Butte County
California is known as the Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty. It was one of
the original California counties, founded on February 18, 1850. Its name is
derived from the Marysville or Sutter Buttes, which lay within the
boundaries of the county when it was created. Butte County is the home of
210,500 people, living in the cities of Chico, Oroville, Gridley, Biggs,
Paradise or other parts of the county. Butte County owns the 5th largest
solar power system in the United States, which is one of the 25 largest in
the world. Bidwell Park in Butte County's Chico is one of the largest parks
in the nation. It is comprised of 3670 acres of land. Films made in Butte
County have included Gone with the Wind, Friendly Persuasion, Magic Town,
The Klansman, Ruby Ridge: An American Tragedy and The Adventures of Robin
Hood.
NO.
313 HOOKER OAK - In 1887 Annie E. K. Bidwell named this huge oak after
English botanist Sir Joseph Hooker. When it fell during a windstorm in 1977,
it was estimated to be over a thousand years old - it was nearly a hundred
feet tall and 29 feet in circumference eight feet from the ground. The
largest branch measured 111 feet from trunk to tip - circumference of
outside branches was nearly five hundred feet.
Location: Bidwell Park, Hooker Oak Recreation Area, Manzanita Ave between
Vallombrosa and Hooker Oak Ave, Chico
NO. 314 OLD SUSPENSION BRIDGE - The Mother Orange Tree of Butte County was
planted at this spot by Judge Joseph Lewis in 1856. The Bidwell Bar Bridge,
first suspension bridge of California, was transported from New York via
Cape Horn 1853 and was completed 1856. Its site is now inundated by Oroville
Reservoir.
Location: Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, Bidwell Canyon, Bidwell
Canyon Rd, Oroville
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: OROVILLE
NO. 329 RANCHO CHICO AND BIDWELL ADOBE - 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.
Location: Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park, 525 The Esplanade, Chico
NO. 330 BIDWELL'S BAR - From 1853 to 1856 Bidwell's Bar served as the second
county seat of Butte County. The site of the courthouse, now inundated by
Oroville Reservoir, is 120 yards west of this small monument.
Location: Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, Bidwell Canyon, Bidwell
Canyon Rd, Oroville
NO. 770 CHINESE TEMPLE - Dedicated in the spring of 1863, this building
served as a temple of worship for 10,000 Chinese then living here. Funds for
its erection and furnishings were provided by the Emperor and Empress of
China - local Chinese labor built the structure. The building was deeded to
the City of Oroville in 1935 by the Chinese residents.
Location: 1500 Broderick St, Oroville
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: OROVILLE
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places: NPS-76000478
NO. 771 DOGTOWN NUGGET DISCOVERY SITE - The Dogtown nugget was discovered
April 12, 1859 at the Willard Claim, a hydraulic mine in the Feather River
Canyon northeast of the town.
Location: 0.3 mi N of Pentz-Magalia Rd on Skyway, Magalia
NO. 807 OREGON CITY - Entering California over the Applegate and Lassen
Trails, a party of Oregonians arrived here in autumn of 1848 to establish
Oregon City. Little more than a year later their captain, Peter H. Burnett,
became the first civil Governor of California. For a time, Oregon City
prospered as a gold mining and supply center - then it declined into virtual
oblivion.
Location: Diggins Dr between Oroville and Cherokee
NO. 809 DISCOVERY SITE OF THE LAST YAHI INDIAN - Ishi, a Yahi Yana Indian,
was the last of his people. Prior to European contact, the Yana population
numbered approximately 3,000. In 1865 Ishi and his family were the victims
of the Three Knolls Massacre, from which approximately 30 Yahi survived. The
remaining Yahi escaped but were forced into hiding after cattlemen killed
about half of the survivors. Eventually all of Ishi's companions died, and
he was discovered by a group of butchers in their corral at Oroville, August
29, 1911. Alfred L. Kroeber and T. T. Waterman, anthropologists at the
University of California, Berkeley, brought Ishi to San Francisco where he
helped them reconstruct Yahi culture. He identified material items and
showed how they were made. Ishi's death in 1916 marked the end of an era in
California.
Location: 2547 Oroville-Quincy Hwy at Oak Ave, Oroville
