History of Chico, California
Encyclopedia
The history of Chico, California, begins with the original inhabitants, the Mechoopda
Maidu
.
The city of Chico
was founded in 1860 by General John Bidwell
, a member of one of the first wagon train
s to reach California
in 1841. The city became incorporated
January 8, 1872.
Historian W.H. "Old Hutch" Hutchinson identified five events as the most seminal in Chico history. They were
Since then, several seminal events have unfolded in Chico. These include: the construction and relocation of Highway 99E through town in the early sixties; Playboy Magazine naming Chico State
the number one party school
in the nation in 1987; and the establishment of a Green Line
on the western city limits
as protection of agricultural
lands.
, a member of one of the first wagon trains to reach California in 1843. Bidwell first came to the area in that same year as an employee of John Sutter
. In 1844, William Dickey was granted Rancho Arroyo Chico
by Mexican Governor Manuel Micheltorena
. In two separate purchases in 1849 and 1851, Bidwell acquired the Rancho Arroyo Chico. He filed a claim for the land with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the claim was confirmed the next year. After a subsequent legal challenge, the claim was confirmed by the US District Court for the Northern District in 1855, and eventually by the US Supreme Court. The title patent was signed by President James Buchanan
in 1860.
A treaty of "peace and friendship" was signed on September 18, 1853, between the Mechoopda
, and other tribes of the area near Bidwell's Ranch; Indians at Reading's Ranch at Colusa
; and tribes along the Consumnes
and Yuba
rivers. United States Indian Agent O. M. Wozencraft
represented the U.S. government at Bidwell's Ranch.
The city of Chico was founded in 1860 by General John Bidwell
. That year, Bidwell requested the county send a surveyor
to lay out the city street grid
.
Chico was the starting point of the Koncow Trail of Tears also called the Nome Cult Trail
. On August 28, 1863, all Konkow Maidu
were to be at the Bidwell Ranch to be taken to the Round Valley Reservation at Covelo
in Mendocino County. Any Indians
remaining in the area were to be shot. 435 Maidu were rounded up and marched under guard west out of the Sacramento Valley
and through to the Coastal Range. 461 Indians started the trek, 277 finished. They reached Round Valley
on September 18, 1863.
The city became incorporated
January 8, 1872. In that year the first Chico Board of Trustees was established. This body was the predecessor of the modern Chico City Council. The first municipal election was February 5, 1872 with 217 votes cast. The first City Board of Trustees comprised G.W. Dorn, C.L. Pond, B.F. Allen, W.K. Springer, and John Kempf. Dorn was named as the first President of the Board of Trustees. Municipal elections were annual and the term for a trustee was two years. However, the first trustees had to draw lots to determine who would serve for a one, two or three year term. This was to provide that there would only be either two or three seats up for election in any given year henceforth.
The Butte Flume and Lumber Company built a flume
from Butte Meadows
down Big Chico Creek
in 1872, completing it in 1874. This flume would supply the Diamond Match Company
with lumber for its operations.
In 1877, anti-Chinese riots erupted.
In 1887, the California legislature established the Northern Branch of the State Normal School of California. Chico was chosen as its site, and Bidwell donated land from his cherry orchard for this purpose. This school would come to be called the Chico Normal School, Chico State College, and finally California State University, Chico
.
Chico was the northern terminus of the Sacramento Northern Railroad, an electrified railway
which extended south to Sacramento
and Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Originally the City Board of Trustees was elected at-large
, with each trustee standing for election by the entire electorate of the city, rather than just by a district
. On April 12, 1897, the city had its first election under the ward system. The polling places for each ward were: First Ward - City Hall, Second Ward - Bruce and Young Building, Third Ward - Western Hose House, and Fourth Ward - Chico Hotel at the Junction.
Beginning in 1899, municipal elections would be only held every two years
In 1899, Mayor J. Ellis Rodley, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of perjury in the witnessing of a forged will offered for probate. He was granted parole in 1906.
signed a grant deed
donating 1902.88 acres (7.7 km²) to the people of Chico for a public park. These initial acres were expanded upon several times over the years, resulting in the creation of Bidwell Park
, one of the largest municipal parks in the nation.
In 1907, municipal elections were changed so that one trustee would be elected from each ward to serve concurrent four-year terms.
In 1917 the first parade
that would later come to be called the Pioneer Day
Parade was held on the downtown streets as a celebration of Senior Day. This tradition would continue as a celebration of local heritage under various names on the first Saturday in May each year until 1990.
On June 4, 1921, an election was held to choose a "Board of Freeholders" charged with framing a City Charter
.
In 1923, under the new Charter, the Board of Trustees was replaced by the City Council. The ward system was also abolished and at-large election of city leaders was reinstated.
In 1933, there was a municipal election which included a recall attempt on three councilmembers. The recall was defeated.
During WWII
the Chico Army Air Field
was used to train fighter and bomber pilots. It was also home of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
.
On December 6-7, 1958, Operation Chico
evacuated 1000 people from Solono County
to Chico for the weekend as a civil defense
exercise.
In the late fifties and early sixties, the city wrestled with the controversial issue of creating a bypass for State Route 99
through Bidwell Park
. The viaduct was built 1963-65.
On May 2, 1961, the City Charter
was amended to increase the size of the Chico City Council from five to seven members.
On July 31, 1961, the first-ever aircraft hijacking
on United States soil occurred at the Chico Municipal Airport
. Two men were critically wounded and the hijacker was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.
On May 24, 1962, two explosions destroyed a Titan I
missile at the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron complex located north of the Chico Municipal Airport
between Keefer Road and Cohasset Road. An oxygen valve had stuck open and a blocked vent caused the gas to build up until a spark ignited it. However, the potentially catastrophic event was overshadowed in the national news by the launch of Scott Carpenter
into space.On June 6, trouble again struck as a flash fire in another silo killed a worker.
On April 22, 1970, students celebrating the first Earth Day
on the Chico State campus pushed a car into West First Street (which was then State Route 32
) blocking traffic. The street was closed temporarily for safety. The incident escalated into a demonstration that lasted into the night. The protesters were arrested on conspiracy charges which were later dropped. The street re-opened the next day, however it was permanently closed over the segment running through campus later that year.
On July 21, 1982, the Butte County Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the 1979 Butte County Land Use Element of the Butte County General Plan with the purpose of preserving agricultural land. This amendment established a "Green Line" on the west side of Chico beyond which urban development would be restricted. This line is responsible for the continued existence of working orchards relatively close to the core of the growing city.
In 1987 Playboy Magazine named Chico State
the
"Number One Party School
" in the nation. University President Robin Wilson
met with city officials including City Manager
Fred Davis, and Police Chief, John Bullerjahn with the goal of ending the reputation by ending the parties directly with police force. On April 25, 1987, police riot
s broke out during the Pioneer Days
celebration. President Wilson announced an end to the 70-year-old tradition saying, he took Pioneer Days "out back and shot it in the head." The tradition was revived in 1996 and has continued to this day.
In 1996, the Olympic Torch arrived in Chico at the Amtrak station
. The torch was carried through the closed streets with thousands of Chicoans celebrating along the path.
In 1996 the recently re-elected council member Ted Hubert died prior to being re-sworn in, and more significantly, before the selection of mayor had occurred. The evenly, and deeply divided council stalemated on the selection. This resulted in a rotating Mayor Pro Tempore
system for about six months. The remaining six council members each took turns serving as meeting chair until they appointed
Bill Johnston to fill the council vacancy, and Rick Keene
mayor.
In the years while the Pioneer Days
celebration was canceled (1990-1996), the Halloween
and St. Patrick's Day celebrations grew into much larger events. These holidays had always enjoyed a high rate of participation in Chico, due to its young population. However, with the loss of Pioneer Days, people's energy was redirected, which in turn made St. Patrick's Day and Halloween look more like Mardi Gras
in New Orleans. Mutual aid
was invoked by police each year for several years.
