William B. Ide
Encyclopedia
William Brown Ide was a California
pioneer and Commander of the short-lived California Republic
.
to Lemuel Ide, a member of the Vermont State Legislature. A carpenter
by trade, Ide married Susan Grout Haskell (1799–1850) in 1820. He and his wife Susan lived at first in Massachusetts
, but soon began moving westward—to Kentucky
, then to Ohio
and finally to Illinois
. They farmed in Springfield
, where Ide supplemented his income by teaching school.
Ide is said to have been a leader in the Mormon community of Nauvoo during his time in Illinois, although the Church of Latter Day Saints authoritative records have no account of his being a member. http://mormanity.blogspot.com/2006/04/william-ide-president-of-republic-of.html
http://www.amazon.com/William-Brown-Ide-Bear-Flagger/dp/B0007EPOBO
In 1845, Ide sold his farm and joined a wagon train in Independence, Missouri
headed for Oregon
. On the advice of the mountain man
Caleb Greenwood
, Ide and a group of settlers split off and headed to Alta California
, then a province of Mexico
. They arrived at Sutter's Fort
on October 25, 1845. Ide traveled north to work for Peter Lassen
on Rancho Bosquejo
.
In 1846, on a report that the Mexican government was threatening to expel all settler
s who were not Mexican citizens, about thirty settlers conducted what was to become known as the Bear Flag Revolt
. On June 14, Ide and the others seized the pueblo of Sonoma
and captured the Mexican Commandante of Northern California, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
, who in fact supported American annexation
. On June 15, Ide released the Proclamation he had written the night before. By noon of June 17, the rebels raised the new California Bear Flag
, proclaiming the Mexican province to be the California Republic
. Ide had been chosen to serve as commander.
The Bear Flag Republic lasted until July 9, 1846, just 25 days, until the U.S. Flag was raised at Sonoma. Ide and other "Bear Flaggers" joined John C. Frémont
and the U.S. armed forces in taking possession of California from Mexico.
After the Mexican–American War
, Ide returned to his home near Red Bluff, California
, where he resumed his partnership with Josiah Belden
at his Rancho Barranca Colorado
. He bought out Belden in 1849, and was successful in mining
.
Ide died of smallpox
in December 1852, probably during the night of the 19th–20th, at the age of 56.
, comprising a restored adobe
house and other buildings near Red Bluff, commemorates his life.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
pioneer and Commander of the short-lived California Republic
California Republic
The California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic, is the name used for a period of revolt against Mexico initially proclaimed by a handful of American settlers in Mexican California on June 14, 1846, in Sonoma. This was shortly before news of the Mexican–American War had reached the area...
.
Life
William Ide was born in Rutland, MassachusettsRutland, Massachusetts
Rutland is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,973 at the 2010 census. Worcester County's only buffalo herd is located in Rutland, at Alta Vista Farm...
to Lemuel Ide, a member of the Vermont State Legislature. A carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
by trade, Ide married Susan Grout Haskell (1799–1850) in 1820. He and his wife Susan lived at first in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, but soon began moving westward—to Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, then to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and finally to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. They farmed in Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, where Ide supplemented his income by teaching school.
Ide is said to have been a leader in the Mormon community of Nauvoo during his time in Illinois, although the Church of Latter Day Saints authoritative records have no account of his being a member. http://mormanity.blogspot.com/2006/04/william-ide-president-of-republic-of.html
http://www.amazon.com/William-Brown-Ide-Bear-Flagger/dp/B0007EPOBO
In 1845, Ide sold his farm and joined a wagon train in Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
headed for Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. On the advice of the mountain man
Mountain man
Mountain men were trappers and explorers who roamed the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through the 1880s where they were instrumental in opening up the various Emigrant Trails allowing Americans in the east to settle the new territories of the far west by organized wagon trains...
Caleb Greenwood
Caleb Greenwood
Caleb Greenwood was a Western U.S. fur trapper and trail guide. Born in Virginia, Greenwood took part in trapping expeditions organized by associates of John Jacob Astor in 1810 and by Manuel Lisa in 1812-1813...
, Ide and a group of settlers split off and headed to Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
, then a province of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. They arrived at Sutter's Fort
Sutter's Fort
Sutter's Fort State Historic Park is a state-protected park in Sacramento, California which includes Sutter's Fort and the California State Indian Museum. Begun in 1839 and originally called "New Helvetia" by its builder, John Sutter, the fort was a 19th century agricultural and trade colony in...
on October 25, 1845. Ide traveled north to work for Peter Lassen
Peter Lassen
Peter Lassen was a Danish-American blacksmith, rancher, prospector and Freemason.-Early life:Peter Lassen was born on October 31, 1800 in Farum, Denmark and immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts in 1830...
on Rancho Bosquejo
Rancho Bosquejo
Rancho Bosquejo was a Mexican land grant in present day Tehama County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Peter Lassen. The name means "Wooded Ranch" in Spanish...
.
In 1846, on a report that the Mexican government was threatening to expel all settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s who were not Mexican citizens, about thirty settlers conducted what was to become known as the Bear Flag Revolt
California Republic
The California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic, is the name used for a period of revolt against Mexico initially proclaimed by a handful of American settlers in Mexican California on June 14, 1846, in Sonoma. This was shortly before news of the Mexican–American War had reached the area...
. On June 14, Ide and the others seized the pueblo of Sonoma
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
and captured the Mexican Commandante of Northern California, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...
, who in fact supported American annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
. On June 15, Ide released the Proclamation he had written the night before. By noon of June 17, the rebels raised the new California Bear Flag
Flag of California
The Bear Flag is the official flag of the state of California. The precursor of the flag was first flown during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt and was also known as the Bear Flag.-Design:...
, proclaiming the Mexican province to be the California Republic
California Republic
The California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic, is the name used for a period of revolt against Mexico initially proclaimed by a handful of American settlers in Mexican California on June 14, 1846, in Sonoma. This was shortly before news of the Mexican–American War had reached the area...
. Ide had been chosen to serve as commander.
The Bear Flag Republic lasted until July 9, 1846, just 25 days, until the U.S. Flag was raised at Sonoma. Ide and other "Bear Flaggers" joined John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
and the U.S. armed forces in taking possession of California from Mexico.
After the Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
, Ide returned to his home near Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff is a city in and the county seat of Tehama County, California, United States. The population was 14,076 at the 2010 census, up from 13,147 at the 2000 census....
, where he resumed his partnership with Josiah Belden
Josiah Belden
Josiah Belden was an American pioneer and politician.-Life:Born in Connecticut, Belden was orphaned by the time he was 14. He later moved to St. Louis, Missouri and became a successful businessman. In 1841 he joined the Bartleson-Bidwell Party, the first organized emigrant party to use the...
at his Rancho Barranca Colorado
Rancho Barranca Colorado
Rancho Barranca Colorado was a Mexican land grant in present day Tehama County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Josiah Belden. The name means "Ranch of the Red Bluffs". The grant was on the west bank of the Sacramento River and bounded Red Bank Creek on the north,...
. He bought out Belden in 1849, and was successful in mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
.
Ide died of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
in December 1852, probably during the night of the 19th–20th, at the age of 56.
Legacy
William B. Ide Adobe State Historic ParkWilliam B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park
William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park is a California State Historic Park located on the west bank of the Sacramento River, a mile north of Red Bluff in Tehama County, California. It is in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California.-William B...
, comprising a restored adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house and other buildings near Red Bluff, commemorates his life.