Bidwell Junior High School - History of BJHS

History of BJHS

Bidwell Junior High School's very first year was back in 1959!

Black and white photo of man signing paperwork

Bidwell Junior High School held its official dedication on Sunday, December 7, 1958 with Principal Hal R. Miller, Jr. (pictured right), Mayor Ted Meriam and Chico State President Dr. Glenn Kendall as speakers.

Here is a 1959 BJHS typing class. Every student has their manual typewriter with their fingers on the "home keys"! Look at those hard, wooden chairs and notice the blackboard in the background (today, Bidwell has white boards and smart boards in almost every classroom).

Black and white photo of students in classroom circa 1960

Bidwell Junior High School was a 7th, 8th and 9th grade school and remained so until 1993. Below, you can see what the covered locker area looked like in 1959. This area was also used for P.E. classes during rainy weather. Today, rooms 105A, 205, 250, and 305A are located here.

Black and White image of students walking down a hallway, clothing circa 1950s

......According to some of Bidwell's 1959 students, PE class frequently involved carrying rocks off of Bidwell's back field!

Bidwell Junior High School was named after John and Annie Bidwell
(pictured below).

Black and white image of Annie and John Bidwell

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History of BJHS

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History of BJHS

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