However, in 2002 the streets were no longer closed. The City even conducted a TV ad campaign telling people not to come downtown for Halloween. In response to the incidence of thrown bottles, and broken glass, the City Council has established a "Glass Free Zone" largely contiguous with the downtown and the South Campus Neighborhood. The Council activates the "Glass Free Zone" every Halloween and St. Patrick's Day and from time to time at the request of the police when they believe there will be a large gathering of revelers. Most recently, César Chávez Day was added to the growing list of holidays requiring such a response.
In 1999, the tower supporting the famous Diamond on top of the Senator Theatre at Fifth and Main was discovered to be leaning. It was determined to be at risk of collapse, and was removed. The tower was refurbished and put back in place in 2005.
Playboy magazine named CSUC the number-two party school in 2002.
In 2003, a branch from one of the majestic Siberian Elms trees planted in 1873 by John Bidwell in City Plaza fell and hit a person sitting on a bench. The incident prompted the removal of the trees, some of which had rotting roots. The city embarked on a renovation of City Plaza in 2005, and in November 2006, the newly renovated Chico City Plaza was re-opened.
Mechoopda
The Mechoopda is a Native American tribe located in northern California. The tribe speaks a language related to Maidu.The tribe was formerly centered in a village located about 3½ miles south of contemporary Chico, California. The Mechoopda became a federally recognized tribe in 1992....
Maidu
Maidu
The Maidu are a group of Native Americans who live in Northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada, in the drainage area of the Feather and American Rivers...
.
The city of Chico
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
was founded in 1860 by General John Bidwell
John Bidwell
John Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important pioneer, farmer, soldier, statesman, politician, prohibitionist and philanthropist...
, a member of one of the first wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
s to reach California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1841. The city became incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
January 8, 1872.
Historian W.H. "Old Hutch" Hutchinson identified five events as the most seminal in Chico history. They were
- the arrival of John BidwellJohn BidwellJohn Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important pioneer, farmer, soldier, statesman, politician, prohibitionist and philanthropist...
in 1850 - the arrival of the California and Oregon Railroad in 1870
- the establishment of the Northern Branch of the State Normal SchoolCalifornia State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
in 1887 - the purchase of the Sierra Lumber Company by the Diamond Match CompanyDiamond Match CompanyThe Diamond Match Company was the largest manufacturer of matches in the United States in the late nineteenth century. Jarden is the current owner of the Diamond brand.-History:...
in 1900 - the development of the Army Air Base which is now the Chico Municipal AirportChico Municipal AirportChico Municipal Airport , often called CMA, is a public airport located four miles north of the central business district of Chico, a city in Butte County, California, United States. The airport covers 1,475 acres and has two runways and one helipad. It is mostly used for general aviation, but...
.
Since then, several seminal events have unfolded in Chico. These include: the construction and relocation of Highway 99E through town in the early sixties; Playboy Magazine naming Chico State
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
the number one party school
Party school
A party school is a college or university that has a reputation for heavy alcohol and drug use or a general culture of licentiousness. The best-known list of alleged party schools is published annually by The Princeton Review. The magazine Playboy also releases a list of party schools on an...
in the nation in 1987; and the establishment of a Green Line
Green Line
- Geographic demarcations :* Green Line, a name for the Gothic Line or "Linea Gotica", a German defensive line in Italy during World War II, renamed the "Green Line" in June 1944...
on the western city limits
City limits
The terms city limits and city boundary refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limits is sometimes called the city proper. The terms town limits/boundary and village limits/boundary mean the same as city limits/boundary, but apply to towns and villages...
as protection of agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
lands.
19th century
Chico was founded by General John BidwellJohn Bidwell
John Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important pioneer, farmer, soldier, statesman, politician, prohibitionist and philanthropist...
, a member of one of the first wagon trains to reach California in 1843. Bidwell first came to the area in that same year as an employee of John Sutter
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...
