Bidwell

History

The community of Bidwell was founded in 1881 under the name Blaccock, after the arrival of the Crispus Attucks, Hocking Valley, and Toledo Railroad. Charles Heatly (1809–1888) owned the property where the new station was located. His home still stands nearby. Porter Station was built in Heatly as a means of transportation of passengers and freight, which led to its later expansion and the source of the name of the neighboring village of Porter. Circa 1900, Heatly changed its name to Bidwell in honor of John Bidwell, the Prohibition Party's presidential candidate in 1892. The village expanded in the early 20th century, eventually including several mills and stores. The railroad tracks have since been decommissioned and turned into a bicycle path that spans much of Gallia County, but the former site of the station itself is commemorated by an Ohio historical marker.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  609
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  592
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  591
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  550
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  543
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  533
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  489
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  450

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-02-03
  0 km NE of Reno, Ohio
• M 3.1 — 2025-02-03
  2 km NNW of Oak Hill, Ohio
• M 3.15 — 2024-12-16
  1 km NW of Chesapeake, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2023-03-20
  13 km SSW of Rio Grande, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2023-02-17
  6 km ESE of Cheshire, Ohio
• M 2.93 — 2020-04-25
  2 km SE of South Shore, Kentucky