goldfields

On May 19, 1841, the Bidwell-Bartleson Party started for California. John Bidwell, as secretary of the group, kept a journal. Later, while at Bodega Bay, he tidied up his journal entries and sent them back to a friend in Missouri, who had them printed as a guidebook. This is the source of most of what we know about this first group of emigrants to head for California.

Wednesday, 19th. This morning the wagons started off in single file; first the 4 carts and 1 small wagon of the missionaries, next 8 wagons drawn by mules and horses, and lastly, 5 wagons drawn by 17 yoke of oxen. It was the calculation of the company to move on slowly till the wagon of Chiles overtook us.

Our course was west, leaving the Kanzas no great distance to our left, we traveled in the valley of the river which was prairie excepting near the margin of the stream. The day was very warm and we stopped about noon, having traveled about 12 miles. (Bidwell-Bartleson Party, ed. by Doyce B. Nunis, p. 28-29)

The wagon train was very lucky to have joined up with the missionary party. Without the guidance of the trail guide — Thomas Fitzpatrick — hired by the missionaries, they probably would have gotten hopelessly and fatally lost.

The missionaries were led by Father Pierre Jean De Smet, a Belgian Jesuit who spent many years working among the American Indians. In 1841 he was on his way, with two other priests and three lay brothers, to minister to the Flathead Indians. He established St. Mary’s Mission on the Bitterroot River near Missoula, Montana. Bidwell described him as follows:

He was genial, of fine presence, and one of the saintliest men I have ever known, and I cannot wonder that the Indians were made to believe him divinely protected. He was a man of great kindness and great affability under all circumstances; nothing seemed to disturb his temper.(Echoes of the Past, p. 114)

More information on Father De Smet can be found in this article from Historic St. Mary’s Mission and Museum.

I have been looking through a Butte County history curriculum binder developed by the Butte County Office of Education for 3rd grade teachers, and I came across a catchy little item. It’s “The Ballad of John Bidwell”, written by the 3rd and 4th grade students of Canyon View School (which was in Magalia). I will append a few footnotes, but other than that, without further ado, here it is: (Use whatever tune you like to sing along.)

John Bidwell lived on an eastern farm
And dreamed of open spaces.
Injun Joe*, a trapper came
To tell of far-off places.

He stayed at home until eighteen
And then he started west.
He found out in St. Louis
That Missouri land was best.

He made his money teaching school.
One day he went to town
And while he was buying farming tools**
A claim-jumper stole his ground.

He heard of California
And decided he would go
Although the way was still unknown
And wagon wheels move slow.

In ’41 the wagons left,
Led by a famous scout.
Across the Rockies steep they went***
With hearts both bold and stout.

The scout then had to leave them
With their wagons pointed west.
He said, “There is no trail at all, boys,
You’ll have to do your best.”

They reached the Great Salt Basin
And had to circle south.
There was no buffalo for food
And all around was drought.†

They left their wagons far behind —
The way was much too steep —
The trail they made too narrow,
And the canyons far too deep.

Bartelson, their captain,
Was a double-crossing man.
He stole the meat, and rode away,
Shouting, “Get there if you can.”

They crossed the High Sierras
And didn’t even know.!
How surprised they were to see
The valley far below.

Then down they walked to Dr. Marsh
From out of the mountains wild —
A thirty†† hungry, happy men;
One woman and a child.

John went on to Sutter’s Fort,
His journey at an end.
He worked for Sutter several years
And was his closest friend.

He didn’t have the fever
Of those who came to seek
For fortune. He only wanted gold
For a ranch on Chico Creek.

The American River was rich with soil
But Bidwell said, “I’d rather
Try my luck on another stream,
I’ll travel up the Feather.”

With friends he went up towards the hills.
He hadn’t traveled far
Until he panned out gold before
At a place now Bidwell Bar.

He bought 22,000 acres
With gold that he had panned.‡
He knew the country’s future
Was in its fertile land.

He went to Washington, D.C.
To help build up the state.
He brought back plants and trees, and planned
To make the Valley great.

He married pretty Annie
Who was a faithful wife.
She loved the Chico Indians
And helped them all her life.

And now, if you have read this far, here are a few notes.
*Injun Joe. It’s unfortunate that this occurs in the very first stanza, since it is not only objectionable, but inaccurate. Bidwell heard about California from a French-Canadian trapper, Antoine Robidoux, who had a more famous brother, Joseph, but they did not (as far as I can ascertain) have any Native blood, although many trappers did.

** and books!

*** The scout was Thomas Fitzpatrick, who knew the trail well enough to guide them to the South Pass, where the Rockies are not steep.

† drought. A note in the original says “they didn’t know this word.” I’m guessing that the teacher helped them find a word that (sort of) rhymed with “south.”

†† thirty-two, actually.

‡ with considerable help from the Mechoopda Indians whom he hired!

I’m glad Annie made it into the last stanza. I am impressed with how much these students knew about John Bidwell.

I am not sure when the binder materials were created — sometime before 1993, which is the date on an order form in the binder. I wonder if anyone uses this anymore?

