Bidwell Bar Bridge (1856)

As a little boy our family spent many afternoons at the Bidwell Bar picnic area, I recall the picnic tables were under a shaded awning and the whole area was gold sand. There was very old orange tree next to the bridge and the rock structure that I was told was a jail. On the other side of the river across from picnic area we use to find clams between the rocks. You could look down from the bridge and see the huge trout and the huge rocks, the water was clear and cold. I also walked up the train tracks on the other side of the bridge many times. I live in Alaska now it some of my fondest memories of growing up in Oroville was Bidwell Bar.

I have a 1 foot section of suspension cable that was handed down to me I would donate to the right museum.

Obviously the bridge in the street view is the CA 162 bridge.

My pals and I dived off the suspension bridge at Bidwell Bar State Park many times in the 1960s. The ranger was nicknamed "Smiley". If he saw us he would yell and wave his arms but he couldn't catch us-didn't even try. There used to be a picture of Smiley in the Municipal Auditorium in Oroville with his real name. We used to carry our tubes up the railroad grade past the confluence of the South Fork and then float back down to Bidwell Bar. Used to be a concession on the north side with a bumper pool table. I was very sad when they built the dam.

Isn't this the same Oroville Ca that had the dam breach just last week?

Well, I am not familiar with this area, so I could only speculate. Any California contributors on here?

I'm doing some genealogical research and found a reference to "the new bridge, a little out of town, on the Washington road". From the Nevada Journal, 5 Dec 1856, published out of Nevada City, CA.

Would the Bidwell Bridge be the bridge referenced?

As teenagers, my husband and I used to picnic at the original site of Bidwell Bar Bridge. A ranger (?) was on duty to prevent people from diving off the bridge, but he would always wait until Ed made a swan dive from the bridge before shooing the kids off the bridge! We visit it now at its "home" in Lake Oroville - no diving!

I too remember picknicking at Bidwell's Bar in the 50s. My mother was a nurse at the county hospital and they had a employee's picnic there. I remember seeing beaver in the river. A nice place but the water was sure cold.

I too remember picknicking at Bidwell's Bar in the 50s. My mother was a nurse at the county hospital and they had a employee's picnic there. I remember seeing beaver in the river. A nice place but the water was sure cold.

As a young boy, I remember picnics at the Bidwell Bar Bridge, and the water was swift and cold. One outing, I lost a plastic folding knife which I had wanted for quite some time - oh, well.