Bidwell Mansion Association

05/26/2026

Bidwell's magnolia in beautiful bloom this week.

05/25/2026

The Chico City Council had a brief discussion on the future of Bidwell Mansion during its meeting on Tuesday, May 19. Councilor Tom van Overbeek (District 6) requested that the matter be put on the City Council agenda and opened by noting the building was an icon and a symbol of Chico’s history. But he didn’t stop there:

“Even though the state owns it as a state historic park, it is a civic asset—was a civic asset—and because the state did such a lousy job handling the security and the thing burned down, I think it’s their responsibility to rebuild it. That’s my view.”

Van Overbeek further noted that, as representatives of the citizens of Chico, the council should “let the state know what we would like to have done,” as the state continues to review the site and determine what to do.

Councilor Mike O’Brien was supportive of the idea but suggested that State Parks attend a meeting and give a presentation to better inform the council. After some largely civic discussion, that idea was approved on a 6-1 vote, with Katie Hawley opposed.

Hawley said she thought the council was “getting out of our job description. This really is a state jurisdiction.” She also thought the Reimagine Bidwell Mansion process was doing an “adequate job” of determining Chico’s views.

The entire discussion can be viewed online on the city’s website.

Send a message to learn more

05/18/2026

Read the post-fire Bidwell Mansion structural assessment--

A draft of the post-fire assessment for Bidwell Mansion has finally been released. You can review the full draft assessment online, including its technical analysis, structural considerations, appendices, and more photographs. Find the link posted on the BMA website. https://www.bidwellmansionassociation.com/

05/18/2026

A draft of the post-fire assessment for Bidwell Mansion has finally been released. You can review the full draft assessment online, including its technical analysis, structural considerations, appendices, and more photographs. Find the link posted on the BMA website. https://www.bidwellmansionassociation.com/

05/12/2026

Go to https://www.myinput.com/ReimagineBidwellMansion/updates for news updates, frequently asked questions, and the post-fire structural assessment.

05/07/2026

A Springtime letter from John Bidwell:
Spring in the North Valley somehow always feels somewhat fleeting, yet vivid, and very worth noticing—something John Bidwell understood well. In a 1851 letter to “My Friend Miss E. Boyd,” a young lady acquaintance of his, Bidwell described the Sacramento Valley in springtime, painted with wildflowers, shaded creeks, oak trees, and the promise of ripening grapes. He wrote:

“For miles and hundreds of miles up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers the soil is as rich I suppose as any I ever saw, for miles you might travel following the course of either river in the early Spring and beautiful flowers fairly paint the landscape in their rich and varied profusion, broad prairies covered with wild oats & peas would often be along your road. Occasionally you would be obliged to cross some small creek; these are (many of them) well shaded with oak trees, & many an oaken bough sustains loads of grapes, green yet, but in a few weeks their rich purple would tempt your appetite after a better meal than you would be likely to get here . . .”

04/26/2026

It's not too late to register your opinion. https://www.facebook.com/BidwellMansionSHP/posts/pfbid02gVM1bZmcmWsVnPZXGKryqeE6StcAPq5UumiEaKEdY5am63w5j3ywhXs7aK2xeaYql

Good news, there’s still time!

The survey for Reimagine Bidwell Mansion has been extended. If you haven’t participated yet, now is your chance to share ideas and help shape the Vision Plan for Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park.
Deadline extended to May 1st.

04/14/2026

Register now for the virtual public meeting!

Tomorrow is the Virtual Community Meeting for the Reimagine Bidwell Mansion project. Join California State Parks to learn about the Vision Plan and share your ideas for the future of Bidwell Mansion SHP.

Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Time: 6:00 - 7:30PM

Last chance to register at ReimagineBidwellMansion.org

04/11/2026

Take the survey!

2 weeks left to complete the survey!

Help California State Parks gather community input to inform the Reimagine Bidwell Mansion Vision Plan by completing the survey today at ReimagineBidwellMansion.org.

Online survey closes Friday April 24th

04/04/2026

On the morning of April 4, 1900, John Bidwell set out to mark a new road along Big Chico Creek. Driving the wagon was William Conway, one of his oldest Mechoopda employees. Also in the wagon was Florence Blake, a maid at Bidwell Mansion who came along to open gates and hold the horses while Bidwell showed William the work he wanted done. Florence would later write a statement for Annie Bidwell about her husband’s sudden turn of ill health.

Florence reported that when the General got down from the wagon he stamped his foot and exclaimed, “There! I am as spry as a young boy.” He had always led an active life and he enjoyed nothing more than marking out a new road. Although he had grown portly over the years, at six feet tall and 225 pounds (as weighed on the scale at the flour mill) he was by no means obese.

Another workman, Harry, was burning a stump. Bidwell poked at the fire, gave directions, and did some sawing with William Conway. Florence kept her eyes on the General, worried that as he walked around he might trip over a limb or a stone. Instead, she heard him call her, then sit down on a log “with his head held down as if he had the neuralgia.” He had had these attacks of “neuralgia” before, which were probably not nerve irritation, but minor heart attacks. While Harry went to town for help, Florence and Conway tended to Bidwell, laying him down and loosening his clothing. “As he commenced to rally,” wrote Florence, “he wanted to be propped up and complained of too much weight on his chest though there was nothing there.”

When help arrived he was taken back to the Mansion. Three doctors, including Dr. Oscar Stansbury and Bidwell’s cousin, Dr. Ella Gatchell, were called to attend. For a time, he seemed to improve, but he suffered a relapse and died in his bed at 2:30 p.m.

Post continued at https://goldfieldsbooks.com/2026/04/04/the-death-of-general-john-bidwell/