Concow

History

"In the beginning Wahno-no-pem, the Great Spirit, made all things. Before he came, everything on the earth and in the skies was hidden in darkness and in gloom, but where he appeared he was the light. From his essence, out of his breath, he made the sun, the moon, and the countless stars, and pinned them in the blue vault of the heavens." There is no indication that there was external governance of the Concow region or the tribal peoples that inhabited the region during the 1697–1821 Spanish colonization or the 1821–1846 Mexican era, characterized by the spread of California slave ranchos. The Concow region is 20 miles (30 km) north of the city of Oroville (an Anglo-Hispanic compound meaning 'gold-town') and about the same distance east of the town of Chico; named for Rancho Arroyo Chico—meaning 'little creek ranch.' Rancho Arroyo Chico was established through a land-grant from the Mexican authorities in 1844, two years before California was invaded by United States forces, an indication that there was some Mexican governance near the Concow region, but no indication of governance of the region. Aside from governance, starting in 1828, northern trappers including Jedediah Smith, Michel Laframboise, and John Work first made contact with the Concow region Maidu. In 1851 the Beckwourth Trail established the first transportation route to the Concow region. The route did not pass directly through the present day Concow, the trail followed a series of ridgetops 10 miles to the East. Soon began death from diseases, such as pneumonia and malaria, from which the Maidu have no natural immunity. The towns of Marysville and Honey Lake paid bounties for Indian scalps. Shasta City authorities offered $5 for every Indian head brought to them. In 1854, Secretary of War…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water. For unknown reasons the community's name was absent from the US Geological Survey files until 1990. Other nearby communities are The Pines (USGS feature ID 268203), and Deadwood (USGS feature ID 1655957). The community is located off State Route 70, north of Cherokee. The infrastructure is minimal. There is Concow Elementary School, Concow Dam and Reservoir, and the primary paved access route - Concow Road.

Race & ethnicity