TRAIL
CALENDAR
SUMMER LONG ADVENTURE 2024
28 MUSEUMS - ROSEVILLE TO TAHOE!
Welcome Trail Travelers!
We are glad you decided to join us on the 2024 Heritage Trail Museums Tour. This is the 15th year for the event and 28 museums from Roseville to Tahoe/Truckee are opening their doors free of charge for certain days throughout the summer. All 28 museums are committed to showcasing history in a fun and entertaining way. For many Trail Travelers, this event has become a family tradition. Geographic clusters of museums will have their Heritage Trail event on certain Saturdays throughout the summer. This way you have the whole summer to visit participating museums.
If you can’t make it on a museums’ Heritage Trail Day, you can visit them during their regular hours of operation and still get your Get-Up-And-Go cards stamped! All museums have free admission on their Heritage Trail Day (see calendar below). If you visit them on any other day, you will have to pay admission if applicable.
Whether you are from Auburn, Reno, San Francisco, or Boston, please enjoy this opportunity to take a trip back in time and get a better understanding of Placer County’s rich and colorful history. Each museum on the tour is unique. Aside from immersing yourselves in history, you will enjoy the variety of settings at each museum. If you are a student entering K thru 12th grade in the fall of 2024, you can enter a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet, a Kindle Fire or backpacks full of school supplies by picking up a Student Scavenger hunt card in a participating museum. Complete the scavenger hunt at four museums and collect four stamps and you can enter the drawing!
Please read the calendar on the following pages. Thanks again for joining us. We hope you have a great time!
Ralph Gibson
Placer County Museums Administrator
Chairperson, The Heritage Trail
TRAIL TIPS
THE FOLLOWING TRAIL TIPS WILL HELP YOU PLAN YOUR ADVENTURE.
· For questions about The Heritage Trail, please call 530-889-6500.
· Eating, drinking and smoking are not permitted in the museums.
· Leave pets at home.
· You’ll want to bring your camera. Inquire at each museum for flash photography guidelines.
· Be sure to pick up your FREE Get Up & Go card at the first museum you visit.
· If you can’t make it to a museum on their Heritage Trail Day, please visit them during regular hours of operation.
· This year it will take 4 stamps on your Get-Up-And-Go card to qualify for a gift basket drawing.
Heritage Trail 2024 Calendar
June 1st 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Maidu Museum & Historic Site
Learn about the Nisenan, Konkow Maidu and Mountain Maidu tribes’ history and culture at the Maidu Museum. Discover native plants and over 400 bedrock-grinding holes and rare rock carvings. There will be hand-on children’s activities, guided tours at 10:00 and 1:00, and an Indigenous art gallery. Gift Shop offers a wide selection of books about Native Californians, handmade jewelry, minerals, and arrowheads.
Roseville Telephone Museum
The Roseville Telephone Museum has one of the most extensive collections of antique telephones and memorabilia in the nation. The exhibits in the 4,500 square-foot museum chronicle and celebrate more than a century of communications technology in Roseville as well as nationally and internationally. A visit to the Roseville Telephone Museum makes a fun and educational family outing, a great school field trip or a group sight-seeing tour destination. Our museum docents are current and retired employees who are passionate about telephone history and volunteer their time to share it with visitors of all ages. Presented by Consolidated Communications, this museum offers rare collectible and historical telephones, a working telegraph, and hands-on demonstrations of an early switchboard.
June 8th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Bernhard Museum
Dive into family-friendly living history fun! See vintage toys and wagons before exploring different Living History Stations. Do laundry the old-fashioned way, build a replica fruit crate, and make crafts with the whole family.
Benton Welty School Room
The Benton Welty Historic Classroom is housed in the old Auburn Grammar School, now the Auburn City Hall. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
Join us for a rare sense of time-gone-by in this little gem from our past. See how students experienced a typical school day in the days before computers and electronics. Slate boards and chalk will let visitors share the experience. Dip a quill pen in an inkwell and practice your handwriting the old-fashioned way. Enter the free drawing for a “just for kids” basket. City Hall will be open for a Family Scavenger Hunt and an Art Exhibit.
