Bridge Petition Signatures

The Elegant 1856 Bidwell’s Bar Suspension Bridge across the Middle Fork of the Feather River

 Two groups were interested in securing the county license to build a suspension bridge across the Feather River at Bidwell’s Bar. The bridge was to replace an existing ferry that could only provide service part of the year.  Only seasonal service was possible due to the high flows during the winter and spring when the Feather River was flowing at peak volumes. One of the interested groups consisted of the businessmen who had the license to operate the ferry service. The second group was headed by Benjamin B. Bliven, a past merchant at Bidwell and then a rancher in the Honcut area; located in the southern part of Butte County. Since he was competing with an existing company, Bliven and those supporting him, circulated a petition  during the fall of 1854, gathering support for county approval of Bliven’s application. The petition was circulated in nine locations in Butte County and two in Plumas County, which was served by the existing ferry service and associated road. A total of 959 signatures were gathered, with 157 of them collected in the Bidwell’s Bar area.

 Ultimately the license to build the bridge was granted to the newly formed Bidwell Bridge Company, composed basically of the owners and operators of the existing ferry company.

The events surrounding the fierce political battle for the license and the details about building the bridge are contained in chapters found in these two publications:Bliven Wanted to Build the Bidwell’s Bar Bridge. The Town of Bidwell at Bidwell’s Bar: Boom to Bust, 1848 – 1860. Butte County Historical Society, 2010 and Building The Bidwell’s Bar Bridge (Chapter 10.);The Last Toll Bridge in Butte County ( Chapter 19). A Short Golden Life… The Town of Bidwell at Bidwell’s Bar. 1848 -1860. Butte County Historical Society. 

 The names of signor's, and their number on the petition presented in the Bidwell’s Bar area, are listed below to assist researchers, seeking confirmation their research subjects were in the Bidwell area. For information on the names listed on  other pages of the petition, contact the webmaster at the locations indicated on the contact page. 

 Reading the Signatures on the Petition

The original petition document is on linen pages and is in excellent condition. It is archived at the Butte County Historical Society. Determining the correct spelling of the individual names was a challenge due to creative handwriting by the signors and the interpreting skills of the reviewers. Charles Smay and Phil Ravert independently reviewed the document and developed a list of the names, then jointly created what they believed to be the probable spelling of the names. In many cases the final name determination is simply a best guess. In several cases even that was not possible. Researchers are encouraged to keep in mind the possible variation of the spelling of the listed names when searching for names of interest.

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