Fort Bidwell Church

Fort Bidwell Church - Front

Fort Bidwell is a small ranching community, founded about 1865, at the north end of Surprise Valley, California.

The Peoples Church Building Association was formed in 1885 and incorporated in California for the purpose of promoting religious worship, to maintain the ordinances and teaching of the doctrines of the Christian religion, and to carry out the works of charity and brotherly love and the Commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The intentions of the early settlers was that the Church be owned by the people of the Fort Bidwell community and be available to anyone who wished to hold services or worship.

The original Directors were James W. Poer, H. O. Jopp, Robert McConnaughy, George M. Kober, and John R. Baty.

The Church Building

The building of the Church began in the summer of 1885 and was finished by Christmas services in 1886, on the corner of Church and Main (CR 1). Dr. George M. Kober and David F. Taylor were some of the initiators.

Robert F. McConnaughy donated the land and Andrew Schadler held the contract for the carpentry. The lumber was cut and hauled from the H. O. Jop sawmill in Bidwell Canyon. The altar and bible pedestal were made by Deitrick Schadler, a cabinet-maker, whose name can be seen on the base of the pedestal and he probably built the pews.

The men who gave their time, financial support and skill to build the Church were Albert C. Lowell, George Freemen, Robert F. McConnaughy, Max Fulcher, John R. Baty, David Baty, Henry Stephens, Peter Peterson, Ed Sessions, Dietrick Schadler, Warren Jefferson, Marshal Munroe, James Fee, Albert Ward, and Andrew Schadler.

In 1913, the building was re-shingled by Charles Decious, Frank Kerr, and Silas Garrett. In 1946, Lee Leonard remodeled the interior by lowering the ceiling and adding two Sunday School rooms. Inside painting was done by local ladies, some of whom were Beda Bock, Edna McManus, Fern Doss, Beulah Leonard, and Laura Broadus. Additional painting was done some years later by Gran Peterson.

Since then, the building has been maintained by local volunteers with a metal roof, well and inside plumbing and heating added.

The Congregation

Early church services were not organized as formal congregations. Various pastors, some were circuit riders, held services but not regularly. Early ministers were of the Methodist denomination. Others were of the Baptist faith from the Davis Creek and New Pine Creek areas.

Earliest records show that a man by the name of Cook held services in the winter of 1864-1865, just before the military post was established. Records from 1867 reveal that E. H. Orne served the churches in Surprise Valley, probably including Fort Bidwell. In 1867 Reverend Colin Anderson, a Methodist, held services in the Fort Bidwell school house.

From the beginning, the new Church was available to anyone who wished to hold services or worship. Services were held at least once a week. They were conducted by Reverend David F. Taylor, Chaplin Potter of the military post and other ministers from Cedarville and elsewhere.

During the early 1900s, probably 1915 to 1920, several pastors were Bowman, Rawlins and Shoemaker serving the Fort Bidwell Church. Mr. Shoemaker was affiliated with the Congregational Church.  Then until the Fort Bidwell Community Church was organized, different ministers held services at different times but no real organization was put into effect.

The Fort Bidwell Community Church organization began in 1952. A meeting was held to establish the Larger Parish of Modoc County conisiting of the churches of Fort Bidwell, Likley, Cedarville, Eagleville, and Alturas. Harold Talbot, Montez Bucher, and Alice Peterson were elected as representatives from Fort Bidwell. About September 15, 1952, Ralph V. Conrad began regular church services for the Modoc Larger Parish. He retired in 1956 due to illness. Roger Kennedy came to serve the Larger Parish in June 1956.

In 1952, the congregation began affiliation with the Congregational Christian Fellowship and a constitution for the Church was established. Mrs. Margaret Peterson was elected Sunday school superintendent. The Board were Phil Peterson, Montez Bucher and Harold Talbot. Also deacon was Carl Bucher; deaconesses were Edna Fee and Marie Sagehorn; clerk was Mary Peterson; treasurer was Elsie Kober; auditing committee was B. N. Buck.

In 1957, the Church people were Congregational then Congregational Evangelical groups elected to combine nationally with the United Church of Christ.

A later undated pamphlet says the Church membership was Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Unitarian, etc. They were proud of their non-sectarian heritage.

In 1997, the Fort Bidwell Community Church was dissolved and formally merged with the Peoples Church Building Association. For a while Reverend Daniel St Claire held regular services as the Fort Bidwell Bible Church.

In 1999, the All Nations New Life Fellowship used the church. They were funded by the Southern Baptists, but no formal congregation existed.

At this time, there are no regular services, but the Church is still used for weddings and a Christmas service.

Sources

This history is based on research by Pat Berry in 2000 (binder in Church files), various history notes, and the Church Minutes 1985 to present.