Bowdish, Gideon

Gideon Bowdish, born in New York on July 13, 1833, was an early settler of Central Colony in Fresno County who first arrived in California in 1862. Accompanied by his wife, Jenette Smiles, he initially spent four years placer mining at Scott Bar in Siskiyou County before returning east to New York via the Isthmus of Panama. After farming in his native state for fifteen years, he returned to California in 1882 to purchase and improve land in Fresno County. He later operated a blacksmith shop in the city of Fresno, moved to Oregon for a brief period in horticulture, and eventually traveled to Alaska in 1898 to engage in mining. His health became impaired during his Alaskan travels, and he ultimately passed away on January 12, 1908, at his home on Glenn Avenue in Fresno.

His wife, Jenette Smiles, whom he married in Rochester, New York, on October 17, 1860, was the daughter of Dr. John Smiles and Isabella Wilson, both natives of Scotland. Following her husband’s death, Mrs. Bowdish continued to reside at the family homestead at 363 Glenn Avenue, where she retained a clear memory of the early days in the state. Together, the couple raised two sons, Percival and John Smiles Bowdish, who both grew up to become successful ranchers in Kerman, California. The family history connects early Massachusetts merchants and eminent Scottish physicians to the pioneering agricultural growth of Fresno County.