. In 1844, William Dickey was granted Rancho Arroyo Chico
Rancho Arroyo Chico
Rancho Arroyo Chico was a Mexican land grant in present day Butte County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to William Dickey. The name means 'little stream' and refers to Chico Creek...
by Mexican Governor Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...
. In two separate purchases in 1849 and 1851, Bidwell acquired the Rancho Arroyo Chico. He filed a claim for the land with the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
in 1852, and the claim was confirmed the next year. After a subsequent legal challenge, the claim was confirmed by the US District Court for the Northern District in 1855, and eventually by the US Supreme Court. The title patent was signed by President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
in 1860.
A treaty of "peace and friendship" was signed on September 18, 1853, between the Mechoopda
Mechoopda
The Mechoopda is a Native American tribe located in northern California. The tribe speaks a language related to Maidu.The tribe was formerly centered in a village located about 3½ miles south of contemporary Chico, California. The Mechoopda became a federally recognized tribe in 1992....
, and other tribes of the area near Bidwell's Ranch; Indians at Reading's Ranch at Colusa
Colusa, California
Colusa is the county seat of Colusa County, California. The population was 5,971 at the 2010 census, up from 5,402 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
; and tribes along the Consumnes
Cosumnes River
The Cosumnes River is a river in northern California in the United States. It rises on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and flows approximately into the Central Valley, emptying into the Mokelumne River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.-Name:...
and Yuba
Yuba River
The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sacramento Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the Feather's most important branches, providing about a third of its flow. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South...
rivers. United States Indian Agent O. M. Wozencraft
O. M. Wozencraft
Oliver M. Wozencraft was a prominent early American settler in California. He had substantial involvement in negotiating treaties between California Native American Indian tribes and the United States of America...
represented the U.S. government at Bidwell's Ranch.
The city of Chico was founded in 1860 by General John Bidwell
John Bidwell
John Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important pioneer, farmer, soldier, statesman, politician, prohibitionist and philanthropist...
. That year, Bidwell requested the county send a surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
to lay out the city street grid
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
.
Chico was the starting point of the Koncow Trail of Tears also called the Nome Cult Trail
Nome Cult Trail
The Nome Cult Trail is a northern Californian historic trail located in present-day Mendocino National Forest which goes along Round Valley Road and through Rocky Ridge and the Sacramento Valley...
. On August 28, 1863, all Konkow Maidu
Maidu
The Maidu are a group of Native Americans who live in Northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada, in the drainage area of the Feather and American Rivers...
were to be at the Bidwell Ranch to be taken to the Round Valley Reservation at Covelo
Covelo, California
Covelo is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. Covelo is located east-northeast of Laytonville, at an elevation of 1398 feet...
in Mendocino County. Any Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
remaining in the area were to be shot. 435 Maidu were rounded up and marched under guard west out of the Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
and through to the Coastal Range. 461 Indians started the trek, 277 finished. They reached Round Valley
Round Valley Indian Tribes of the Round Valley Reservation
The Round Valley Indian Reservation is a federally recognized Indian reservation lying primarily in northern Mendocino County, California, USA. A small part of it extends northward into southern Trinity County. The total land area, including off-reservation trust land, is 93.939 km²...
on September 18, 1863.
The city became incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
January 8, 1872. In that year the first Chico Board of Trustees was established. This body was the predecessor of the modern Chico City Council. The first municipal election was February 5, 1872 with 217 votes cast. The first City Board of Trustees comprised G.W. Dorn, C.L. Pond, B.F. Allen, W.K. Springer, and John Kempf. Dorn was named as the first President of the Board of Trustees. Municipal elections were annual and the term for a trustee was two years. However, the first trustees had to draw lots to determine who would serve for a one, two or three year term. This was to provide that there would only be either two or three seats up for election in any given year henceforth.
