Bidwell MansionBrochure |
Brochure of Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park (SHP) in California. Published by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
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Bidwell
Mansion
State Historic Park
Our Mission
The mission of California State Parks is
to provide for the health, inspiration and
education of the people of California by
helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary
biological diversity, protecting its most
valued natural and cultural resources, and
creating opportunities for high-quality
outdoor recreation.
The stately Bidwell
Mansion embodies a
great love story—of a man
for his land and for his
wife, and of the couple’s
mutual love for their new
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(530) 895-6144. This publication is available
in alternate formats by contacting:
state—California.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P. O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For information call: (800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
Discover the many states of California.TM
Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park
525 Esplanade
Chico, CA 95926
(530) 895-6144
© 2009 California State Parks
Printed on Recycled Paper
Courtesy of California History Room, California State Library
Sacramento, California
W alk into Chico’s Bidwell
Mansion State Historic Park
to relive a part of California’s
rich early history. The
mansion was headquarters
for John Bidwell. In 1841 at
age 22, he became one of
the first pioneers to cross the
Sierra Nevada to California.
John Bidwell
Bidwell became deeply
Courtesy of California History
Room, California State Library,
Sacramento, California
involved in the development
of his adopted state, its agriculture
and the city of Chico.
The Chico home that Bidwell shared with
his wife Annie became the center of the
town’s social and political life from 1868 to
1918. In this beautiful home, the Bidwells
entertained guests including President and
Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes, Civil War General
William Tecumseh Sherman and naturalist
John Muir.
PARK HISTORY
Native People
The Mechoopda,
who spoke the Konkow
language, lived on
Konkow Maidu
Little Butte Creek,
(Mechoopda) baskets
about 3½ miles from
what is now downtown Chico. The land
was abundant with plants and animals that
allowed the Mechoopda to nourish their
body and spirit. Their skills at basketry
enabled the native people to collect,
transport, store and cook their food.
With the discovery of gold and the influx
of miners and settlers, the lives of the
native people changed
forever. An enduring
relationship was
established when John
Bidwell was befriended
by the Mechoopda
after he purchased the
Mexican land grant of
Annie Bidwell Rancho del Arroyo Chico.
Most Mechoopda, as well
as residents from other villages, moved to
Bidwell’s ranch, where they worked.
Today the Mechoopda people are a
vibrant community and stewards of their
ancestral land.
Rancho del Arroyo Chico
By the 1850s, Bidwell had purchased more
than 30,000 acres. He then built a general
store, a hotel, post office and flour mill.
About his land, Bidwell wrote: “The
broad plain, richly carpeted with lush green
grass and tall clover, was studded with
magnificent groves of stately oaks. The soil
was deep and fertile . . . Wildflowers there
were in reckless profusion. In the distance,
toward the rising sun, were seen the snow
capped Sierras.”
In 1860, Bidwell helped lay out the town
of Chico, which he named. Three years
later, Governor Leland Stanford made
him a brigadier general in the California
State Militia.
A Proud Californian
During his early days in California, Bidwell
served as business manager
for another well-known
California pioneer—John
Sutter. Bidwell personally
carried the first gold
sample discovered in
California to be assayed
in San Francisco.
In the summer of 1848,
Bidwell made his own gold
discovery near the Middle
Fork of the Feather River.
Acting as both miner and
merchant, Bidwell used
the Gold Rush to build his
financial resources. He used
this money to further his
new state in the agricultural
Memorial portrait of John Bidwell
and public service arenas.
by Alice Reading, 1903
A Great Statesman
From 1865 to 1866,
Bidwell served California
as its representative
in the United States
Congress. In the House of
Representatives, he was
a member of the House
Agricultural Committee
and introduced legislation
that led to the completion
of the California and
Oregon Railroad. By 1870,
the railroad’s tracks ran
through his rancho and
the town of Chico.
A Loving Partnership
While in Washington, D.C.,
Bidwell met Annie Ellicott
Kennedy, the oldest daughter of his friend
Joseph C.G. Kennedy, Superintendent
of the U.S. Census. Miss Kennedy was 20
years Bidwell’s junior, but the two were
like-minded on many issues. Neither John
Bidwell nor Annie—as revealed through
their extensive correspondence with one
another—had ever envisioned themselves
married, but each capitulated when love
overcame them.
“Why is it that only one of all women I have
ever seen fills the measure of all my earthly
yearnings?” wrote John Bidwell to Annie
Kennedy in March of 1867. “I care nothing
for what the world call wealth and affluence.
They have no charms for me without a tender
being to share them with me. You have no
idea of the influence which women exert in
the world.”
Gingko biloba tree and leaves
The Bidwells were married in Washington,
D.C. on April 16, 1868. During their long
and happy marriage, they passionately
supported both women’s voting rights and
the prohibition movement.
The Bidwells at Home
John Bidwell had already begun work on his
three-story, 26-room mansion on Rancho
Chico before he met Annie. San Francisco
architect Henry W. Cleaveland designed
the grand house. Completed in 1868, it had
running water, flush toilets, modern gas lights
and an air cooling system.
A proponent of higher education, Bidwell
donated eight acres of his cherry orchard
in the 1880s for a teachers’ college called
Chico State Normal School (later renamed
California State University, Chico). Bidwell
died in 1900. The Bidwells had no children,
so Annie willed her home to her church to
be used as a school. After Annie’s death in
1918, the Presbyterian Church was unable to
fund the school. The Normal School bought
the mansion in 1923. The Bidwells’ home was
used as a dormitory and was later used as
offices and classrooms. California State Parks
acquired the mansion in 1964.
Displayed in the fully furnished home are
both original and period pieces, including
Mrs. Bidwell’s piano, local Native American
baskets and the Bidwells’ eclectic library.
An “Agricultural Eden”
Until his death in 1900, Bidwell worked to
build an agricultural showplace. Wheat and
flour production enabled Bidwell to finance
ventures in specialty crops. He would harvest
his gold-medal-winning wheat, grind it into
Bidwell enjoyed “up-to-the-minute biscuits.”
Annie’s square grand piano in parlor
flour in his mill, and have the cook make
it into biscuits the same day. He called his
results “up-to-the-minute biscuits.”
Bidwell fostered the development of the
casaba melon and produced California’s first
commercial raisin crop. Almond and olive
varieties bore his name. Many specimen
trees he planted still stand, including a
cockspur coral, a tulip tree, a Ginkgo biloba,
Italian cypresses, a South American monkey
puzzle and a huge Southern magnolia.
TOURS
Guided tours are required to see the inside
of Bidwell Mansion. A fee is charged for
tours. For daily tour schedules or group tour
reservations, call (530) 895-6144.
CLIMATE
Spring is mild and often wet. Summer
temperatures can reach well over 100
degrees. Fall and winter days range from
the low 40s to the mid-70s. The mansion is
climate-controlled.
ACCESSIBle features
The mansion has three floors. The first floor
is accessible via a sloped exterior ramp.
The two upper levels are only accessible
by stairs. An open-captioned video is
available. Parking, picnic areas, grounds
and the Visitor Center are accessible. Call
the park at (530) 895-6144 for updates or
visit http://access.parks.ca.gov.
PLEASE REMEMBER
• Park only in State Park-designated areas.
• Tour admission may be paid by cash
or check only. The Visitor Center
Museum Store accepts cash, checks
and credit cards.
• Only service animals are permitted
inside buildings.
Bidwell Mansion State Historic
Park receives support in part
from a nonprofit organization. For
more information, contact Bidwell
Mansion Association, PO Box 1303,
Chico, CA 95927 (530) 895-6144