Bidwell's Bar (also known as Bidwell Bar, and Bidwells Bar) was a

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

mining camp in Butte County,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, which lay at the end of the

California Trail The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail f ...

. It was located east-northeast of

Oroville Oroville may refer to: * Oroville, California, United States * Oroville, Washington, United States ;Other uses * Lake Oroville, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Dam, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Municipal Airport, in Butt ...

, at an elevation of 902 feet (275 m).

History

It was founded by

John Bidwell John Bidwell (August 5, 1819 – April 4, 1900), known in Spanish as Don Juan Bidwell, was an American pioneer, politician, and soldier. Bidwell is known as the founder of the city of Chico, California. Born in New York, he emigrated at the age ...

, who discovered gold near the Middle Fork of the

Feather River The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is just over . The main stem Feather ...

on July 4, 1848. Bidwell carried on a barter trade with local Native Americans, trading foodstuffs for the yellow rock which was of no particular value to the Native Americans. As word of the gold discovery got out, a mining camp arose. By 1853, the camp had attracted enough miners to warrant a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

, and the town's population swelled to 2,000, becoming prominent enough to become the county seat. A fire destroyed much of the town in 1854, but it was quickly rebuilt. By the late 1850s, Bidwell's Bar was served by Whiting's Dog Express, a dog-sled service which used trained canines to deliver mail and supplies to various mining camps. Living in Bidwell's Bar was rough. Many people lived in tents, and fleas were plentiful. A visitor in the 1850s described the place as a "rag city" and devoid of suitable accommodations. Ferrying people and supplies across the river proved to be difficult, especially during the winter months, and funds were raised to construct the

Bidwell Bar Bridge The Bidwell Bar Bridge, in Oroville, California, is the name of two suspension bridges that cross different parts of Lake Oroville. The original Bidwell Bar Bridge was the first steel suspension bridge in California. The $35,000, original was c ...

, the first

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. The first bridge was destroyed in an 1852 flood, but the new bridge was completed in 1856. A post office operated from 1853 to 1900, with a brief closure in 1864 to 1865.

Decline and depopulation

Mining reached its peak in 1856–1857. However, as quickly as the town rose, it went into decline. By the end of 1856, the year the bridge was completed, the gold disappeared and the ''San Francisco Bulletin'' called it "Another Deserted Village." Miners were instead going to nearby Ophir (now

). The county seat moved in 1856. Within a year, the population was down to 200, and by 1882, only 30 people remained. The last remnants of the town were submerged with the creation of

Lake Oroville Lake Oroville is a reservoir formed by the Oroville Dam impounding the Feather River, located in Butte County, California, Butte County, northern California. The lake is situated northeast of the city of Oroville, California, Oroville, within th ...

in 1968, and only the original bridge and the clock tower (in Butte County Historical Museum) are left. Another survivor of the town is the

Mother Orange Tree The Mother Orange Tree is the oldest living orange tree in Northern California, United States. Planted in 1854, the California Historical Landmark is located in Oroville. History Originally planted in Bidwell's Bar near the Bidwell Bar Bridg ...

, the first

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

tree in

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

Status as historic landmark

The site was later declared a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

In popular culture

*Bidwell's Bar was featured as a location in the computer game ''

Oregon Trail II ''Oregon Trail II'' is an educational video game released by MECC in 1995. It was published by SoftKey Multimedia. It is a revised version of the original ''The Oregon Trail'' video game. It was redesigned with the help of American Studies Ph ...

''.

References

External links

* * {{California Gold Rush Former settlements in Butte County, California Mining communities of the California Gold Rush Ghost towns in California California Historical Landmarks California Trail Former county seats in California Populated places established in 1848 1848 establishments in California