The Butte Flume and Lumber Company built a flume
Log flume
A log flume is a flume specifically constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain to a sawmill by using flowing water. These watertight trough-like channels could be built to span a long distance across chasms and down steep mountain slopes...
from Butte Meadows
Butte Meadows, California
Butte Meadows is a census-designated place in Butte County, California, 5 miles off State Route 32 on Humboldt Rd. The area is about 45 minutes or east of Chico on SR32. Its elevation is listed at above sea level: certain to get snow in winter of any year. The area code is Area code 530. The area...
down Big Chico Creek
Big Chico Creek
Big Chico Creek originates on Colby Mountain, located in Tehama County, California. The creek flows to its confluence with the Sacramento River in Butte County...
in 1872, completing it in 1874. This flume would supply the Diamond Match Company
Diamond Match Company
The Diamond Match Company was the largest manufacturer of matches in the United States in the late nineteenth century. Jarden is the current owner of the Diamond brand.-History:...
with lumber for its operations.
In 1877, anti-Chinese riots erupted.
In 1887, the California legislature established the Northern Branch of the State Normal School of California. Chico was chosen as its site, and Bidwell donated land from his cherry orchard for this purpose. This school would come to be called the Chico Normal School, Chico State College, and finally California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
.
Chico was the northern terminus of the Sacramento Northern Railroad, an electrified railway
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
which extended south to Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
and Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Originally the City Board of Trustees was elected at-large
At-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
, with each trustee standing for election by the entire electorate of the city, rather than just by a district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
. On April 12, 1897, the city had its first election under the ward system. The polling places for each ward were: First Ward - City Hall, Second Ward - Bruce and Young Building, Third Ward - Western Hose House, and Fourth Ward - Chico Hotel at the Junction.
Beginning in 1899, municipal elections would be only held every two years
In 1899, Mayor J. Ellis Rodley, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of perjury in the witnessing of a forged will offered for probate. He was granted parole in 1906.
20th century
On July 10, 1905, Annie BidwellAnnie Bidwell
Annie Kennedy Bidwell , with her husband John Bidwell, was a pioneer and founder of society in the Sacramento Valley area of California in the 19th century. She is also known for her contributions to social causes, such as women's suffrage, the temperance movement, and education. Annie Bidwell...
signed a grant deed
Grant deed
A grant deed is used in some states and jurisdictions for the sale or other transfer of real property from one person or entity to another person or entity. Each party transferring an interest in the property, or "grantor", is required to sign it. Then the document must be acknowledged before a...
donating 1902.88 acres (7.7 km²) to the people of Chico for a public park. These initial acres were expanded upon several times over the years, resulting in the creation of Bidwell Park
Bidwell Park
Bidwell Park is a municipal park located in Chico, California. The park was established July 10, 1905 through the donation by Annie Bidwell of approximately 2,500 acres of land to the City of Chico...
, one of the largest municipal parks in the nation.
In 1907, municipal elections were changed so that one trustee would be elected from each ward to serve concurrent four-year terms.
In 1917 the first parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
that would later come to be called the Pioneer Day
Pioneer Days (Chico, California)
Pioneer Days is the historical name of an annual community event in Chico, California celebrated the week prior to Pioneer Day, the first Saturday in May...
Parade was held on the downtown streets as a celebration of Senior Day. This tradition would continue as a celebration of local heritage under various names on the first Saturday in May each year until 1990.
On June 4, 1921, an election was held to choose a "Board of Freeholders" charged with framing a City Charter
Municipal charter
A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the middle ages....
.
In 1923, under the new Charter, the Board of Trustees was replaced by the City Council. The ward system was also abolished and at-large election of city leaders was reinstated.
In 1933, there was a municipal election which included a recall attempt on three councilmembers. The recall was defeated.
During WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Chico Army Air Field
Chico Municipal Airport
Chico Municipal Airport , often called CMA, is a public airport located four miles north of the central business district of Chico, a city in Butte County, California, United States. The airport covers 1,475 acres and has two runways and one helipad. It is mostly used for general aviation, but...
was used to train fighter and bomber pilots. It was also home of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was an all-black airborne unit of the United States Army during World War II.-Activation:The unit was activated as a result of a recommendation made in December 1942 by the Advisory Committee on Negro Troop Policies, chaired by the Assistant Secretary of War,...
