OTHER TIDBITS: Mr. Bidwell came to California on the very first westward wagon train after hearing great things about the Mexican territory from French trapper, Antoine Robidoux! Once he arrived and got his passport, he made a lot of smart business decisions that gave him the funds to buy this land and build his mansion. He was John Sutter’s property manager, and took the first gold sample from Sutter’s Mill to San Francisco for appraisal! He did a little mining and a lot of selling to miners, which paved the way for his agricultural experimentation!

Like Luther Burbank, John Bidwell brought all sorts of new crops into the market, such as the casaba melon and the state’s first commercial raisin crop! He introduced Bermuda grass to reservoir areas to prevent erosion of the levees, but bemoaned the waste of California agriculture: grasslands that had fed massive herds of elk couldn’t sustain a few hundred cattle! He was also an early environmentalist who backed the plaintiff in the case against the North Bloomfield Mining Company, which had been clogging rivers with its mining runoff!

Mr. Bidwell was active in politics, a staunch supporter of both the Union and Prohibition, and very devoted to his wife, Annie. When she would go east to visit her family, he would write her 4-5 page letters every day to let her know what was happening at Rancho Chico!

• Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
• Volunteer at Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park!
• Become a member of the Bidwell Mansion Association!
• Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!

ANNOTATIONS:
Yup! That’s correct!

From Los Angeles: ~474mi (763km) — 7.9hrs
From Sacramento: ~88mi (142km) — 1.5hrs
From San Diego: ~594mi (956km) — 9.9hrs
From San Francisco: ~165mi (266km) — 2.8hrs