In the back parking lot there will be an antique fire truck, pumper, new fire truck, an antique police car and a kiosk with information. Parking is behind the building. The classroom is on the second floor, room 5.
Gold Rush Museum
Pan for gold in our indoor panning stream, tour museum which includes a replica mining tunnel, gold rush era artifacts, a Gold Rush Twitter wall, Ghost Town and play an interactive Gold Rush game.
June 15th
The Wheatland History Museum 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
The primary purpose of the Wheatland Historical Society is to discover, collect, preserve, and disseminate knowledge concerning the history of the Wheatland area in the County of Yuba and the State of California.
Lincoln Area Archives Museum 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Witness the education that farm children received 100 years ago in a one room schoolhouse in rural Lincoln. Experience hands-on Living History activities and be sure to bring your picnic basket and enjoy lunch on the grounds!
June 22nd
Griffith Quarry Museum 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
View exhibits on granite quarrying, the Penryn Granite Works business, the history of Penryn and the Griffith Family. Inside are two great hands-on exhibits and a kid’s art activity will be offered all day!
Rocklin History Museum 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
June 29th
Placer County Museum (Historic Courthouse) 10:00 – 4:00 pm
Experience Placer County’s history! See the historic gold collection, restored Sheriff’s Office, Women’s Jail with Alma Bell, and take a photo with our wanted poster. A free kid’s craft will be available all day, and the Placer County Genealogical Society will be on hand to offer guidance on family history research.
Western States Trail Museum 10:00 – 4:00 pm
The Western States Trail Museum (WSTM) will serve as a testament to the trail's significance across Native American, Gold Rush, and modern-day eras. Exhibits will include local pioneers, miners, and immigrants who helped shape the American West. Visitors will be able to explore the history of this iconic trail, from its origins as a lifeline for indigenous communities to its contemporary allure, including renowned sporting events such as the Tevis Cup Ride and Western States Endurance Run. Join us in our new space to get a preview of our plans, and what’s to come! Our entrance is located at the side suite of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce building.
Auburn Joss House 10:00 – 4:00 pm
Built in the early 1920s by Charles Yue, leader of local Tong association and community steward for the Auburn Chinese population, the “Joss House” began as a boarding house but was soon converted to the Ling Ying Association (Brave Heroes) meeting place. Here the (c.1880) original Altar was transferred from a previous joss house and placed into service. ‘Charlie’ also established Auburn’s only Chinese school where his children and others of the community could learn to read, write and translate Chinese, as well as study the history and culture of China. The “Joss House” also served as a meeting place and a hostel for transient Chinese from the early 1920s to the late 1960s.
Auburn Journal Newspaper Museum 10:00 – 3:00 pm
View vintage newspaper printing presses, tools, and learn how these were used to produce early issues of the Auburn Journal.
July 13th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Golden Drift Museum
Visit the best-preserved Gold Rush town in Placer County. View exhibits on nearby towns, hydraulic mining, the railroad, the Towle Lumber Company, the Maidu Indians, and the Chinese. A large collection of historic photographs will help you experience Dutch Flat in its heyday.
Guided walking tour of Dutch Flat at 10:00am (1 hour) followed by Cemetery Tour at 11:30am (1.5 hours). Wear sensible shoes (no sandals for the Cemetery Tour) and bring a hat and water. Open House at a few of the original buildings in town from 1:00 – 3:00. Free refreshments.
Colfax Area Heritage Museum
Experience exhibits on the history of the railroad, gold mining, pioneer life, as well as collections of Maidu Indian and Chinese artifacts. There will be live music and tours of the Placer-Sierra Railroad Heritage Society caboose with railroad equipment and history displays.
