CHICO — The smoke that hovered throughout Chico on Wednesday morning carried small pieces of the city’s history after leaving only a charred skeleton of the local icon, the Bidwell Mansion.
In the wake of the mansion burning, the city is left to grapple with the loss of more than a century of history.
“It’s really sad,” said Steve Schoonover with the Bidwell Mansion Association. “You know, people don’t realize how unusual it is to have the house of the town’s founder still standing in the middle of the town. It’s prime real estate. Those things typically get torn down pretty fast. Having John and Annie’s house in the middle of town was a real gift that we lost.”
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John Bidwell founded the city of Chico in 1860. According to the Bidwell Mansion Association, Bidwell was one of the first to cross the Sierra Nevada at age 22. By the time he created Chico, Bidwell had purchased 30,000 acres of land.
The mansion wasn’t the first home owned by Bidwell in Chico. In fact, it was the fourth. Bidwell first settled into a smaller adobe home before upgrading to something slightly larger. The mansion that stood near downtown Chico began construction in 1865 and was completed in 1868, just before John Bidwell married Annie Kennedy. A common misconception is that the house was built for Annie, though construction began before they met.
At the time, the multiple-story home was built for $56,000. In the 156 years since the mansion’s construction, there have been a number of changes to the building including auxiliary areas and a new kitchen, which was later torn down.
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Given the damage dealt to the mansion and the shock of the disaster, it is likely no surprise that the future of the Bidwell Mansion remains up in the air.
The mansion was closed to the public and still in the middle of a $2 million major renovation project that started earlier this year.
John Bidwell had a substantial library in the mansion and after the fire, some reported seeing pages from his book collection being blown around by the wind. Schoonover noted that State Parks is asking that the pages be returned when found.
As for whether it would be possible to repair or rebuild the mansion, Schoonover remained unsure.
“I’m not sure that structurally anything can be done,” Schoonover said. “I don’t know if it can be restored, honestly.”
Artifacts that were still in the building have burned though it’s been noted that some that were outside of the mansion survived.
Later on Wednesday, the North Valley Community Foundation announced that it had created The Rebuild Bidwell Mansion Fund alongside Tri Counties Bank and Chico State to go toward the future of the mansion, in whatever form that may be. The bank has already provided $56,000 to the fund.
Donations can be made at any Tri Counties Bank location or by going to www.nvcf.org/funds/rebuild-bidwell-mansion-fund. Contributions can also be mailed to 1811 Concord Ave., Suite 220, Chico, CA 95928.
