UPCOMING EVENTS

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• Bidwell Mansion: The Stories We Share - Call for Submissions

  • Start
    Sat, March 29, 2025
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • End
    Thu, May 01, 2025
  •  
    11:59 PM
  • Location
    Chico History Museum

  Bidwell Mansion: The Stories We Share

  Call for Memories, Art, and Artifacts. Join Us in Remembering a Chico Landmark

  The Chico History Museum and the Bidwell Mansion Association invite you to be part of this special exhibition paying tribute to the rich history and legacy of Bidwell Mansion and General John and Annie Bidwell. This summer, we will celebrate their contributions to our city, University, and beloved Bidwell Park with a deeply personal and historic look at their lives and the Mansion they called home.

  On June 7th, 2025, we will open an exhibit dedicated to preserving the memory of Bidwell Mansion, which was tragically lost to arson on December 11, 2024. The loss has deeply impacted our community, but through art, stories, and historical artifacts, we can come together to honor this historic landmark. The opening event will be held at the Chico History Museum from 5–7 p.m., and the exhibit will remain on display throughout June.

  Your Contribution Matters

  We are seeking artwork, photographs, artifacts, and personal memorabilia that capture the history and significance of Bidwell Mansion. If you have any of the following, we invite you to contribute:

  ● Wedding, quinceañera, or prom photos taken at the Mansion
  ● Family pictures from visits or tours of the site
  ● Paintings, sketches, or photographs of the Mansion over the years
  ●Memorabilia from school field trips or special events held at the Mansion
  ● Artifacts related to John and Annie Bidwell, such as letters, books, or period items
  ● Historic souvenirs, postcards, brochures, or newspaper clippings
  ● Poetry, essays, or personal reflections inspired by the Bidwells or their home
  ● And more....

  How to participate: 

  How to Submit Your Piece

  ● Deadline: May 1, 2025
  ● Submission Process: Click the link below to fill out the application
  ● Selection Notification: If your piece is chosen, you will be contacted by May 14, 2025
  ● Suggested Donation: $5 per submission to help support this commemorative exhibit.

  If you are interested in submitting a personal artwork or other item for the exhibit, please have your piece ready for display (this means framed, including hanging wire, or otherwise prepared for display) and follow the link below to submit a photograph. IF your item(s) is chosen, be prepared to pay a $5 exhibition fee.

  To apply to enter please register HERE 

  
  

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• Chico’s Two Communities

  • When
    Sat, April 12, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Location
    Chico History Museum

  Register

  Michelle Shover, professor emeritus at California State University, Chico, and widely recognized researcher and author, will present on the two communities to go by the CHICO name. The first community of Chico would be on the north side of Chico Creek at John Bidwell’s developing Rancho Chico in 1849-1860. The second Chico Community, and the one we live with today, began late in 1860 when Bidwell laid out the street grid for a new Chico on the south side of Chico Creek.

  
  

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• Yours for Equal Justice: Suffragist in the Big Pink House.

  • When
    Sat, April 26, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  Register

  This week's speaker is Sondra Murphy. She grew up in Chico during the Bidwell Mansion’s original State Park Renovations. She has since lived all over California, working as a mother, librarian, reporter, and editor among other things. Returning to her hometown post-divorce, she was a Bidwell Mansion Guide from 2013 - 2024. Her presentation will feature the long-running commitment by Annie Bidwell in support of women’s suffrage Annie’s involvement would take her to a national interaction with the leaders of that movement. The 19th Amendment to the American Constitution would give women the right to vote right after Annie’s death in 1918.

  
  

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• John Muir and the Bidwells - The Forgotten Friendship.

  • When
    Sat, May 17, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Location
    Chico History Museum

  Register

  Dave Nopel will read the essay written by Micheal J. Gillis in the 1990’s as he researched John Bidwell’s life. The Essay explores the friendship that sprung up between John Muir and the Bidwells, beginning with their trip to Mr. Shasta. The friendship would last for their lifetimes.

  
  

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