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History of Chico, California, USA
Journey back in time to Chico, California, USA
Visit Chico, California, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and ancestry.
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Chico, Butte, CA
The first recorded Europeans arrived in 1832. That same year, approximately 75% of the Indian population in California died from epidemics of disease brought by the Europeans.
In 1848, General John Bidwell, a member of the first covered wagon trains to California, was among several miners who discovered gold on the Feather River. This event sparked a rush of prospectors into the Butte County area. With his riches, Bidwell bought 28,000 acres in both sides of Chico Creek and opened the first store of the Gold Rush (located on the corner of 1st and Main – now Tres Hombres Restaurant). The city of Chico was founded in 1860 and later incorporated in 1872.
chicochamber.com
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Chico Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards
Chico, California, USA
Postcard
"The Barber Neighborhood is a working class residential neighborhood in Chico, California, generally south of Little Chico Creek and west of Park avenue. The Barber Neighborhood Association represents the interests of the neighborhood to the community. This neighborhood was originally the settlement of Barber, California built to house the employees of the adjacent Diamond Match Factory. The neighborhood was named after Ohio Columbus Barber, president of the Diamond Match Company. The neighborhood lies at an elevation of 190 feet (58 m). Today, the area is entirely within the city limits of Chico, and the Diamond Match property is designated for a future development called Barber Yard." (wikipedia) )
Diamond Match Company's Plant Near Chico, California. (1910)
"The Barber Neighborhood is a working class residential neighborhood in Chico, California, generally south of Little Chico Creek and west of Park avenue. The Barber Neighborhood Association represents the interests of the neighborhood to the community. This neighborhood was originally the settlement of Barber, California built to house the employees of the adjacent Diamond Match Factory. The neighborhood was named after Ohio Columbus Barber, president of the Diamond Match Company. The neighborhood lies at an elevation of 190 feet (58 m). Today, the area is entirely within the city limits of Chico, and the Diamond Match property is designated for a future development called Barber Yard." (wikipedia)
Chico, California, USA
Postcard
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Cherry Tree, 60 years old, Chico Rancho, Chico, Cal. (1915)
Chico, California, USA
Postcard
 1 Mile No. of City LImits, Chico, Cal.
"A Motel for Commercial Men")
Willard Motel, Shasta Highway (U.S. 99E) 1 Mile No. of City LImits, Chico, Cal.
"A Motel for Commercial Men"
Discover Chico: History, News, Travel, and Stories
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1860 - Chico is settled
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January 8, 1872 - Chico is incorporated
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1895 - Chico
Chico, chee'ko, a post-village of Butte co, Cal., on the Oregon division of the Central Pacific Railroad, 96 miles N. of Sacramento, and on Chico Creek, 6 miles E. of the Sacramento River. It has 2 banks, 6 churches, a graded and a state normal school, a foundry, a machine-shop, and manufactures of carriages, flour, soap, ploughs, sash, doors, &c. Two daily and 2 weekly newspapers are published here. Pop. in 1890, 2894.
Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott
1908 - THEATER BURNS.
Chico, Cal., March 24. - The Star theater here was gutted by fire this morning. The blaze started by a moving picture machine. Several stores in the vicinity were badly damaged.
San Jose Mercury News
San Jose, California
March 24, 1908
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1916
Chico, chee'ko, a banking city of Butte co., Cal., on the Southern Pacific R., 96 miles N. of Sacramento. It has fruit and canning industries, manufactures of hay- presses, etc. Gold is mined in the vicinity. Chico is the teat of a state normal school. Pop. in 1890, 2894 ; in 1900, 2640.
Lippincotts New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns, Resorts, Islands, Rivers, Mountains, Seas, Lakes, Etc., in Every Portion of the Globe, Part 1 Angelo Heilprin Louis Heilprin - January 1, 1916 J.B. Lippincott - Publisher
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1927 - CHICO COLLEGE BUILDING RAZED. EFFORTS OF FIREMEN TO CHECK FLAMES PROVE UNAVAILING; LOSS $500,000.
Chico, Cal., Aug. 12. - (AP) - The main building of the State Teachers College of Chico was destroyed tonight by fire said to have started with an explosion. The loss was estimated at $500,000, with $300,000 for the building and $200,000 for the library and other equipment.
MRS. L. G. FAULKNER, who lives across the street from the school, said the flames burst out about 8 o'clock following an explosion which she both heard and felt. The fire swept rapidly through the old three-story structure, flames shooting high in the air, lighting up the whole town of Chico, and being visible from Durham, five miles away.
Firemen were handicapped by lack of ladders reaching to the top of the building, and by 9 o'clock had abandoned efforts to save the structure.
Modesto News Herald
Modesto, California
August 13, 1927
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1953 - August 29 - KHSL TV channel 12 in Chico, CA (CBS) begins broadcasting
historyorb.com
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It is illegal to build, maintain, or use a nuclear weapon within Chico, California city limits.
A law that began in the '80s as a serious anti-nuke statement has taken on a second life as an Internet joke, mainly due to the purported consequences - In addition to self-annihilation, the infraction also carries a $500 fine.
rd.com
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Discover Your Roots: Chico Ancestry
Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Chico, California, USA
We currently have information about ancestors who were born or died in Chico.View Them Now (sorted by year of birth)
Calvin Blaine FLEMING (6 November 1884, New Providence, Hardin County, Iowa, USA - 12 October 1935, Chico, California, USA)
Stanley Tower ORCUTT (23 January 1895, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA - 4 August 1977, Chico, California, USA)
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