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.
Today Chico is a dynamic modern city with its own California State University, a wide, tree-lined Esplanade, and--thanks to the legacy of Annie Bidwell--the eighth-larg.
Bidwell later founded the town of Chico with its wooden plank sidewalks and iron-front and brick commercial buildings.
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