The "Her"story of Fiddyment

In 1850, Elizabeth Jane Crawford Fiddyment departed Illinois with her two-year-old son, bound for California to join her husband Walter who had gone west for the Gold Rush. Mother and son traveled by rail to New York and by clipper ship to the Isthmus of Panama, where they hiked overland before boarding another ship for the sail up the Pacific Coast.

Elizabeth arrived in California, only to discover that Walter had passed away during her trip. Undeterred, she decided to stay on. She worked her husband's land and, when the area’s homesteaders began leaving to return East, she purchased their parcels. Within years, she had amassed 15,000 acres, encompassing all of Lincoln and West Roseville. Her neighbors included the Whitneys and Kasebergs, two of southern Placer County's founding families and largest landowners.  Four generations of Fiddyments would grow up on Elizabeth's land, raising livestock and tending to the orchards and crops.  Portions of the original Fiddyment homestead are still intact and will be included in the community’s regional park.