Editing Concow, California

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Concow, California
| settlement_type                 = [[Unincorporated area|Unincorporated community]]
| image_skyline                   = 
| image_caption                   = 
| image_seal                      =

| image_map                       = Butte County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Concow Highlighted 0616035.svg
| mapsize                         = 250x200px
| map_caption                     = Location in [[Butte County, California|Butte County]] and the state of [[California]]
| image_map1                      = 
| mapsize1                        = 
| map_caption1                    = 
| pushpin_map                     = USA
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief                  = 1

| subdivision_type                = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name                = {{USA}}
| subdivision_type1               = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1               = {{flag|California}}
| subdivision_type2               = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Butte County, California|Butte]]

| government_type                 = 
| leader_title1                   = [[California's 1st congressional district|U. S. rep.]]
| leader_name1                    = {{Representative|cacd|1|fmt=usleader}}<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|1|accessdate=March 1, 2013}}</ref>
| leader_title2                   = [[California's 4th State Senate district|State senator]]
| leader_name2                    = {{Representative|casd|4|fmt=sleader}}<ref>{{Cite web
 |url=http://senate.ca.gov/senators 
 |title=Senators 
 |access-date=March 20, 2013
 |publisher=State of California}}</ref>
| leader_title3                   = [[California's 1st State Assembly district|Assemblymember]]
| leader_name3                    = {{Representative|caad|1|fmt=sleader}}<ref>{{Cite web
 |url=http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers
 |title=Members Assembly
 |access-date=March 20, 2013
 |publisher=State of California}}</ref>
| leader_title4                   = [[Butte County Board of Supervisors|County supervisor]]
| leader_name4                    = Bill Connelly
| established_date                =

<!-- Area------------------>
| area_magnitude                  = 
| unit_pref                       = Imperial
| area_footnotes                  = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 30, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi                = 27.78
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 27.41
| area_water_sq_mi                = 0.37
| area_total_km2                  = 71.95
| area_land_km2                   = 70.98
| area_water_km2                  = 0.97
| area_water_percent              = 1.35

<!-- Elevation ------------>
| elevation_footnotes             = <ref>{{Cite GNIS|2407652|Concow Census Designated Place|access-date=March 12, 2015}}</ref>
| elevation_ft                    = 2005
| elevation_m                     = 611

<!-- Population ----------->
| population_as_of                = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes            = 
| population_total                = 402
| population_metro                = 
| population_density_km2          = 5.66
| population_density_sq_mi        = 14.67
| coordinates                     = {{coord|39|44|14|N|121|30|52|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| timezone                        = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific]]
| utc_offset                      = −08:00
| timezone_DST                    = [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]]
| utc_offset_DST                  = −07:00

<!-- Codes ---------------->
| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code                     = 95965
| area_code_type                  = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| area_code                       = [[Area code 530|530]]
| blank_name                      = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
| blank_info                      = {{FIPS|06|16035}}
| blank1_name                     = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
| blank1_info                     = {{GNIS 4|1867007}}, {{GNIS 4|2407652}}
| footnotes                       = {{gnis|1867007}}; {{gnis|2407652}}
| website                         = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}

'''Concow''' ([[Maidu]]: ''Koyoom Kʼawi'', meaning "Meadow")<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|216}}</ref> is an [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated community]] and [[census-designated place]]<ref>{{gnis|2407652}}</ref> (CDP) in the Sierra Nevada foothills covering eastern [[Butte County, California|Butte County]], California. Due to a decline in employment and repeated wildfires, over the past hundred years the population declined from several thousand to several dozen. On November 8, 2018, a wildfire, the [[Camp Fire (2018)|Camp Fire]], destroyed most of Concow, as well as the adjacent municipality of [[Paradise, California|Paradise]].

Concow is named after the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] tribe that is indigenous to the area, the [[Maidu|Concow Maidu]]. The original inhabitants ate salmon from the [[Feather River]], acorns and pine nuts, venison, [[Sambucus cerulea|nō-kōm-hē-i'-nē]], and other sources of food which abounded in the California foothills.

==History==
''"In the beginning Wahno-no-pem, the Great Spirit, made all things. Before he came, everything on the earth and in the skies was hidden in darkness and in gloom, but where he appeared he was the light. From his essence, out of his breath, he made the sun, the moon, and the countless stars, and pinned them in the blue vault of the heavens."''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maidu.com/ourhistory/ethno-history.html |title=Ethno-History |access-date=2010-08-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112001702/http://www.maidu.com/ourhistory/ethno-history.html |archive-date=2010-11-12 }}</ref>

===Colonization===
There is no indication that there was external governance of the Concow region or the [[Tribe|tribal]] peoples that inhabited the region during the [[History of California to 1899#Spanish colonization and governance (1697–1821)|1697–1821 Spanish colonization]] or [[Ranchos of California#Mexican era|the 1821–1846 Mexican era]], characterized by the spread of [[California]] slave [[Ranchos of California|ranchos]]. The Concow region is 20 miles (30&nbsp;km) north of the city of Oroville (an Anglo-Hispanic compound meaning 'gold-town') and about the same distance east of the town of Chico; named for [[Rancho Arroyo Chico]]—meaning 'little creek ranch.' Rancho Arroyo Chico was established through a land-grant from the Mexican authorities in 1844, two years before [[Robert F. Stockton#Biography#Mexican-American War#Conquest of California|California was invaded by United States forces]], an indication that there was some [[Alta California|Mexican governance]] near the Concow region, but no indication of governance of the region.

===Discovery===
Aside from governance, starting in 1828, northern trappers including [[Jedediah Smith]], [[Michel Laframboise]], and [[John Work (fur-trader)|John Work]] first made contact with the Concow region Maidu.<ref name="maidu.com">History of the ConCow  Maidu, last accessed 9/27/2011. {{cite web |url=http://www.maidu.com/maiduculture/firstcontactto1863.html |title=History |access-date=2011-09-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714022513/http://www.maidu.com/maiduculture/firstcontactto1863.html |archive-date=2011-07-14 }}</ref> In 1851 the [[California Trail#Beckwourth Trail|Beckwourth Trail]] established the first transportation route to the Concow region. The route did not pass directly through the present day Concow, the trail followed a series of ridgetops 10 miles to the East.

Soon began death from diseases, such as [[pneumonia]]<ref name="yankeehillhistory.com">{{Cite web |url=http://yankeehillhistory.com/newsApr07.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722150220/http://yankeehillhistory.com/newsApr07.pdf |archive-date=2012-07-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[malaria]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/jstor-4575240/4575240#page/n1/mode/2up|title = Occurrence of Malaria and Anopheline Mosquitoes in Northern California|date = 18 July 1919|publisher = Public Health Reports}}</ref> from which the Maidu have no natural immunity.

=== Bounty and extermination ===
{{Main|California genocide}}
The towns of [[Marysville, California|Marysville]] and [[Honey Lake]] paid bounties for Indian scalps. [[Shasta, California|Shasta City]] authorities offered $5 for every Indian head brought to them.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Magliari |first=Michael F. |date=2023-05-01 |title=The California Indian Scalp Bounty Myth |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/ch/article/100/2/4/196102/The-California-Indian-Scalp-Bounty-MythEvidence-of |journal=California History |language=en |volume=100 |issue=2 |pages=4–30 |doi=10.1525/ch.2023.100.2.4 |issn=0162-2897}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The West: A Film by Steven Ives {{!}} Ken Burns {{!}} PBS {{!}} The West {{!}} Ken Burns {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-west/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=The West: A Film by Steven Ives {{!}} Ken Burns {{!}} PBS |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-10-06 |title=THE TACHI YOKUT TRIBE - LEMOORE, CA. |url=http://tachi-yokut.com/history2.html |access-date=2023-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006082459/http://tachi-yokut.com/history2.html |archive-date=2011-10-06 }}</ref><ref>Native Americans in the Gold Rush
 https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/sfeature/natives_03.html last accessed 1/23/2016</ref>

In 1854, Secretary of War [[Jefferson Davis]] wrote California that their 'war' expenditures could not be authorized without the original bills of sale to verify the purpose was one intended by congress.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Senate |first=California Legislature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UkZNAAAAYAAJ&dq=California+state+1854+army+appropriations+bill&pg=PA227 |title=Journal of the Senate of the State of California |date=1856 |publisher=State Printing Office |language=en}}</ref><ref>Early California Laws and Policies Related to California Indians, California Research Bureau https://www.library.ca.gov/crb/02/14/02-014.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012063249/https://www.library.ca.gov/crb/02/14/02-014.pdf |date=2014-10-12 }} last accessed 1/26/2016</ref><ref>Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly ... of the ..., Volume 8  By California, Appendix to the Journals of the Senate, Volume 8 - Page 509, last accessed 10/28/2011https://books.google.com/books?id=OzVNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA509&dq=California+state+1854+army+appropriations+bill&hl=en&ei=6O-kTvKsI7DSiAKQo7jrCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title="History of the California Old Indian War Bonds" : a document with annotation by A. J. F. Phelan, 1864? |url=http://www.oac.cdlib.org/search?query=Jefferson%20Davis;style=oac4;group=Items;idT=AFP-0230 |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.oac.cdlib.org}}</ref> California was reimbursed $924,259.65 ($23.4M 2010US) by the United States Federal Government and again reimbursed $229,981.67 in 1861 for the intervening years.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Congress |first=United States |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tT8FAAAAYAAJ&dq=California+state+treasury+reimbursement+to+local+governments+for+indian+war+expenses&pg=PA1907 |title=The Congressional Globe |date=1854 |publisher=Blair & Rives |language=en}}</ref>

===Settlement===
Permanent settlements soon followed and by 1856 several were well established.<ref name=CGN /> The growth of these settlements increased after Charles Curtis constructed a toll bridge (1858) across the Feather River at [[Nelson Bar, California|Nelson's Bar]] and the next year (1859) an additional bridge was constructed by residents of Whiskey Town over the Feather River just north of the Concow region.<ref name="yankeehillhistory.com"/> Basically, there was a Northernly trail and bridge from present day Oroville, and a Southernly trail and bridge from present day [[Magalia, California|Magalia]].

===Removal of remaining Maidu===
After a decade of [[genocide]] and [[Population transfer|forcible removals]], in 1859 the last of the Kon Kow peoples were forcibly removed by [[Tehama County, California|Tehama County]] ranchers as part of a larger four county 'roundup'.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web |url=http://yankeehillhistory.com/11%20Oct%20news.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-12-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214231841/http://yankeehillhistory.com/11%20Oct%20news.pdf |archive-date=2013-12-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They were held at the Mendocino Reservation until the California Reservation Administration at the camp collapsed due to lack of funding due to the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] occurring on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. The Kon Kow were then deported to the Nome Cult Farms at the Round Valley reservation.

By 1862, the last of the native Concow inhabitants were starving on the cramped [[Round Valley Indian Tribes of the Round Valley Reservation|Round Valley]] with unrelated people relocated from surrounding regions. The damp coastal climate on the reservation contrasts with the dry climate of the California "[[Gold Country]]" they are accustomed to. It was the midst of the North [[American Civil War]], and federal funds for California Reservations were no longer arriving.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

=== Some Maidu leave the reservation ===
In the cooling weather of late September, on September 24, 1862, a combination of the poor camp conditions, forced participation in a massacre of the local [[Eel River Athapaskan peoples|Wailaki]] peoples,<ref name="ReferenceA" /> warnings by local whites that they were planning to massacre the reservation inhabitants that winter,<ref name="ReferenceA" /> and an imminent winter disaster (under the supervision of [[indian agent]] [http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/inside.asp?pageID=37&subjectID=2 James Short] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115161836/http://mrlincolnandfriends.org/inside.asp?pageID=37&subjectID=2 |date=November 15, 2011 }}<ref>notes, page 787 note 3006, last accessed 9/27/2011. http://www.csuchico.edu/lbib/spc/bleyhl/Bleyhl_700-874.pdf</ref> ) motivated a group of over 400 Maidu to leave the camp.

This group consisted of men, women, children, and elderly individuals. They set out with Tome-ya-nem, without provisions, for the 130 mile hike (210&nbsp;km) back to their home in the Concow Valley. It was a 10-day hike for well equipped healthy young adults.<ref>http://www.maidu.com/images/Ghosted.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929193509/http://www.maidu.com/images/Ghosted.pdf |date=2011-09-29 }}, last accessed 10/23/2011</ref> They made it as far as present day Chico, where Agent Hanson had made an agreement with [[John Bidwell]] to stop and encamp the Kon Kow people at [[Bidwell's Bar, California|Bidwell's old river landing]]<ref name="ReferenceA" /> (now under [[Lake Oroville]]). Under the supervision of Sub Agent Eddy, they were employed for $.10 per hour<ref name="ReferenceA" /> ($2.72 2013US) constructing the Chico-Humboldt road and providing labor for various employers in the area.

===Massacre===
The following spring three young children were attacked with the two boys killed and the kidnapped girl escaping after being forced to walk to a village near present-day Concow in what became known as the Pence massacre, the murders were within the present day Concow CDP and 9 miles (14.5&nbsp;km) from Concow Valley - the KonKow people were blamed.<ref name="files.usgwarchives.org">{{Cite web |date=2012-04-21 |title= |url=http://files.usgwarchives.org/ca/butte/history/1882/historyo/indiandi55nms.txt |access-date=2023-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421042535/http://files.usgwarchives.org/ca/butte/history/1882/historyo/indiandi55nms.txt |archive-date=2012-04-21 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Heizer |first1=Robert F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NcLD1rXZ2NUC&dq=concow+lewis+children&pg=PA62 |title=Ishi the Last Yahi: A Documentary History |last2=Kroeber |first2=Theodora |date=1979 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-04366-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref>George C. Mansfield "History of Butte County, California: With Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men and Women of the County who Have Been Identified with Its Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present." Historic record Company, 1918 - Butte County (Calif.) - 1331 pages.</ref> These events happened amid documented incidents of local whites dressing as 'indians' and committing crimes<ref>Indian-White Relationships in Northern California Essays, last accessed 9/27/2011. www.csuchico.edu/lbib/spc/bleyhl/Bleyhl_essays.pdf</ref> and numerous mule-trains that were attacked and plundered by the various sierra peoples; indigenous, Spanish, and whites. All indications are that the children were kidnapped by a small group of native young men. In the following days 611 KonKow people were murdered by a vigilante volunteer posse of 500 white men that sought to kill every non-white in Butte County. M.H. Wells hid 50 Kon Kows in his Yankee Hill store in the foothills above the camp at Bidwell's old river crossing; the vigilante group discovered these people. In a compromise the vigilantes inspected these people and determined four as 'bad people,' they were tied together in pairs and given a running start before the vigilantes opened fire, the rest were taken to the camp - two of the four were shot and killed.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="files.usgwarchives.org"/> Under a resolution passed at a mass meeting of the public at Pence Ranch on July 27<ref>Ishi Timeline, last accessed 9/27/2011. http://www.cimcc.org/index.php?view=article&catid=49%3Aishi-education&id=62%3Aishi-education&format=pdf&option=com_content&Itemid=78</ref><ref>notes, page 743 note 2805, last accessed 9/27/2011. http://www.csuchico.edu/lbib/spc/bleyhl/Bleyhl_700-874.pdf</ref><ref>notes, page 743 note 2808, last accessed 9/27/2011. http://www.csuchico.edu/lbib/spc/bleyhl/Bleyhl_700-874.pdf</ref> a group of 12 led by Thomas McDonald of Cherokee and M.H. Wells of Yankee Hill <ref name="yankeehillhistory.com"/> found and convinced the remaining people in the surrounding area to go to the Bidwell camp for their own safety. A group of 26 led by G.G. Marquis of Concow, including Mr. Pence from Messilla Valley, B.P. Hutchinson from Cherokee Flat and John Chapman from Cherokee Ravine, gathered funds to cover the expenses for the Kon Kow people's removal. Eventually 461 people including those who returned from Round Valley were gathered at Bidwell's Landing. From this group, for the kidnapping and killing of the Lewis children, two were tied to a tree and executed by firing squad.<ref>Resistance to Rescue, Margaret D. Jacobs, University of Nebraska, 1997.  http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=historyfacpub&sei-redir=1#search=%22August%2028%2C%201863%20Bidwell%20Ranch%22</ref> The local US government representative Major George M. Hanson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Northern California, and the State Militia representative Captain Augustus W. Starr sent July 31 to assess the situation were unsure what to do with the popular movement or how to stop the acts of [[vigilante]] justice. The subsequent commanders of [[Camp Bidwell]] during the month of August, Captain Alfred Morton and then Major Ambrose E. Hooker<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Schubert |first1=Irene |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rEYLD-Bx6WEC&dq=%22Ambrose+Hooker%22&pg=PA150 |title=On the Trail of the Buffalo Soldier II: New and Revised Biographies of African Americans in the U.S. Army, 1866-1917 |last2=Schubert |first2=Frank N. |date=2004-01-01 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8420-5079-1 |language=en}}</ref> - are absent in early correspondence from Captain Starr asking for guidance with the increasing number of Konkow 'prisoners of war'.<ref name="files.usgwarchives.org"/><ref>notes, page 806 note 3086, last accessed 9/27/2011. http://www.csuchico.edu/lbib/spc/bleyhl/Bleyhl_700-874.pdf</ref>

===The end===
After consulting with Superintendent Hanson and superiors [[Richard C. Drum|Colonel Richard Cloyd Drum]] and [[George Wright (general)|General George Wright]], Captain Starr was ordered by General Wright in Post Order No. 6<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jr |first=William J. Bauer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mNERREBKYm0C&dq=Captain+Augustus+Starr&pg=PA54 |title=We Were All Like Migrant Workers Here: Work, Community, and Memory on California's Round Valley Reservation, 1850-1941 |date=2009-12-15 |publisher=Univ of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-9536-8 |language=en}}</ref> to lead 23 soldiers of Company F [[2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry]] and move the now imprisoned people the 110 miles (180&nbsp;km) from [[Camp Bidwell]] back to Round Valley on the Nome Cult Trail on what became a 20-day forced [[death march]] now remembered as the [[Nome Cult Trail|KonKow Trail of Tears]]. Despite efforts by the soldiers and the Pence resolution mandated donations of food and shelter provisions, horses and wagons, each day those who could not make the march through the hot arid early September [[Sacramento Valley]] - where afternoon temperatures top 90&nbsp;°F (32&nbsp;°C) or over the 6,000 foot (1,800 m) crest of the [[North Coast Ranges]] - were left behind without food or water and were soon killed by a pack of [[wild boar]] that formed behind and followed the group; the survivors were told to stay at the Round Valley [[Internment|concentration camp]] or be shot on sight. They were given no provisions by the soldiers and [[Starvation|starved]] to death during the winter.<ref name="maidu.com"/>

===Bands of rogue natives===
In 1864 a band of Kon Kow Maidu left the Round Valley reservation and again headed back to their home. The reservation agent sent a letter to the Concow post office noting their departure and that they seemed 'hostile.'<ref name="yankeehillhistory.com"/> What became of this band is not known, the following year in August a group of 25 Kon Kow were attacked and killed after a robbery that included two murders at the Robert Workman home;<ref name="yankeehillhistory.com"/> this became known as the [[Three Knolls Massacre]] and is seen as a smaller episode of the [[Mill Creek War]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.norcalblogs.com/yahi/2012/06/07/chapter-14-concow-and-the-thre/ |title=Chapter 14: 1865: Concow and the Three Knolls Massacre &#124; Before Ishi: The Life and Death of the Yahi |website=www.norcalblogs.com |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131214220820/http://www.norcalblogs.com/yahi/2012/06/07/chapter-14-concow-and-the-thre/ |archive-date=14 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> And the following year in February, another 5 Kon Kow were killed as continued retribution for the previous years murders.<ref name="yankeehillhistory.com"/>

===Relics of Maidu===
The current inhabitants of Concow, including a few Maidus, commonly find relics of the Maidu in the form of beads and stone tools while digging in and around their homes. There is no monument, plaque, or other recognition in Concow Valley to memorialize the fate of the KonKow people.  Few if any of the current inhabitants are aware of the history.

===Commune era===
While a post office operated at Concow from 1882 to 1906, renamed from Con Cow to Concow in 1895, and relocated several times,<ref name=CGN /> the region was sparsely populated and dominated by a few ranching families. The economy of the region rose and fell with the gold rush need for supplies, the civil war demand for pine turpentine, logging, and the water way that allowed for ranching. The economy ebbed and flowed for a hundred years under the constraint of the difficult access to the region.

In 1962 a new four-lane alignment of [[California State Route 70]] wrapped around the western side of the then proposed [[Lake Oroville]] and reconnected with the existing highway 70 at Jarbo Gap.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buttecounty.net/fire/FireFacilities/FireStations/Station36|title=Station 36 Jarbo Gap|access-date=September 15, 2019|archive-date=March 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306112557/https://www.buttecounty.net/fire/FireFacilities/FireStations/Station36|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Wildfires===
Beginning in 2000, a series of progressively larger fires burned through Concow.

==== 2000 fire ====
A fire burned on September 19–20, 2000.<ref>Hawkins "Concow Fire September 19–20, 2000," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Butte County Fire Rescue, 2001.</ref> The fire destroyed 14 structures. The first and smallest Concow fire of the 2000s, this fire was a 2,000 acre fire. At the time, it was considered a large fire.

==== 2008 fire ====
In June 2008, as part of the Butte Lightning Complex Fires, a 60,000 acre (large fire) wildfire destroyed 250 structures. Of those structures, 220 were unpermitted and either were not built to building codes, did not bother with building inspections, or did not use approved building materials.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-08-13 |title=CN&R • Opinions • Guest Comment • Catastrophe in Concow • Aug 14, 2008 |url=https://www.newsreview.com/chico/content/catastrophe-in-concow/722701/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=Chico News & Review |language=en}}</ref> Because of the [[back-to-the-land]] nature of the community, affording construction following building codes was not possible initially and reconstruction to building codes is not possible or within the ethos of the community.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150920052901/http://www.csuchico.edu/ecc/documents/newsletter/ecc_connections2009s.pdf CSU Chico students help rebuild Concow]</ref> The county offered special waivers for reconstruction, but the community was already gutted. Those who remain are a shadow of the original community.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-11-20 |title=Concow fire victims may get break: Special ag building permits last forever |url=https://www.orovillemr.com/general-news/20081120/concow-fire-victims-may-get-break-special-ag-building-permits-last-forever |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=Oroville Mercury-Register |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== 2012 fire ====
On September 26, 2012, at 3:10 PM, a wildfire burned 60 acres on Concow Rd at Jordan Hill Rd. CAL FIRE, El Medio Fire, Oroville Fire, USFS, and Butte Co. Fire Volunteers extinguished the fire. 120 total personnel were called to tend to the fire.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=755 |title=Concow Fire General Information |access-date=2019-02-06 |archive-date=2019-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209123843/http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=755 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== 2018 fire ====
{{Main|Camp Fire (2018)}}
On November 8, 2018, a fire was reported at 6:33&nbsp;a.m. PST, close to Camp Creek Road near [[Pulga, California|Pulga]].<ref name=MercCampOrigin>{{cite news |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/11/09/pge-power-lines-may-have-sparked-deadly-butte-county-wildfire-according-to-radio-transmissions/ |title=PG&E power lines may have sparked deadly Camp Fire, according to radio transmissions |work=[[The Mercury News]] |date=November 9, 2018}}</ref> Shortly after the fire erupted, the [[Butte County Sheriff's Department|Butte County Sheriff's Office]] ordered evacuations of surrounding communities and switched to life saving operations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://twitter.com/CAL_FIRE/status/1060322869652013056|title=CAL FIRE on Twitter|last=Cal Fire|date=November 7, 2018|work=Red Flag Warning - Twitter|access-date=November 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2018/11/08/camp-fire-butte-county-paradise/|title=PARADISE LOST: Cal Fire Says Camp Fire Has Wiped Out California Town|date=November 8, 2018|work=CBS Sacramento|access-date=November 9, 2018}}</ref>  On the first day, much of the town of [[Paradise, California|Paradise]] and community of Concow were destroyed.<ref>{{cite web |title='Hell on Earth': The First 12 Hours of California's Deadliest Wildfire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/18/us/california-camp-fire-paradise.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118105512/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/18/us/california-camp-fire-paradise.html |archive-date=November 18, 2018 |date=November 18, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>  As of December 13, [[Butte County Sheriff's Department]] reported that at least 6 people died in Concow during the Camp Fire.<ref>{{cite web |title=Many victims of California's worst wildfire were elderly and died in or near their homes, new data show |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-paradise-fire-dead-map-20181213-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214064332/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-paradise-fire-dead-map-20181213-story.html |archive-date=December 14, 2018 |date=December 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> A fallen tree blocked the primary evacuation route from the town and some residents survived by jumping into the creek.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 3, 2019| publisher=Bay Area News Group | work= San Jose Mercury-News |author=Lisa M. Krieger | page=A1|title=When survival means shelter}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|28|sqmi|km2}}, of which, {{convert|27|sqmi|km2}} of it is land and {{convert|0.4|sqmi|km2}} of it (1.4%) is water.

For unknown reasons the community's name was absent from the US Geological Survey files until 1990. Other nearby communities are The Pines (USGS feature ID 268203), and Deadwood (USGS feature ID 1655957).

The community is located off [[California State Route 70|State Route 70]] north of [[Cherokee, California|Cherokee]]. The infrastructure is minimal. There is Concow Elementary School, Concow Dam and Reservoir, and the primary paved access route - Concow Road.

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
|1870= 490
|1990= 1392
|2000= 1095
|2010= 710
|2020= 402
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census by Decade|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br>1850–1870<ref name=1870CensusCA1>{{Cite web|title= 1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Almeda County to Sutter County |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-12.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><ref name=1870CensusCA2>{{Cite web|title= 1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Tehama County to Yuba County  |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-13.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1880-1890<ref name=1890CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1890 Census of Population - Population of California by Minor Civil Divisions |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1890/bulletins/demographics/134-population-of-ca.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1900<ref name=1900CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1900 Census of Population - Population of California by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/bulletins/demographic/10-population-ca.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1910<ref name=1910CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1910 Census of Population - Supplement for California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ca.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1920<ref name=1920CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1920/bulletins/demographics/population-ca-number-of-inhabitants.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1930<ref name=1930CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1930 Census of Population - Number and Distribution of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1930/population-volume-1/03815512v1ch03.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1940<ref name=1940CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch03.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1950<ref name=1950CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-1/vol-01-08.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1960<ref name=1960CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1960 Census of Population - General population Characteristics - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-06-d.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1970<ref name=1970CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1970a_ca1-01.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1980<ref name=1980CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_caAB-01.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1990<ref name=1990CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-6.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
2000<ref name=2000CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-6.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-6.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
}}

The first census of the Concow region was in 1990. At first contact with native peoples in Concow the population was over 1,000, however, it was noted that the population had been higher and the people were sick with [[cholera]]. The 1850 and 1860 populations are largely the Concow people which declined due to massacre and deportation.

=== 2000 ===
The 2000 [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> counted 1,095 people in 571 housing units and forming 319 families. The [[population density]] was 29 people per square mile (11.2/km{{sup|2}}), and a housing density of 15 per square mile (5.9/km{{sup|2}}). Of households, 24 percent included children under the age of 18; half were [[Marriage|married couples]], 8 percent had a female head of household, and 30 percent were non-families; 23 percent were individuals, and of those a third were over 65 years old. The median family income was $41,250, and the [[per capita income]] was $15,829. That placed 27 percent of those under age 18 and 14 percent of the population below the [[Poverty threshold|poverty line]]. The racial makeup was 91 percent White. As individuals, there were, 10 African Americans, 25 Native Americans, and 52 Latinos.

=== 2010 ===
In 2008, the Butte Lightning Complex fire destroyed 308 homes which was 54 percent of the housing.<ref>Roger H. Aylworth $4.3 million grant to help Butte victims of 2008 fires Posted: 12/03/2010 12:13:22 AM PST http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_16767039 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307025440/http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_16767039 |date=2012-03-07 }}</ref> In the 2010 census, "the biggest [regional] percentage drop was in fire-scarred Concow, down 35 percent to a population of 710."<ref>Census: Chico grows, Paradise shrinks, By AP and Staff Reports, Posted: 03/09/2011 12:09:02 AM PST http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_17571516 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307025520/http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_17571516 |date=2012-03-07 }}</ref>

The 2010 [[census]],<ref name="U.S. Census Bureau">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0616035|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715120023/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0616035|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA&nbsp;— Concow CDP|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> counted 710 people in 360 households, forming 178 family units. The [[population density]] was {{convert|26|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}, and the housing density was {{convert|13|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. Of housing units, 30 percent included children under the age of 18. Of family units; 59 percent included children under 18 years old; 82 percent were husband-wife unions. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|racial makeup]] was 85 percent White, as individuals there were 28 Native Americans, and 57 Latinos.

=== 2020 ===
In 2018, the [[Camp Fire (2018)|Camp Fire]] destroyed nearly all of Concow.

The [[2020 United States census|2020 Census]]<ref name="2020 Decennial Census">{{cite web|url=https://data.redding.com/census/total-population/total-population-change/concow-cdp-california/160-0616035/|title=Concow CDP, California Demographics and Housing 2020 Decennial Census }}</ref> counted 402 people in 305 households: a 43% drop. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|racial makeup]] was 78 percent white.

==Economy==

===Historically===
Historically the Concow region supported [[hunter-gatherer]] societies, [[turpentine]] extraction,<ref name="yankeehillhistory.com"/> [[dairy farming]], [[ranch]]ing, [[forestry]], [[water industry|water]] supply, and in the areas outside the granite sands - [[Quartz reef mining]] and related industries. The region is zoned (2010 map) for timber production, 5 to 10ac foothill residential, a small area for 1ac foothill residential, and a couple small areas for commercial.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.buttegeneralplan.net/products/2010-07-02_Draft_ZO/maps/ParadiseConcowYankeeHillStirlingCity_Esize.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-11-30 |archive-date=2012-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426011321/http://www.buttegeneralplan.net/products/2010-07-02_Draft_ZO/maps/ParadiseConcowYankeeHillStirlingCity_Esize.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Informal market===
In the 1980s and 1990s, the CDP became known regionally for a significant domestic product consisting of [[Informal sector|informal market]] production and commerce.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

[[File:Concow Pot Garden 2013.jpg|thumbnail|Typical Concow Pot Garden (2013)]]

Most of the informal market production consists of [[marijuana]] agricultural production. Large irrigated plantations were discovered during the 2008 fire.<ref>{{cite news |title=California fires: The tiny community of Concow was hit hard by the Camp Fire. Residents hope they're not forgotten |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-camp-fire-concow-20181117-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

The 2000 domestic product from legitimate income sources is approximately $17.5 million.  During and after the 2008 fires, an estimated $50 million worth of marijuana was removed, indicating that the region's per-capita income is under-reported. The region's marijuana production is 1/3 of 1% of California's $14 billion (2013) dollar total production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://enr.construction.com/policy/legal/2013/1111-in-california-inspection-of-pot-farms-moves-out-of-the-weeds.asp|title = In California, Inspection of Marijuana Farms Moves Out of the Weeds}}</ref> At the 2010 population of 710, that is a per capita income of $70,000 per person. The 2008 fire burned most of the protective, shaded forest overstory, converting the vegetation to mostly exposed, sunny and hot chaparral.  This changed the microclimate growing conditions, resulting in a drop in crop yields.

===Change in economy===
With the destruction of most unpermitted structures and forest during the 2008 fire, the pattern of residences, commercial land use, informal and formal market industries, and recreational use has changed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le lifestyle des chicos |url=https://www.chicowiki.org/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=Le lifestyle des chicos |language=fr-FR}}</ref> There has not been any large-scale residential development in the Concow region. The baby boomer 'bulge' was expected to result in a steady stream of retirees into the region.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} To date, however, the population has declined despite the retirees.<ref name="U.S. Census Bureau"/>

==Education==
The Concow Elementary School is located in the community.

==Notable people==
* [[Bill Godbout]], early computer pioneer, died during the [[Camp Fire (2018)|Camp Fire]] in 2018.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.yankeehillhistory.com/ Yankee Hill Historical Society]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120722150220/http://yankeehillhistory.com/newsApr07.pdf Concow History]

{{Butte County, California}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in Butte County, California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1856]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in California]]
[[Category:California placenames of Native American origin]]