Legends never die
The ride of your life isn’t a roller coaster
Idaho County’s most famous woman:
Bemis was born in rural northern China Sept. 11, 1853. The story is, when she was 18, there was a prolonged drought, during which her father sold her to bandits for two much-needed bags of seed.
In 1872, Bemis was smuggled into the United States and sold as a slave in San Francisco for $2,500.
The Historical Museum at St. Gertrude in Cottonwood offers an extensive Polly Bemis display that is among one of their most popular visiting stations.
How Bemis gained her freedom from her Chinese captor is uncertain. According to academic Priscilla Wegars, her Chinese owner helped her gain her freedom. In mid-1880, the census listed her as living with saloon owner and fiddler Charlie Bemis (1848–1922), who befriended her when she first arrived in Warren, located on the outskirts of Idaho County, and protected her from unwanted advances. Charlie’s “fearless personality, coupled with his skill at shooting, enabled him to maintain order without getting into trouble.” On August 13, 1894, Bemis married Charlie Bemis,
go there:
weneeddirectionstomonaest ary
Don’t forget:
Anything. Stop here for supplies before your remote trip.
