the box at this time because of the fragile nature of the scroll. A curator from State Parks will be coming in December to deal with it.

Was this really a time capsule? Was it ever intended to be opened? Time capsules usually have a notice somewhere that says, “Open in 50 years” or some other time period. But nothing like that was found. Perhaps those who erected the monument intended it to remain in the base, as part of the dedication. Cornerstones of public buildings often have something similar concealed in a cavity.

Either way, it will be interesting to find out what is on the scroll. Stay tuned!

The Gridley Herald for October 21, 1925, published an account of the pioneer monument dedication, but does not mention the time capsule hidden in the base.

With appropriate ceremonies and before hundreds of residents of Butte County, together with representative people from many part of the state, the granite monument and bronze tablet erected to commemorate General and Mrs. Bidwell and the pioneers of the state was unveiled Friday afternoon by Mrs. Lily Bidwell Collins and Miss Anne Ellicott Kennedy, direct descendents of Chico’s two most outstanding pioneers.

Mrs. Collins and Miss Kennedy were close relatives, but not direct descendents of the Bidwells, who had no children of their own. Lily Bidwell was the daughter of Thomas Bidwell, John’s brother, and his wife, America. After his brother’s death the General took financial responsibility for Lily’s upbringing and education.

Annie Ellicott Kennedy was the daughter of Joseph Kennedy and his wife Winifred Moon. Joseph was the son of Annie’s brother and thus Annie’s nephew. Born in 1907, Annie’s grand-niece would have been 18 at the dedication.

It was a gala day in Chico’s history. Chico schools were dismissed and the children came to attend the the exercises in a group, supervised by their teachers. There were speeches by the mayor and other notables, and music by the Chico High School band and the college chorale. Guests of honor on the platform included “Mrs. Amanda Wilson, one of Chico’s native Indians, who was a close friend of Mrs. Bidwell” and Mr. C. C. Forbes, who was instrumental in obtaining the marker.

Be sure to come on Saturday, November 29 to find out what is in the time capsule. My thanks to Ranger Kirk Coon for giving me a photocopy of the newspaper article.

Haven’t you always wanted to see a time capsule opened? Especially if it is a mystery time capsule. with no record of who planted it or what is inside?

Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park has it’s very own mystery time capsule. It was discovered when this monument had to be moved. 

The monument stands at the corner of the Esplanade and So-Wil-Le-No Ave., right next to Chico Creek. The city is improving the street and sidewalk, so they had to move the monument 10 feet back. When they took the upright off the base, they found inside a copper box sealed with lead solder. No inscription, no instructions.

The monument was erected in 1925 by the Pioneer Historic Association of California (which no longer exists) to honor John and Annie Bidwell and all the pioneers of California. It marks the spot where Bidwell’s adobe stood by the side of the road that led to the northern mines and Oregon.

What do you guess might be inside the box? A dry and dusty scroll commemorating the occasion? Pictures by school children? Mementos of John and Annie? A nice big gold nugget?

The way to find out is to come to the grand opening on Saturday, November 29th at 10 a.m. at Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park. Come and find out what was placed in the time capsule 89 years ago. It’a an historic occasion! 

“Saturday, 30th. We had gone about 3 miles this morning, when lo! to our great delight, we beheld a wide valley! This we had entirely overlooked between us and the high mountains which terminated our view yesterday. Rivers evidently meandered through it, for timber was seen in long extended lines as far as the eye could reach. But we were unable to reach it today, and encamped in the plains. Here grew a few white oaks. Traveled today about 20 miles. Saw many tracks of elks. The valley was wonderfully parched with heat, and had been stripped of its vegetation by fire. Wild geese, fowls, etc. , were flying in multitudes.”

Just the day before, as the men gazed from the foothills at the coastal range, “Mr. Hopper, our best and most experienced hunter, observed that, “If California lies beyond those mountains we shall never be able to reach it.”” They had no idea that they were already in California.

That morning, the 30th, they breakfasted on coyote, and all Bidwell got was the lungs and the windpipe. Then as they traveled further down through the hills, following the Stanislaus River, they came upon this glorious view. California lay before them, and it was everything they had been promised: a fertile land teeming with wild game, with a healthy climate and plenty of room for all. California at last!