John Bidwell was a trailblazer who organized the first wagon train of Americans to come to California in 1841, where he made the most of every opportunity that came his way. He was a pioneer in the opening of the American West, a Gold Rush entrepreneur, a leader in California politics, an innovator in agriculture, and a generous donor to schools and churches. In 1865, as a new congressman in Washington, D. C., he met Annie Kennedy, who became his wife. Annie was active in the causes of education, Indian rights, women's rights, and temperance. This picture book biography portrays their love of nature, California, the town of Chico, and each other.

Over the past few decades, thanks to a new generation of historians, our sense of just exactly who were the Founders of nineteenth-century American California has been significantly enlarged and enhanced. With the publication of this meticulously researched and elegantly written biography, what many of us have long suspected now stands clear: namely that Annie Kennedy Bidwell--in her concern for civilized and humane values and her willingness to put such values into practice--ranks among the great women of California in the nineteenth century. Like her husband, Annie Bidwell was a Founder. Historian Lois Halliday McDonald has recovered for us the splendor and moral purpose of an engaged and value-oriented American life. --Kevin Starr, University Professor of History, University of Southern California; State Librarian Emeritus

The dramatic and uplifting story of legendary outdoorsman and conservationist John Muir’s journey to become the man who saved Yosemite—from the author of the bestselling Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival. In June of 1889 in San Francisco, John Muir—iconic environmentalist, writer, and philosopher—meets face-to-face for the first time with his longtime editor Robert Underwood Johnson, an elegant and influential figure at The Century magazine. Before long, the pair, opposites in many ways, decide to venture to Yosemite Valley, the magnificent site where twenty years earlier, Muir experienced a personal and spiritual awakening that would set the course of the rest of his life. Upon their arrival the men are confronted with a shocking vision, as predatory mining, tourism, and logging industries have plundered and defaced “the grandest of all the special temples of Nature.” While Muir is consumed by grief, Johnson, a champion of society’s most pressing debates via the pages of the nation’s most prestigious magazine, decides that he and Muir must fight back. The pact they form marks a watershed moment, leading to the creation of Yosemite National Park, and launching an environmental battle that captivates the nation and ushers in the beginning of the American environmental movement. Beautifully rendered, deeply researched, and inspiring, Guardians of the Valley is a moving story of friendship, the written word, and the transformative power of nature. It is also a timely and powerful “origin story” as the toweringly complex environmental challenges we face today become increasingly urgent.

Over time, the land of the Mechoopda Indians, where elk herds grazed on blue-stemmed grass, became Rancho Arroyo Chico, the land chosen by California pioneer John Bidwell for his stately creekside mansion. Bidwell later founded the town of Chico with its wooden plank sidewalks and iron-front and brick commercial buildings. Today Chico is a dynamic modern city with its own California State University, a wide, tree-lined Esplanade, andthanks to the legacy of Annie Bidwellthe eighth-largest municipal park in the nation.

Guide to trees seen in Chico, California's, Bidwell Park with identification characteristics, interesting facts, and over 150 color illustrations.

Excerpt from Lyle Family: The Ancestry and Posterity of Matthew, John, Daniel and Samuel Lyle, Pioneer Settlers in Virginia The aim of this book is to preserve to posterity facts of interest per taining to the Lyle family. That the book has errors is more than probable, since much of the information received in correspondence was variable in dates and in the spelling of proper names. For such errors as appear, the explanation lies in my telling the tale as told to me. It has taken years to gather what the book contains. But a few years of delay would have made almost impossible of discovery many of the facts that are presented. In successful effort, in obliging pos. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.