Fort Bidwell, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fort Bidwell
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Location of Fort Bidwell in Modoc County, California.
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 Fort Bidwell
Location in California
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Modoc |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.217 sq mi (8.332 km2) |
| • Land | 3.200 sq mi (8.288 km2) |
| • Water | 0.017 sq mi (0.044 km2) 0.52% |
| Elevation | 4,564 ft (1,391 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 180 |
| • Density | 56.0/sq mi (21.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code |
96112
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| Area code(s) | 530 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1656026; 2583014 |
| Reference #: | 430 |
Fort Bidwell is a small community in Modoc County, California. It is a census-designated place, which means it's a special area defined by the government for counting people. Fort Bidwell is about 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Alturas. It sits at an elevation of 4,564 feet (1,391 meters). In 2020, 180 people lived there, which was a small increase from 173 people in 2010.
Contents
Geography of Fort Bidwell
Fort Bidwell is located near the northern end of the Surprise Valley. The community's postal code is 96112. The exact location of the town is 41°51′38″N 120°09′05″W / 41.86056°N 120.15139°W.
There's also a small airport nearby, about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town center. The Fort Bidwell Indian Community is part of the Paiute nation.
Land and Water Area
The United States Census Bureau says that Fort Bidwell covers about 3.2 square miles (8.3 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 99.48%, is land. A small part, 0.52%, is water.
Climate in Fort Bidwell
Fort Bidwell has a type of weather called a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has warm, dry summers. The average monthly temperatures don't go above 71.6 °F (22 °C). This climate is often shown as "Csb" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Ft. Bidwell (1911-2012) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) |
85 (29) |
87 (31) |
85 (29) |
97 (36) |
105 (41) |
106 (41) |
105 (41) |
102 (39) |
90 (32) |
78 (26) |
66 (19) |
106 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39 (4) |
44 (7) |
51.8 (11.0) |
59.6 (15.3) |
68.5 (20.3) |
76.7 (24.8) |
86.7 (30.4) |
85.8 (29.9) |
77.6 (25.3) |
65.2 (18.4) |
49.5 (9.7) |
40.5 (4.7) |
62.1 (16.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20 (−7) |
23.8 (−4.6) |
28.1 (−2.2) |
32.4 (0.2) |
38.5 (3.6) |
44.3 (6.8) |
49.9 (9.9) |
48.3 (9.1) |
41.6 (5.3) |
33.9 (1.1) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
21.4 (−5.9) |
34.1 (1.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−22 (−30) |
−6 (−21) |
10 (−12) |
19 (−7) |
25 (−4) |
27 (−3) |
27 (−3) |
17 (−8) |
5 (−15) |
−4 (−20) |
−26 (−32) |
−26 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.34 (59) |
1.91 (49) |
1.73 (44) |
1.32 (34) |
1.17 (30) |
0.87 (22) |
0.3 (7.6) |
0.33 (8.4) |
0.52 (13) |
1.07 (27) |
1.98 (50) |
2.38 (60) |
15.91 (404) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 15 (38) |
9.4 (24) |
7.6 (19) |
3.4 (8.6) |
1 (2.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.8 (2.0) |
6 (15) |
11.6 (29) |
54.9 (139) |
| Average precipitation days | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 83 |
| Source: WRCC | |||||||||||||
History of Fort Bidwell
Fort Bidwell was built in 1865. At that time, settlers in California wanted protection for their travel routes, especially to the Owyhee Mines in Idaho. General John Bidwell supported this idea. The U.S. Army decided to build seven forts for this purpose.
A major from the Army chose a spot in Surprise Valley for one of these forts. Even though settlers wanted protection, some ranchers were unhappy because their land was used for the fort.
Role in Conflicts
The fort was built during a time of increased fighting with the Snake Indians from eastern Oregon and southern Idaho. It served as a base for soldiers during the Snake War, which lasted until 1868. It was also involved in the Battle of Infernal Caverns in 1867. Later, it played a role in the Modoc War (1872–73) and campaigns against the Bannock and Nez Perce tribes.
Even after a new railroad made the old travel routes less important, the Army kept soldiers at Fort Bidwell. They stayed there to help calm down various uprisings and problems until 1890.
Naming the Fort
Both Fort Bidwell and another place called Camp Bidwell (near Chico) were named after General John Bidwell. Camp Bidwell was actually created earlier, in 1863. By the time Fort Bidwell was built in 1865, Camp Bidwell had been renamed Camp Chico. It was closed in 1893. It was common for the Army to reuse names for different outposts back then.
Fort Bidwell Today
The Fort Bidwell post office opened in 1868. In 1913, a book described Fort Bidwell as having about 200 people. It also had a school and a special area for the Northern Paiute Kidütökadö band. Today, Fort Bidwell is recognized as California Historical Landmark #430 because of its important history.
Population of Fort Bidwell
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2000 | 67 | — | |
| 2010 | 173 | 158.2% | |
| 2020 | 180 | 4.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
The 2010 United States Census counted 173 people living in Fort Bidwell. The population density was about 53.8 people per square mile (20.8 people per square kilometer).
Diversity in the Community
The census showed that the community is made up of different groups of people:
- 75 people (43.4%) were White.
- 2 people (1.2%) were African American.
- 76 people (43.9%) were Native American.
- 10 people (5.8%) were from other races.
- 10 people (5.8%) were from two or more races.
- 23 people (13.3%) were Hispanic or Latino.
All 173 people lived in homes. The average household had about 2.19 people.
Age Groups
The population was spread across different age groups:
- 35 people (20.2%) were under 18 years old.
- 26 people (15.0%) were between 18 and 24 years old.
- 29 people (16.8%) were between 25 and 44 years old.
- 51 people (29.5%) were between 45 and 64 years old.
- 32 people (18.5%) were 65 years old or older.
The median age in Fort Bidwell was 41.5 years.
See also
In Spanish: Fort Bidwell para niños
