![Chico-ca-1856](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Chico-ca-1856.jpg)
The history of Chico, California, begins with the original inhabitants, the
Mechoopda Maidu
The Maidu are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, in the watershed area of the Feather River, Feather and American River, American ...
.
The
city of Chico was founded in 1860 by General
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 ...
, a member of one of the first
wagon train
''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
s to reach
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
in 1841. The city became
incorporated January 8, 1872.
Historian
W.H. "Old Hutch" Hutchinson identified five events as the most seminal in Chico history. They were
# the arrival 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 ...
in 1850
# the arrival of the
California and Oregon Railroad in 1870
# the establishment of the
Northern Branch of the State Normal School in 1887
# the purchase of the
Sierra Lumber Company
Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and " saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following:
Places Mountains and mountain ranges
* Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico
* Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range ...
by the
Diamond Match Company
The Diamond Match Company has its roots in several nineteenth century companies. In the early 1850s, Edward Tatnall of Wilmington, Delaware was given an English recipe for making matches by a business acquaintance, William R. Smith. In 1853, Tatn ...
in 1900
# the development of the Army Air Base which is now the
Chico Municipal Airport.
[Chico: A 20th Century Pictorial History (1995)]
Since then, several seminal events have unfolded in Chico. These include: the construction and relocation of
Highway 99E through town in the early sixties;
Playboy Magazine
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
naming
Chico State the number one
party school
The term party school is used to refer to a college or university (usually in the United States) that has a reputation for heavy alcoholic beverage, alcohol and drug use or a general culture of licentiousness at the expense of educational credi ...
in the nation in 1987; and the establishment of a Green Line on the western
city limits as protection of
agricultural lands.
19th century
Chico was founded by General
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 ...
, a member of one of the first wagon trains to reach California in 1843. Bidwell first came to the area in that same year as an employee of
John Sutter
John Augustus Sutter (February 23, 1803 – June 18, 1880), born Johann August Sutter and known in Spanish as Don Juan Sutter, was a Swiss immigrant of Mexican and American citizenship, known for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area th ...
. In 1844, William Dickey was granted
Rancho Arroyo Chico by Mexican Governor
Manuel Micheltorena. In two separate purchases in 1849 and 1851, Bidwell acquired the Rancho Arroyo Chico. He filed a claim for the land with the
Public Land Commission in 1852, and the claim was confirmed the next year. After a subsequent legal challenge, the claim was confirmed by the
US District Court
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
for the Northern District in 1855, and eventually by the
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
. The title patent was signed by President
James Buchanan in 1860.
A treaty of "peace and friendship" was signed on September 18, 1853, between the
Mechoopda, and other tribes of the area near Bidwell's Ranch; Indians at Reading's Ranch at
Colusa; and tribes along the
Consumnes and
Yuba rivers. United States Indian Agent
O. M. Wozencraft represented the U.S. government at Bidwell's Ranch.
The city of Chico was founded in 1860 by General
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 ...
. That year, Bidwell requested the county send a
surveyor to lay out the city
street grid.
Chico was the starting point of the
Koncow Trail of Tears also called the
Nome Cult Trail
The Nome Cult Trail is a northern Californian historic trail located in present-day Mendocino National Forest which goes along Round Valley Road and through Rocky Ridge and the Sacramento Valley. It is also known as the Konkow Trail of Tears. On ...
. On August 28, 1863, all
Konkow
The Maidu are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, in the watershed area of the Feather River, Feather and American River, American ...
Maidu
The Maidu are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, in the watershed area of the Feather River, Feather and American River, American ...
were to be at the
Bidwell Ranch to be taken to the
Round Valley Reservation
The Round Valley Indian Reservation is a federally recognized Indian reservation lying primarily in northern Mendocino County, California, United States. A small part of it extends northward into southern Trinity County. The total land area, incl ...
at
Covelo in
Mendocino County
Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish for "of Mendoza) is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The county seat is Ukiah.
Mendocino County consists whol ...
. Any
Indians remaining in the area were to be shot. 435 Maidu were rounded up and marched under guard west out of the
Sacramento Valley and through to the
Coastal Range. 461 Indians started the trek, 277 finished. They reached
Round Valley on September 18, 1863.
The city became
incorporated January 8, 1872. In that year the first Chico Board of Trustees was established. This body was the predecessor of the modern Chico City Council. The first municipal election was February 5, 1872 with 217 votes cast. The first City Board of Trustees comprised G.W. Dorn, C.L. Pond, B.F. Allen, W.K. Springer, and John Kempf. Dorn was named as the first president of the board of trustees. Municipal elections were annual and the term for a trustee was two years. However, the first trustees had to draw lots to determine who would serve for a one-, two- or three-year term. This was to provide that there would only be either two or three seats up for election in any given year henceforth.
The Butte Flume and Lumber Company built a
flume
A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to t ...
from
Butte Meadows down
Big Chico Creek
Big Chico Creek is a creek in northeastern California that originates near Colby Mountain in Lassen National Park. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 10 ...
in 1872, completing it in 1874. This flume would supply the
Diamond Match Company
The Diamond Match Company has its roots in several nineteenth century companies. In the early 1850s, Edward Tatnall of Wilmington, Delaware was given an English recipe for making matches by a business acquaintance, William R. Smith. In 1853, Tatn ...
with lumber for its operations.
In 1877, anti-Chinese riots erupted.
In 1887, the California legislature established the Northern Branch of the State Normal School of California. Chico was chosen as its site, and Bidwell donated land from his cherry orchard for this purpose. This school would come to be called the Chico Normal School, Chico State College, and finally
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico, or commonly, Chico State, is a public university in Chico, California. Founded in 1887, it is the second oldest campus in the California State University system. As of the fall 2020 semester, the university h ...
.
Chico was the northern terminus of the
Sacramento Northern Railroad
The Sacramento Northern Railway (reporting mark SN) was a electric interurban railway that connected Chico in northern California with Oakland via the California capital, Sacramento. In its operation it ran directly on the streets of Oakland ...
, an
electrified railway
A railway electrification system supplies electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply.
Electric railways use either electric locomotives (hauling passengers or freight in separate cars), ele ...
which extended south to
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
and
Oakland in the
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
Bay Area.
Originally the City Board of Trustees was elected
at-large, with each trustee standing for election by the entire
electorate
Electorate may refer to:
* The people who are eligible to vote in an election, especially their number e.g. the term ''size of (the) electorate''
* The dominion of a Prince-elector
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, ...
of the city, rather than just by a
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
. On April 12, 1897, the city had its first election under the
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
system. The
polling place
A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English and British English, although polling place is the building s for each ward were: First Ward - City Hall, Second Ward - Bruce and Young Building, Third Ward - Western Hose House, and Fourth Ward - Chico Hotel at the Junction.
Beginning in 1899, municipal elections would be only held every two years.
In 1899, Mayor J. Ellis Rodley, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of perjury in the witnessing of a forged will offered for probate. He was granted parole in 1906.
20th century
On July 10, 1905,
Annie Bidwell signed a
grant deed donating to the people of Chico for a public park. These initial acres were expanded upon several times over the years, resulting in the creation of
Bidwell Park
Bidwell Park is a Urban park, municipal park located in Chico, California. The park was established July 10, 1905, through the donation by Annie Bidwell, widow of Chico's founder, John Bidwell, of approximately of land to the City of Chico. Since ...
, one of the largest
municipal park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to re ...
s in the nation.
In 1907, municipal elections were changed so that one trustee would be elected from each ward to serve concurrent four-year terms.
In 1917 the first
parade that would later come to be called the
Pioneer Day
Pioneer Day is an official holiday celebrated on July 24 in the American state of Utah, with some celebrations taking place in regions of surrounding states originally settled by Mormon pioneers. It commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and ...
