Charred. Fractured. Contested. The Bidwell Mansion’s bones have ignited a discussion on whose history to honor.
Across the creek from the state historic park, a group of educators and students sat around a table shaped like an elongated horseshoe and discussed whether to endorse the Mechoopda Tribe of Chico Rancheria’s proposal for the state park.
A document circulated around the Chico State Academic Senate that attributed a proposed resolution to the tribe that would return the site to tribal ownership and place it under co-management with California State Parks. The proposal would rename Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park to a name of the tribe’s choosing and that would replace the Mansion with a Maidu village offering educational opportunities.
This was the first occasion that a document outlining what was said to be the tribe’s list of requests was shown publicly. The Mechoopda Tribe did not respond to attempts by ChicoSol to verify the document or comment on the Oct. 8 Senate meeting.
The Academic Senate, which is a group of faculty and staff separate from university management, said the five-point list came from tribal spokesperson He-Lo Ramirez, who was not present.
Northern Division Chief for State Parks Jason De Wall told ChicoSol in a phone interview that staff have been engaging with the tribe separately from the general public, and on Aug. 12 held a meeting where Ramirez presented the vision of tribe members to stakeholders.
De Wall said that State Parks will gather public and other stakeholder feedback and make a proposal that will go to the Legislature, and while the community debates what should replace the destroyed Mansion, it will ultimately be decided by the California State Legislature.
Senators seem to favor proposal
What should come of the site has been debated in Chico since Dec. 11, 2024, when, on a cold, clear night Kevin Carlson set the Mansion on fire. It burned unbeknownst for an hour until a Chico State police officer smelled smoke.
The three-story, 26-room Mansion had mostly been lost by the time first responders arrived. Bidwell’s influence on Chico can be found throughout the city, but the Mansion served as a landmark dedicated to the person who is regarded by many as the founder of Chico.
A pioneer, agriculturalist and politician, Bidwell purchased Rancho del Arroyo Chico in 1849, a more than 22,000-acre plot of land inside a greater area that was home to Indigenous communities.
Lindsay Briggs, a professor in the department of public health and health services administration, spoke to the Senate. Briggs, who is Native American, told the audience that “looking at the Mansion was painful.”
She supported each of the asks in the resolution documents, and while not a voting member in the Senate, spoke of how the pain has lingered for generations, that this is an opportunity to make amends.
“Native people are here … having a village would be very significant for our campus,” Briggs said.
Many of the educators said a Maidu village would provide a vital educational opportunity. Students and staff recalled taking field trips to the historic Mansion, but noted the full history — especially that of the Mechoopda — was left out.
Senator Elizabeth Boyle said coming to California was jarring when she did not see the remnants of Indigenous communities. She grew up in Washington and said tribe members shared Native teachings in schools, something she hopes will come with a new project for the site.
A sixth generation descendant of the Bidwells, Agriculture Professor Kasey DeAtley prepared a statement that was read at the meeting. DeAtley implored the Senate to encourage more voices and not “replace one history with another.”
“I support telling a fuller history of this land, including the history and continuing presence of the Mechoopda and the harmful impacts of California settlement, including Bidwell’s direct and indirect involvement,” DeAtley’s statement read.
There was some concern in the room about some of the wording in the resolution, especially regarding a statement that when John Bidwell was a state senator he authored the Government & Protection of Indians Act of 1850. The act led to the slave trade and a mass genocide of California Natives.
Michael Magliari, an emeritus professor of history, has sat on the board of the Bidwell Mansion Association and studied the Bidwells for decades. He has been part of the stakeholder meetings, and has followed the online discourse around the Mansion closely.
He said the act that paved the way for atrocities against Native people was not authored by Bidwell or voted on by Bidwell, who was a state senator at the time. Records show Bidwell authored an earlier, separate bill that didn’t make it out of committee.
“History is about human beings, and human nature and what all we do,” Magliari said. “A lot of what we do is terrible and ugly, but it’s part of our past. Part of our history.”
The Academic Senate’s Executive Committee opted to remove the wording from the endorsement letter. The Senate will take up the discussion again at its next meeting in December, said Jason Nice, Academic Senate chair.
There seemed to be a great deal of support for incorporating more of the Mechoopda story at the state park, but to what extent is likely to be a contentious debate in the community.
Fact vs. Fiction — it’s unclear
Magliari said he’s seen the tone shift on the Bidwell legacy during the past few years, with impassioned arguments within the Chico community becoming commonplace.
Michelle Shover, a retired Chico State professor and researcher, has been speaking at Chico History Club about the town’s history in the aftermath of the 2024 fire.
Letters show that Bidwell played a crucial role in getting rid of the Mechoopda’s stake in the U.S. Treaty of 1851 that would have carved out a substantial portion of land for the Mechoopda. Shover said in a 2011 Chico State forum that this is likely because he did not want to lose a reliable workforce of about 300 Native people.
The Mechoopda’s website says that after Bidwell acquired Rancho del Arroyo Chico through a Spanish Land Grant, the tribe moved to what is now downtown Chico. A few years later the village was moved closer to Bidwell’s residence.
The Mansion played host to pivotal moments in that era, and the grounds were cleared and maintained by a workforce that Bidwell himself saw as invaluable, Shover said in the forum.
State Parks is soliciting public feedback on what comes next for the site, and cleanup is still underway. An open house will be held from 2:30 p.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Bidwell Mansion Visitor Center. A press release says there will be a presentation on latest updates in the planning process, and the open house is part of the Reimagine Bidwell Mansion project.
The Mechoopda Tribe’s proposal will be included.
Chris Hutton is a contributing writer to ChicoSol.