Bidwell is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in northwestern Springfield Township, Gallia County,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and is often associated with the nearby community of Porter. Although unincorporated, it has its own ZIP Code of 45614. Bidwell is located eleven miles from the county seat, Gallipolis, at an elevation of 682 feet (208 m). Bidwell is part of the Point Pleasant, WV–OH Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The community of Bidwell was founded in 1881 under the name Blaccock, after the arrival of the Crispus Attucks, Hocking Valley, and Toledo Railroad. Charles Heatly (1809-1888) owned the property where the new station was located. His home still stands nearby. Porter Station was built in Heatly as a means of transportation of passengers and freight, which led to its later expansion and the source of the name of the neighboring village of Porter. ''Circa'' 1900, Heatly changed its name to Bidwell in honor of

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

, the Prohibition Party's presidential candidate in 1892. The village expanded in the early 20th century, eventually including several mills and stores. The railroad tracks have since been decommissioned and turned into a bicycle path that spans much of Gallia County, but the former site of the station itself is commemorated by an Ohio historical marker.

Government

As Bidwell is unincorporated without official local government or charter, local government in the township is the responsibility of Springfield Township Trustees.

Local life

The Bidwell area contains two shopping centers, one containing a hardware store, a

Save-A-Lot Save A Lot Food Stores Ltd. is an American discount supermarket chain store headquartered in St. Ann, Missouri, in Greater St. Louis. It is a subsidiary of Onex Corporation with about 900 independently owned and operated stores across 32 st ...

grocery store, and the other containing a Dollar General store. One restaurant serves the community, the Korner Restaurant. There are no lodging or other accommodations in Bidwell. Public education in Bidwell is provided by the

Gallia County Local School District The Gallia County Local School District is a public school district headquartered in an unincorporated portion of Springfield Township with a Gallipolis, Ohio (USA) mailing address. It is one of two public school districts in Gallia County. ...

. Two of the district's schools are located in the community. River Valley Middle School is a sixth to eighth grade school, and has an enrollment of approximately 400 students. Elementary students from Bidwell attend Vinton Elementary School. There is also a high school in the area, River Valley High School, which is located behind the middle school. The high school serves students from across the northern half of Gallia County, including the communities of Vinton and Cheshire. The Bidwell area does not have a police force of its own, and is instead patrolled by the Gallia County Sheriff's Department. However, local fire protection is provided by the Springfield Township

volunteer fire department A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respond ...

. Most funding for the station is received from tax levies.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Ohio Unincorporated communities in Gallia County, Ohio Point Pleasant micropolitan area