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| Landmark #329 | Butte County | Visited: May 11, 2012 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: The 26,000-acre Rancho Chico was purchased in 1845-50 by John Bidwell. In 1865 he began construction of the mansion, which in time became the social and cultural center of the upper Sacramento Valley. It was through his advancement of agriculture, however, that Bidwell made his greatest contribution. Plants from all over the world were introduced to Rancho Chico to open the door to California’s present agricultural treasure house.
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! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park 525 The Esplanade Chico, CA 95926 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~474mi (763km) — 7.9hrs |
| When should I go? | The park’s visitor center is open from 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM, Saturday through Monday! |