Parade was held on the downtown streets as a celebration of Senior Day. This tradition would continue as a celebration of local heritage under various names on the first Saturday in May each year until 1990.
On June 4, 1921, an election was held to choose a "board of freeholders" charged with framing a
city charter
A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Traditionally the granting of a charte ...
.
In 1923, under the new charter, the board of trustees was replaced by the city council. The ward system was also abolished and at-large election of city leaders was reinstated.
In 1933, there was a municipal election which included a recall attempt on three councilmembers. The recall was defeated.
During
WWII
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the
Chico Army Air Field
Chico Regional Airport , formerly known as Chico Municipal Airport, is north of Chico, in Butte County, California, United States. The airport covers , has two runways and one helipad. Its fixed-base operator, Northgate Aviation provides fuel, ...
was used to train fighter and bomber pilots. It was also home of the
555th Parachute Infantry Battalion.
On December 6–7, 1958,
Operation Chico evacuated 1000 people from
Solano County
Solano County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield.
Solano County comprises the Vallejo–Fairfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which i ...
to Chico for the weekend as a
civil defense exercise.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the city wrestled with the controversial issue of creating a bypass for
State Route 99 through
Bidwell Park
Bidwell Park is a Urban park, municipal park located in Chico, California. The park was established July 10, 1905, through the donation by Annie Bidwell, widow of Chico's founder, John Bidwell, of approximately of land to the City of Chico. Since ...
. The viaduct was built 1963–65.
On May 2, 1961, the
City Charter
A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Traditionally the granting of a charte ...
was amended to increase the size of the Chico City Council from five to seven members.
On July 31, 1961, the first-ever
aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking (also known as airplane hijacking, skyjacking, plane hijacking, plane jacking, air robbery, air piracy, or aircraft piracy, with the last term used within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States) is the unlawfu ...
on United States soil occurred at the
Chico Municipal Airport. Two men were critically wounded and the hijacker was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.
On May 24, 1962, two explosions destroyed a
Titan I
The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in use from 1959 until 1962. Though the SM-68A was operational for only three years, it spawned numerous follow-on mode ...
missile at the
851st Strategic Missile Squadron
The 851st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was equipped with the HGM-25A Titan I intercontinen ...
complex located north of the
Chico Municipal Airport between Keefer Road and Cohasset Road. An oxygen valve had stuck open and a blocked vent caused the gas to build up until a spark ignited it. However, the potentially catastrophic event was overshadowed in the national news by the launch of
Scott Carpenter
Malcolm Scott Carpenter (May 1, 1925 – October 10, 2013) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, astronaut, and aquanaut. He was one of the Mercury Seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury ...
into space. On June 6, trouble again struck as a flash fire in another silo killed a worker.
On April 22, 1970, students celebrating the first
Earth Day on the
Chico State campus pushed a car into West First Street (which was then
State Route 32) blocking traffic. The street was closed temporarily for safety. The incident escalated into a demonstration that lasted into the night. The protesters were arrested on conspiracy charges which were later dropped. The street re-opened the next day, however it was permanently closed over the segment running through campus later that year.
On July 21, 1982, the Butte County Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the 1979 Butte County Land Use Element of the Butte County General Plan with the purpose of preserving agricultural land. This amendment established a "Green Line" on the west side of Chico beyond which urban development would be restricted. This line is responsible for the continued existence of working orchards relatively close to the core of the growing city.
In 1987
Playboy Magazine
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
named
Chico State the
"Number One
Party School
The term party school is used to refer to a college or university (usually in the United States) that has a reputation for heavy alcoholic beverage, alcohol and drug use or a general culture of licentiousness at the expense of educational credi ...
" in the nation. University President
Robin Wilson met with city officials including
City Manager Fred Davis, and
Police Chief
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and ...