July 27th 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
DeWitt History Museum
View exhibits on the history of the DeWitt Government Center from its inception as a World War II Army Hospital, its use as a State Mental Hospital and finally its use as a Placer County Government Center. Displays will also cover the use of German Prisoners of War from nearby Camp Flint and the Internment of Japanese Americans.
Historic DeWitt General Army Hospital Chapel
Explore the history of the DeWitt Chapel, first completed in 1943 as part of the DeWitt General Hospital complex and later used for the State Hospital. During the Heritage Trail event, visitors can view the chapel’s original 1942 plans, historic photographs, and archival documents.
Gatekeepers Museum
From 1:00 – 3:00 pm there will be live music on the front patio and refreshments as part of the Tahoe City Days celebration! View the Marion Steinbach Native American Basket Collection and exhibits on Tahoe history; Pomin Dinghy; Black Bears; and exhibits on Tahoe maritime and resort history as well as pop culture and natural history.
Watson Cabin
Built in 1909 by Robert Watson as a wedding present for his son, the Watson Cabin is the oldest building constructed onsite in Tahoe City and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. View pioneer artifacts from early Tahoe City history.
August 10th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Museum of Truckee History
View exhibits on the Native Americans who settled in the area, the construction and development of the Transcontinental Railroad, logging, ice, California’s first lager beer, and the development of local recreation including the 1960 Winter Olympics. This is a brand-new museum, so be sure to visit us anytime – especially on our Heritage Trail Day!
Truckee Railroad Museum
Inside the museum are stories, pictures, recreations, and railroad artifacts depicting the impact of railroads in the formation and development of Truckee. The First Transcontinental Railroad, Logging Railroads, and Tourism by Rail all played an important part in Truckee’s history.
Truckee Old Jail Museum
View exhibits on the history of the jail and a wide variety of local artifacts and photographs. You will see relics from other important industries including lumbering, box manufacturing and ice harvesting. Other exhibits pay tribute to the film industry, which thrived in Truckee during the 1920's along with gambling and bootlegging. Also exhibited are artifacts from the Truckee's early winter sports era, including early skiing equipment.
August 17th 9:00 am
Summit Tunnel Conservation Association Hike
Once the parking lot is full, overflow parking will be at Donner Ski Ranch just to the west on Donner Pass Road. The hike will cover the history of the area with an emphasis on the Chinese laborers who built the Transcontinental Railroad over the pass. Learn about the efforts to recognize this site as a National Historic Landmark. Bring a lunch, water, wear good hiking shoes and sunscreen and/or a hat.
August 31st 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Forest Hill Divide Museum
September 7th 10:00 am – Noon
Sierra College Natural History Museum
Come join Sierra College professors, Museum staff, and scientists for a fun, open-house science workshop geared toward all ages. Docent-led tours of the Museum are offered, as well as games, crafts, and snacks. Events typically occur on the first Saturday each month from 10:00 to noon.
Donner Summit Historical Society’s 20 Mile Museum and History Hub
Though their museum is closed this year for renovations, the Donner Summit Historical Society invites you to learn their history. While you are in the Truckee/Tahoe/Donner Summit area visit the 20 Mile Museum with 50 interpretive signs from Auburn to Truckee. Each has a story, the history of the spot, a map, and things to do right there. Donner Summit Brochures are available at the Welcome Center in Truckee and the Visitors’ Center in Tahoe City.
The brochure can also be downloaded at: http://www.donnersummithistoricalsociety.org/pages/20MileMuseum.html
Get-Up-And-Go Cards
You can pick-up your Get-Up-And-Go cards the first Heritage Trail Day (June 1st) at any participating museum. You can get them stamped on any day the museum is open throughout the summer, not just on their special Heritage Trail Day. This year, it will take just 4 stamps on your card to enter the drawing for a gift basket. Please remember that you can only play one Get-Up-And-Go card at a time. You are free to start another card once you have turned in a fully stamped card. Cards must be turned in by 4:00 pm by September 8th at any participating museum to qualify for the drawings.
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