Special Places

With over 200 species of plants, the arboretum encompasses all 132 acres of the university campus. John Bidwell planted many varieties of trees during his lifetime, and trees continue to be planted on university grounds today. A variety of tours and self-guided walks have been created since the arboretum's inception. One tour follows a path along Big Chico Creek, where native plant restoration has been taking place. The arboretum was dedicated on March 5, 1982 in honor of Dr. Gordon James Van Laan.

Chico State has one of the few campuses that has a creek running year-round through its grounds. Students, staff, faculty, and visitors enjoy the babbling brook every time they cross one of the seven foot bridges that span Big Chico Creek as it flows from the Sierra Nevada foothills, through Bidwell Park, downtown Chico, and the campus, on its way to the Sacramento River.

Built as a Works Progress Administration project in 1938, the amphitheater known as the Bidwell Bowl was one of many ventures in Chico that created work for people during the Depression. Located on the bank of the creek, next to the Physical Science building, the Bidwell Bowl had been used for various gatherings. Concerts, speeches and other activities were held in the amphitheater's early history, but by the 1960s the area had been largely abandoned. Many believe that the construction of new campus buildings in the area deterred people from using the amphitheater. Today Bidwell Bowl is one of the quieter spots on campus.

Located on the north side of Big Chico Creek, near Holt Hall, the Mary Lemcke Camellia Garden was dedicated on Founders Day, April 9, 1969. Mary Lemcke Camellia was a charter member of the Chico State Advisory Board and the University Foundation. She gave over 20 years of service to the University, and the garden commemorates all that she did for Chico State. The garden was created with plants that came from her home, as well as plants from homes that were demolished to make way for university expansion.

In 1953, Loren D. Phillips led the development of the agricultural program at Chico State College. A few years later, a four-year degree program was offered for the first time at the college. Part of the creation of the agricultural program focused on acquiring land for the farm. The first farm was located on 14 acres of land off of Sacramento Avenue. This farmland was rented in 1954 from Native Americans who owned the property. A year later the university farm moved to 440 acres of Diamond Match property. While this land was a valuable asset to the new agriculture program, it was not adequate as a teaching facility.

California State Senator Paul L. Byrne, who graduated from Chico State in 1932 and served in World War II as a marines, led an effort to acquire more farmland for Chico State College in 1957. With his help, the college was granted $500,000 for the purchase of land in the Chico area. Chico State first tried to purchase 588 acres of the Patrick Compton Ranch, but the funds for the purchase were not accessible at the time. Sen. Byrne continued to push for farmland and helped gather more funding for a larger section of property. In 1960, Chico State acquired 644 acres of the Navarra-Hengst Ranch on Hegan Lane. Throughout the 1960s, the farm was developed in three phases with additions of barns, silos, greenhouses, and many other facilities. In 1963, the farm was dedicated as the Paul L. Byrne Memorial Farm, in honor of the senator who made the university farm a reality. Today the farm totals approximately 800 acres.

Paul L. Byrne graduated from Chico State in 1932. He had served in the marines in World War II, and later served as a politician in the state legislature. After his death in 1962, the farm was dedicated in his honor.

The courtyard between Trinity Hall and Kendall Hall was dedicated on June 11, 1979, in honor of history professor William H. Hutchinson. An expert on California and Western United States history—and one of the best historians in the history of Chico State—Hutchinson taught on campus from 1953–1978. He was beloved by students and better known on campus as "Old Hutch." Hutchinson enjoyed the campus atmosphere and often could be found sitting on a bench in the courtyard that now bears his name. During his career, he wrote and edited many books and articles, including the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Oil, Land, and Politics, and the editorial works and biography of Eugene Manlove Rhodes. In 1968, he was honored with the Chico State Distinguished Teacher Award, and he was named Outstanding Professor by the California State University system in 1977. In 2010, he was posthumously inducted into the University's Emeritus and Retired Faculty Staff Association Hall of Honor. 

Located between Selvester's Café and Holt Hall, the bridge was dedicated on October 21, 1961 in memory of Gus Manolis. A great Chico State football coach, Manolis was named "coach of the century" because of his winning record. In 1957, Manolis lost his life, at age 34, while searching for a boy scout lost in the mountains near Mendocino. The bridge was built from funds raised to create a memorial in his honor.

During the spring of 1957, a rose garden was planted behind Trinity Hall. It was planted in the spot where the old cafeteria once stood. The rose garden took four months to develop. Supervising groundskeeper Richard Pessner designed the garden and planted 400 rose bushes. Donated by horticulturalist George F. Petersen, the roses were of many varieties and colors. Petersen wanted to garden beyond his backyard, so he proposed a rose garden for the campus. From 1909 to 1948 Petersen owned Lindo Nursery, and while in retirement his own garden grew to include over 165 types of roses. His love for gardening may have been inherited from his father, who was John Bidwell's groundskeeper. Petersen's rose garden became an instant success. Today, there is a fine for picking roses from the garden.

The Roth Planetarium came into existence in 1975 because of a generous gift from James and Betty Jane Roth. Another generous gift of $340,000 from Betty Jane Roth in 1996 assured the continued operation of the Planetarium up to and beyond the next arrival of Halley's Comet in 2061. The Roth Planetarium has a Spitz 373 projector which projects 1,000 stellar images onto the 14 ft. 8 in. (5 meter) dome.

Harlen Adams Theatre
This theatre complex in the Performing Arts Center is named for Harlen Adams, a distinguished teacher, scholar, university administrator, community leader, and friend of the performing arts.

Ruth Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall
This recital hall is named in honor of Ruth Rowland-Taylor, professor of music and head of the music department from 1929 to 1955.

Larry Wismer Theatre
This theatre in the Performing Arts Center is dedicated to Lawrence H. Wismer, outstanding teacher-director, founder of The Court Theatre, and professor of drama from 1963 to 1980.

Since 1969 and throughout its existence, the Free Speech Area, now called Trinity Commons, has reflected the times. During the Vietnam War years, it was an arena for debate. In the early 1970s, the area became a venue for entertainment, with bands playing several times a week. The 1988–89 school year saw renewed student activism as one group staged several cardboard box sleep-in rallies to bring attention to the plight of the homeless. After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, almost 2,000 people gathered in the Free Speech Area for a memorial. More recently, Occupy Chico State rallies have started here.