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History · Fort Bidwell

Fort Bidwell’s post office opened in 1868, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1912 on.

1868first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Fort Bidwell began

When was Fort Bidwell founded?

1868

The Fort Bidwell post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 180158 years
Founding year: the first Fort Bidwell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Fort Bidwell’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Fort Bidwell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fort Bidwell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fort Bidwell’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Fort Bidwell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fort Bidwell.

Read it all →

In 1865, General John Bidwell backed a petition from settlers at Red Bluff, California to protect Red Bluff's trail to the Owhyhee Mines of Idaho. The U.S. Army commissioned seven forts for this purpose, and dispatched a Major Williamson in April to explore a site for a fort in either Goose Lake Valley or Surprise Valley, from which he selected a site near Fandango Pass at the base of the Warner Mountains in the north end of Surprise Valley, and orders to build the fort were issued on June 10, 1865. Although Surprise Valley settlers desired Army protection, ranchers dispossessed of lands for the fort complained, and claimed damages from the Army.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Fort Bidwell on the map, 1962 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fort Bidwell. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fort Bidwell on the 1962 USGS mapFort Bidwell on the 1990 USGS map1962Fort Bidwell sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fort Bidwell.

Every building

Fort Bidwell, building by building, 1912

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Fort Bidwell fire insurance map, 1912, sheet 11912Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

Famous people close to Fort Bidwell

Nobody well known was born in Fort Bidwell itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Rick SandersOlympic wrestler from the United States · b. 1945
Ernest S. BrownAmerican politician · b. 1903
S
Steven KistlerAmerican chemical engineer · b. 1900
Chuck MawhinneySniper for the United States Marine Corps · b. 1949
Kayte ChristensenAmerican basketball player and commentator · b. 1980
Cobina WrightAmerican actress · b. 1887

Questions about Fort Bidwell’s history

What year was Fort Bidwell founded?

The Fort Bidwell post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.