Fort Bidwell

History

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. The fort was built in 1865 amid escalating fighting with the Snake Indians of eastern Oregon and southern Idaho. Fort Bidwell is now registered as California Historical Landmark #430.

Geography

Fort Bidwell is located near the north end of the Surprise Valley. The community's ZIP Code is 96112 and elevation is about . The coordinates for the town are . The airport, (FAA identifier: A28), is about north of the center of the community at . The Fort Bidwell Indian Community is affiliated with the Paiute nation. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km), of which 99.48% is land and 0.52% is water. This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fort Bidwell has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity