TAKING A WALK THROUGH TIME
OROVILLE >> On the top floor of a Victorian building was Mamie Guthrie’s business. In the 1920s, men from logging companies would come down the mountainside and utilize her services, which erred on the side of promiscuity. Guthrie was well liked by the Oroville community. She was especially liked by Bill Colgot, a frequent visitor of her brothel. He fell madly in love with her. Emphasis on the “madly.”
Guthrie didn’t reciprocate feelings for him. Time after time, she rejected him. So, the heartbroken Colgot walked down the road to Gray Nurse Hardware and bought a knife. At the landing of the staircase leading up to Guthrie’s tower, he stabbed her to death.
This story, along with many more, were shared by Daniel Ballard during a Downtown Oroville Walking Tour on Saturday night.
The story, however, doesn’t end there. Colgot was sent to San Quentin State Prison in the Bay Area to be executed. For his last meal, he requested nothing but tea and, oddly enough, a deck of playing cards. Using his tea heater, flammable paint on the cards, cotton from his pillow and pieces of metal from his bed, he built a bomb. It’s unknown whether he was trying to break out of prison, or break out of this world.
Tour guide Ballard told the tale from the corner of Bird and Huntoon streets, where Guthrie’s brothel used to be. He took tourists all over downtown Oroville. The 22-year old’s interest in the history of the area began when he first moved to here in 2010. As a 14-yearold eighth grader at Nelson Avenue Middle School, he was assigned to do a history project on local buildings.
“I just got really interested. You can feel and touch and explore history that’s local because it’s right there in front of you and accessible,” the 22-year-old said.
He started volunteering at the Ehmann Home when he was 15. From there, he met different local historians and became a member of the Butte County Historical Society.
During Christmastime of 2019, lights were strung on storefronts. It was voted that they should be kept up yearround.
“I took some walks in the evening hours downtown and realized it was like a different world. With the lights on, it was like going on a walk through Downtown Disney,” Ballard observed.
That got him thinking that a walking tour could be a good idea. On Saturday night, as the brisk breeze blew, he spoke of love affairs, triumphs, downfalls and more. Here are just a few of the many historical facts Ballard shared on Saturday night.
After moving to Hollywood, Marylan Nash was discovered by Charlie Chaplin by a hotel pool.
“It’s not the Charlie Chaplin we remember, the comedian from silent films. He was making these grand movies with a lot of dialogue,” Ballard said. “(Nash) was in the film and she did amazingly.”
The actress married a doctor in Oroville and was influential in starting the Birdcage Theatre. Oroville’s theater and film history is extensive. While standing at the intersection of Robinson and Huntoon streets,
Ballard described a movie scene that took place right there. Many shots in “The Klansman” feature Oroville scenery. However, some drama broke out in the 70s while filming was still happening.
One of the stars of the film, Richard Burton, was accompanied by his wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor. Burton gave a ring to a young waitress who worked at the restaurant now known as Cornucopia.
He did this after Taylor had written a love letter to him for their anniversary. When Taylor learned about the ring, she switched hotels so she could get away from her husband.
One of the most historic hotels in the area is the Oroville Inn. Walter Higgins built it in the 1930s. The designers traveled all the way to Europe to find inspiration in the architecture there. Things were going well. However, partway through construction, the stock market crashed. Many members of the community had purchased
stock in the construction. They pressed Higgins to make a decision: build the rest of the hotel cheaply or stop where he was at. He went with the latter. The hotel has one wing, but was supposed to have another.
Along the tour, Ballard pointed out several murals on Bird Street, one of which depicts a holdup held by Black Bart, an infamous outlaw. Rumor has it, a story came out about a fictional bandit at around the same time Black Bart was in this area. The outlaw took the name as his own. Another mural depicts
Thomas Edison, who had an office for all of his business dealings in Oroville.
Chico has many murals dedicated to its founding father, John Bidwell. Oroville, however, does not. Not all residents even know who the founder is. The city was named by James Burt around 1855. He had originally called it Ophir, but later learned that name had been taken. He, however, is not the founding father. Captain Ralph Bird is. Bird Street is named after him.
“I would say they did that in honor of him, but
he was the one to lay out and name the streets, so he named it after himself,” Ballard joked.
Downtown Oroville Walking Tours take place monthly. Specifically, at 6 p.m. on the first Saturday following the First Friday events. Ballard has different variations of the route planned so each tour can be a bit different than the last. Ehmann Home, the C.F. Lott Historic Home, the Oroville State Theatre, and more are discussed during these tours.
In the future, Ballard hopes to get homeowners of Bird Street involved by opening their Victorian
homes for the tour and dressing as the people who originally built them. The tours are free, but donations or tips are accepted. Next month, Ballard hopes to go along the levee, visit the Train Depot and go through Miner’s Alley. He’s hopeful that history in the area will be maintained for years to come.
“After half a century of business owners who weren’t as interested in the history, it’s nice to see this new group of business owners,” Ballard said, “who care about the history of their buildings and realize there’s value in them.”