Bidwell's Bar, California

It was founded by John Bidwell, who discovered gold near the Middle Fork of the Feather River on July 4, 1848. A visitor in the 1850s described the place as a "rag city" and devoid of suitable accommodations. Ferrying people and supplies across the river proved to be difficult, especially during the winter months, and funds were raised to construct the Bidwell Bar Bridge, the first suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River. The first bridge was destroyed in an 1852 flood, but the new bridge was completed in 1856. A post office operated from 1853 to 1900, with a brief closure in 1864 to 1865. ==Decline and depopulation==

Mining reached its peak in 1856–1857. However, as quickly as the town rose, it went into decline. By the end of 1856, the year the bridge was completed, the gold disappeared and the San Francisco Bulletin called it "Another Deserted Village." Miners were instead going to nearby Ophir (now Oroville). The county seat moved in 1856. Within a year, the population was down to 200, and by 1882, only 30 people remained. The last remnants of the town were submerged with the creation of Lake Oroville in 1968, and only the original bridge and the clock tower (in Butte County Historical Museum) are left. Another survivor of the town is the Mother Orange Tree, the first orange tree in Northern California. ==Status as historic landmark==

The site was later declared a California Historical Landmark. ==In popular culture==

• Bidwell's Bar was featured as a location in the computer game Oregon Trail II. ==References==