Bidwell's life finally receives a thorough and unbiased treatment in this new biography. Combining narrative and extensive use of Bidwell's voluminous written legacy, John Bidwell and California sheds new light on both the man and his times. It is a must for every reader interested in overland travel, the Gold Rush, Western pioneers and California history.
A thoughtful and even visionary man of deep convictions, balanced by practical common sense, Bidwell was blessed with keen powers of observation and a gift for prose. His published and unpublished work treats just about every imaginable aspect of life in California between 1841 and 1900.
From the moment he set out for California in 1841 with the Bidwell-Bartleson Party, Bidwell assumed a leading role in the history of California and the West. Of all the American pioneers who settled in California before the gold rush, none enjoyed more subsequent fame and success than Bidwell, and none made as great a contribution to the state's economic, political, and cultural development during the late nineteenth century.
A veteran of the Bear Flag Revolt and the Mexican War, Bidwell was among the first of the fortunate few who struck it rich in the California gold rush. The pastoral empire he went on to establish at Rancho Chico, the chief and constant labor of his life, served for decades as a model farm, making numerous contributions to California agriculture between 1850 and 1900.
Bidwell pursued a career of public service capped by his famous but largely ceremonial campaign for the Presidency in 1892 at the head of the Prohibition party ticket. Before that, he had served in the California state senate and the United States House of Representatives; run four times for governor; held three important gubernatorial appointments; laid out the city of Chico; and founded what became today's California State University, Chico.
Despite this impressive record of achievement, Bidwell has received remarkably little attention from historians. John Bidwell and California is an objective look at the man and his times, debunking the celebratory school which produced earlier biographies.
Interaction with Indians and Chinese. Bidwell's attitudes and behavior towards Indians seem to have been governed by a complex blend of curiosity, humanitarianism, and pragmatic self-interest. His continuous employment of Chinese on his rancho brought the threat of violence to his very doorstep on more than one occasion. Two chapters explore these complex subjects.
A "Bidwell Bibliography" of sixteen pages is included, providing a thorough guide to sources, both published and unpublished.
外文書商品之書封，為出版社提供之樣本。實際出貨商品，以出版社所提供之現有版本為主。部份書籍，因出版社供應狀況特殊，匯率將依實際狀況做調整。
無庫存之商品，在您完成訂單程序之後，將以空運的方式為你下單調貨。為了縮短等待的時間，建議您將外文書與其他商品分開下單，以獲得最快的取貨速度，平均調貨時間為1~2個月。
為了保護您的權益，「三民網路書店」提供會員七日商品鑑賞期(收到商品為起始日)。
若要辦理退貨，請在商品鑑賞期內寄回，且商品必須是全新狀態與完整包裝(商品、附件、發票、隨貨贈品等)否則恕不接受退貨。