.
On December 6-7, 1958, Operation Chico
Operation Chico
Operation Chico was a Civil Defense exercise conducted December 6-7, 1958 which consisted of a strategic evacuation of approximately 500 families from Solano County, California to the city of Chico, California and overnight care for the evacuees...
evacuated 1000 people from Solono County
Solano County, California
Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. The county's population was reported by the U.S. Census to be 413,344 in 2010...
to Chico for the weekend as a civil defense
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
exercise.
In the late fifties and early sixties, the city wrestled with the controversial issue of creating a bypass for State Route 99
California State Route 99
California State Route 99 , commonly known as Highway 99 or, simply, as 99 , is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, stretching almost the entire length of the Central Valley...
through Bidwell Park
Bidwell Park
Bidwell Park is a municipal park located in Chico, California. The park was established July 10, 1905 through the donation by Annie Bidwell of approximately 2,500 acres of land to the City of Chico...
. The viaduct was built 1963-65.
On May 2, 1961, the City Charter
Municipal charter
A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the middle ages....
was amended to increase the size of the Chico City Council from five to seven members.
On July 31, 1961, the first-ever aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
on United States soil occurred at the Chico Municipal Airport
Chico Municipal Airport
Chico Municipal Airport , often called CMA, is a public airport located four miles north of the central business district of Chico, a city in Butte County, California, United States. The airport covers 1,475 acres and has two runways and one helipad. It is mostly used for general aviation, but...
. Two men were critically wounded and the hijacker was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.
On May 24, 1962, two explosions destroyed a Titan I
Titan I
The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage ICBM . Incorporating the latest design technology when designed and manufactured, the Titan I provided an additional nuclear deterrent to complement the U.S. Air Force's SM-65 Atlas missile...
missile at the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron complex located north of the Chico Municipal Airport
Chico Municipal Airport
Chico Municipal Airport , often called CMA, is a public airport located four miles north of the central business district of Chico, a city in Butte County, California, United States. The airport covers 1,475 acres and has two runways and one helipad. It is mostly used for general aviation, but...
between Keefer Road and Cohasset Road. An oxygen valve had stuck open and a blocked vent caused the gas to build up until a spark ignited it. However, the potentially catastrophic event was overshadowed in the national news by the launch of Scott Carpenter
Scott Carpenter
Malcolm Scott Carpenter is an American engineer, former test pilot, astronaut, and aquanaut. He is best known as one of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury in April 1959....
into space.On June 6, trouble again struck as a flash fire in another silo killed a worker.
On April 22, 1970, students celebrating the first Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
on the Chico State campus pushed a car into West First Street (which was then State Route 32
California State Route 32
State Route 32 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. State of California which is routed from Interstate 5 in Orland, through Chico, through the northern Sierra Nevada, ending at SR 36 and SR 89 in eastern Tehama County.-Route description:...
) blocking traffic. The street was closed temporarily for safety. The incident escalated into a demonstration that lasted into the night. The protesters were arrested on conspiracy charges which were later dropped. The street re-opened the next day, however it was permanently closed over the segment running through campus later that year.
On July 21, 1982, the Butte County Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the 1979 Butte County Land Use Element of the Butte County General Plan with the purpose of preserving agricultural land. This amendment established a "Green Line" on the west side of Chico beyond which urban development would be restricted. This line is responsible for the continued existence of working orchards relatively close to the core of the growing city.
In 1987 Playboy Magazine named Chico State
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
the
"Number One Party School
Party school
A party school is a college or university that has a reputation for heavy alcohol and drug use or a general culture of licentiousness. The best-known list of alleged party schools is published annually by The Princeton Review. The magazine Playboy also releases a list of party schools on an...