We all enjoyed the Chico Pioneer Day Parade today. Grand Marshal was Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea, beloved by all for his heroic leadership during the Camp Fire. Honorary Grand Marshals were John and Annie Bidwell, in recognition of the bicentennial of John Bidwell’s birth in 1819.

John and Annie: The Long and the Short of It

John and Annie were portrayed by Nick Anderson and Robyn Engel, who fit the roles to a T, since Nick is over 6 feet tall, like Bidwell, and Robyn is only 4 feet 8 inches tall (or should that be “short”?), just like Annie.

They rode in a lovely 1915 Motel T Ford, owned and driven by Dudley Stone. Walking along, carrying the banner and representing the Bidwell Mansion Association were Quinn, Ian, and Bodie (sorry, guys, I didn’t get your last names) and Adrienne Glatz, BMA board president, and myself, Nancy Leek.

It looked to me like the men were 49ers dressed up in their best duds and come to town to spend some of that gold dust.

Wells Fargo Bank was there with their replica Concord stagecoach, and it was a treat to climb in and try it out. The BMA also had a booth on the City Plaza, where we gave away casaba melon seeds and schedules of upcoming events. (If you would like some free seeds, they still have them to give away at the Bidwell Mansion SHP Visitor Center. It’s open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.)

The Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) has a Emigrant Hall of Fame, and John Bidwell is joining it this year.

Last year I submitted an application for him on behalf of the Bidwell Mansion Association.  I recently got the welcome news that JB is in! He joins a small and select group of trail pioneers in the Hall of Fame: Jesse Applegate, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, and Dr. John McLoughlin. (Note that these are all Oregon pioneers. John Bidwell is the first Californian.) He will be honored at the OCTA convention in Santa Fe, New Mexico, September 4-7, 2019.

The Hall of Fame also honors preservationists, authors, philanthropists, and public officials who have worked to preserve the western trails and educate the public about the history and value of these historical resources. OCTA began the Hall of Fame in 2015.

What qualifies John Bidwell for the Emigrant Hall of Fame? He was not only a member of the first group of emigrants to set out overland for California, but it is because he kept such a detailed daily journal that we know so much about their route, their struggles, and their adventures.

The Oregon-California Trails Association is a non-profit, 501 (C) (3) Association and is the nation’s largest and most influential organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of overland emigrant trails and the emigrant experience. They publish the Overland Journal, a quarterly full of interesting articles about western history. Their website also has many valuable resources, some of which you can only access by becoming a member. It’s worth it!

The year 2019 marks the 200th year since the birth of John Bidwell. He was born in Chautauqua County, New York, on August 5th, 1819.

In honor of General Bidwell’s Bicentennial, the Bidwell Mansion Association has lots of great activities planned for this year.

Here is what you can look forward to:

John and Annie at the 2019 Pioneer Day Parade

Saturday, May 4th: The Pioneer Day Parade. John and Annie will be honorary grand marshals. What will they be riding on? a horse-drawn buggy? a horseless carriage (as Annie would have called an automobile)?, a hay wagon? something else? Come on down to the parade and see.

After the parade visit the BMA booth at City Plaza and plant a casaba melon seed to take home and put in your garden. It was Bidwell’s favorite!

Mmmmm – casaba melon!

Monday, May 27th: Memorial Day ceremony at Chico Cemetery, with a tribute to General John Bidwell, who served in the Mexican War and as a brigadier general in the California Militia during the Civil War.

Saturday, June 22nd: Annie’s Birthday Tea Party inside Bidwell Mansion. Two seatings at 11:30 and 2:30 for a classic tea, with tiny sandwiches, delicious scones, fresh fruit, tea and lemonade.

Wear your favorite fancy hat! Tickets will be on sale soon.

Saturday, July 13th: Annual Slice of Chico sidewalk sale downtown with free watermelon and casaba melon, in honor of John Bidwell’s business legacy.

Also Saturday, July 13th: Twilight Family Night at Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park. Games, stories, snacks, and a camp fire!

The Birthday Boy!

Sunday, August 4th: Bidwell Bicentennial Birthday Bash at Bidwell Mansion SHP. Celebrate Bidwell’s 200th with birthday cake and Shubert’s ice cream.

Also, music by the Chico Community Band, dramatic vignettes inside the mansion, and games on the lawn.

Much more to come throughout the year!

Here is the Bill of Fare for dinner at the Pacific Hotel in downtown Sacramento on April 8th, 1870, just 149 years ago. Prices are not given, other than for the wines and beers listed at the bottom.  Anything printed on the menu was regularly available, and what is written in were that day’s specials.  For instance, under “Boiled”, you could have ham, corned beef and cabbage, corned pork, or mutton with caper sauce. Or you could order “Pig’s Jowls with Green Cabbage.”

The menu is heavy on meat. Note the vegetables — a decent variety, but I doubt that tomatoes were actually available in April, since they were not in season.

The entrees sound good — “Beef Tongue with Pickle Sauce,” anyone? Bon appetit!