, John Bullerjahn with the goal of ending the reputation by ending the parties with police force. On April 25, 1987,
police riot
A police riot is a riot carried out by the police; more specifically, it is a riot that police are responsible for instigating, escalating or sustaining as a violent confrontation. Police riots are often characterized by widespread police bruta ...
s broke out during the
Pioneer Days celebration. President Wilson announced an end to the 70-year-old tradition saying, he took Pioneer Days "out back and shot it in the head." The tradition was revived in 1996 and has continued to this day.
University Archives – Bits and Pieces
/ref>
In 1996, the Olympic Torch
The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olym ...
arrived in Chico at the Amtrak station
This is a list of train stations and Thruway Motorcoach stops used by Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation in the United States). This list is in alphabetical order by station or stop name, which mostly corresponds to the city ...
. The torch was carried through the closed streets with thousands of Chicoans celebrating along the path.
In 1996 the recently re-elected council member Ted Hubert died prior to being re-sworn in, and more significantly, before the selection of mayor had occurred. The evenly, and deeply divided council stalemated on the selection. This resulted in a rotating Mayor Pro Tempore
''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...
system for about six months. The remaining six council members each took turns serving as meeting chair until they appointed
Bill Johnston Bill or Billy Johnston may refer to:
* Bill Johnston (cricketer) (1922–2007), Australian cricketer
* Bill Johnston (golfer) (1925–2021), American golfer and golf course architect
* Bill Johnston (tennis)
William Marquitz "Little Bill" John ...
to fill the council vacancy, and Rick Keene
Richard J. "Rick" Keene (born November 16, 1957) is a former Republican member of the California State Assembly representing the 3rd district from 2002 to 2008. Keene previously served on the Chico, California City Council from 1994 to 2002, in ...
mayor.
In the years while the Pioneer Days celebration was canceled (1990-1996), the Halloween and St. Patrick's Day celebrations grew into much larger events. These holidays had always enjoyed a high rate of participation in Chico due to its young population. However, following the loss of Pioneer Days, St. Patrick's Day and Halloween grew in popularity to compensate. Mutual aid was invoked by police each year for several years and a campaign launched by city government to combat the increase in alcohol-related arrests.
21st century
In 2000 and 2001, the city closed downtown streets to accommodate the thousands of Halloween revelers.
However, in 2002 the streets were no longer closed. The City even conducted a TV ad campaign telling people not to come downtown for Halloween. In response to the incidence of thrown bottles, and broken glass, the city council has established a "Glass Free Zone" largely contiguous with the downtown and the South Campus Neighborhood
The South Campus Historic District is a Historic districts in the United States, historic district in Chico, California which was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 through efforts of the Chico Heritage Association. The dis ...
. The Council activates the "Glass Free Zone" every Halloween and St. Patrick's Day and from time to time at the request of the police when they believe there will be a large gathering of revelers. Most recently, César Chávez Day was added to the growing list of holidays requiring such a response.
In 1998, the tower supporting the famous Diamond on top of the Senator Theatre at Fifth and Main was discovered to be leaning. It was determined to be at risk of collapse, and was removed. The tower was refurbished and put back in place in 2005.
In 2003, a branch from one of the majestic Siberian elm
''Ulmus pumila'', the Siberian elm, is a tree native to Asia. It is also known as the Asiatic elm and dwarf elm, but sometimes miscalled the 'Chinese Elm' (''Ulmus parvifolia''). ''U. pumila'' has been widely cultivated throughout Asia, Nor ...
trees planted in 1873 by John Bidwell in City Plaza fell and hit a person sitting on a bench. The incident prompted the removal of the trees, some of which had rotting roots. The city embarked on a renovation of City Plaza in 2005, and in November 2006, the newly renovated Chico City Plaza was re-opened.
See also
* List of mayors of Chico, California
References
External links
*
{{California history
Chico, California
Chico ( ; Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, reflecting an increase from 86,18 ...
Chico, California
History of Butte County, California