" in the nation. University President Robin Wilson
Robin Wilson (author)
Robin Scott Wilson is an American science fiction author and editor, and former President of California State University, Chico....
met with city officials including City Manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
Fred Davis, and Police Chief, John Bullerjahn with the goal of ending the reputation by ending the parties directly with police force. On April 25, 1987, police riot
Police riot
A police riot is a confrontation between police and civilians. The term can also describe a riot by civilians caused or instigated by police...
s broke out during the Pioneer Days
Pioneer Days (Chico, California)
Pioneer Days is the historical name of an annual community event in Chico, California celebrated the week prior to Pioneer Day, the first Saturday in May...
celebration. President Wilson announced an end to the 70-year-old tradition saying, he took Pioneer Days "out back and shot it in the head." The tradition was revived in 1996 and has continued to this day.
In 1996, the Olympic Torch arrived in Chico at the Amtrak station
Chico (Amtrak station)
The Chico Amtrak station is a passenger station in Chico, California served by Amtrak. Formerly a Southern Pacific Railroad depot, it is located at Fifth and Orange Streets and is used by Amtrak's Coast Starlight service....
. The torch was carried through the closed streets with thousands of Chicoans celebrating along the path.
In 1996 the recently re-elected council member Ted Hubert died prior to being re-sworn in, and more significantly, before the selection of mayor had occurred. The evenly, and deeply divided council stalemated on the selection. This resulted in a rotating Mayor Pro Tempore
Pro tempore
Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
system for about six months. The remaining six council members each took turns serving as meeting chair until they appointed
Bill Johnston to fill the council vacancy, and Rick Keene
Rick Keene
Richard J. "Rick" Keene was a Republican candidate for California's 4th State Senate district. Previously, Keene served in the California State Assembly representing the 3rd district from 2002 until he was termed out in 2008...
mayor.
In the years while the Pioneer Days
Pioneer Days (Chico, California)
Pioneer Days is the historical name of an annual community event in Chico, California celebrated the week prior to Pioneer Day, the first Saturday in May...
celebration was canceled (1990-1996), the Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
and St. Patrick's Day celebrations grew into much larger events. These holidays had always enjoyed a high rate of participation in Chico, due to its young population. However, with the loss of Pioneer Days, people's energy was redirected, which in turn made St. Patrick's Day and Halloween look more like Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
in New Orleans. Mutual aid
Mutual aid (emergency services)
In emergency services, mutual aid is an agreement among emergency responders to lend assistance across jurisdictional boundaries. This may occur due to an emergency response that exceeds local resources, such as a disaster or a multiple-alarm fire. Mutual aid may be ad hoc, requested only when...
was invoked by police each year for several years.
21st century
In 2000 and 2001, the city closed downtown streets to accommodate the thousands of Halloween revelers.However, in 2002 the streets were no longer closed. The City even conducted a TV ad campaign telling people not to come downtown for Halloween. In response to the incidence of thrown bottles, and broken glass, the City Council has established a "Glass Free Zone" largely contiguous with the downtown and the South Campus Neighborhood. The Council activates the "Glass Free Zone" every Halloween and St. Patrick's Day and from time to time at the request of the police when they believe there will be a large gathering of revelers. Most recently, César Chávez Day was added to the growing list of holidays requiring such a response.
In 1999, the tower supporting the famous Diamond on top of the Senator Theatre at Fifth and Main was discovered to be leaning. It was determined to be at risk of collapse, and was removed. The tower was refurbished and put back in place in 2005.
Playboy magazine named CSUC the number-two party school in 2002.
In 2003, a branch from one of the majestic Siberian Elms trees planted in 1873 by John Bidwell in City Plaza fell and hit a person sitting on a bench. The incident prompted the removal of the trees, some of which had rotting roots. The city embarked on a renovation of City Plaza in 2005, and in November 2006, the newly renovated Chico City Plaza was re-opened.
External links
- Chico Wiki — The History of Chico on Chico's Community Wiki