Tuesday, September 4, 2018

And That's a Wrap!

Heritage Trail 2018 has come to a close.  We thank everyone who took the time to hop on the Trail, whether you only made it to one of our museums or if you visited all 22.  Once we have gathered all of the Get-Up-And-Go cards and Student Scavenger Hunts from all the participating museums, we'll draw the winners (probably the week of the 17th).

We hope you all had a great time and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

Our next post will be of the Basket and Scavenger Hunt drawing winners!

Monday, June 18, 2018

This Coming Weekend on the Heritage Trail


The Last Weekend of 
Heritage Trail 2018!

August 31st 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
DeWitt History Museum
2985 Richardson Dr., Auburn
530-889-6500  www.placer.ca.gov/museums
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 early history of the area from Nisenan Maidu Indians to early mining and ranching. Special van tours of the historic campus every half hour from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm.
Normal Hours of Operation: Wednesdays Noon – 4:00 pm.


September 1st & 2nd 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Forest Hill Divide Museum
24601 Harrison St., Foresthill
530-367-3988  www.foresthillhistory.org
Watch blacksmiths craft period tools, view exhibits on mining, Native American Heritage, the lumber industry, fires & firefighting and life in the Victorian era.  Hands-on activities for kids, craft and food booths, gold panning demonstrations, and visitors can watch the State Gold Panning championships. Visitors can also enjoy the re-enactments of the Georgetown Regulators. They are combining the Heritage Trail with their annual Heritage Festival.
Memorial Day - Labor Day Saturday and Sunday 12:00-4:00


For the full Heritage Trail calendar and for information on the Student Scavenger Hunt, please scroll to the post below.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

2018 Heritage Trail Guide!



TRAIL CALENDAR

SUMMER LONG ADVENTURE 2018


 22 MUSEUMS - ROSEVILLE TO TAHOE!



Welcome Trail Travelers!
We are glad you decided to join us on the 2018 Heritage Trail Museums Tour. This is the 11th year for the event and 22 museums from Roseville to Tahoe are opening their doors free of charge for certain days throughout the summer. All 22 museums are committed to showcasing history in a fun and entertaining way. For many Trail Travelers, this event has become a family tradition. This year, just as last year, 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 their 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, you can enter a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet, a Kindle Fire or backpacks full of school supplies by completing a student scavenger hunt. Scavenger hunts are available in participating museums or online. Here are links to the three different versions: The Valley Museums, The Foothills Museums, and The Mountain Museums. Parents may help younger students fill in their scavenger hunts.


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 8 stamps on your Get-Up-And-Go card to qualify for a gift basket drawing.



Heritage Trail 2018 Calendar


June 16th  10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Bernhard Museum
291 Auburn Folsom Rd., Auburn
Dive into family-friendly living history fun! Explore vintage toys and wagons. Make a mini fruit crate and rag dolls. Challenge your knuckles—do laundry the old-fashioned way. Dress up in 19th century style and take advantage of multiple photo opportunities. And be sure to refresh your family with watermelon and hand-cranked ice cream!
Normal Hours of Operation: Tuesday–Sunday 11:00-4:00

Benton Welty School Room
1225 Lincoln Way, Auburn
Auburn Grammar School, built in 1915 (now Auburn City Hall), listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Get a rare sense of old school days in a classroom packed with photos, scrapbooks, maps and old school books. Try your hand at string games and penmanship. Young visitors will be engaged with 1916 classroom activities. Enter the free “just for kids” basket drawing. Ample parking behind building. School songs of yesteryear with Clifford Johnson at 1:00 pm!
Normal Hours of Operation: Open by appointment only.

Gold Rush Museum
601 Lincoln Way, Auburn
Pan for gold in our indoor panning stream, tour museum which includes a replica mining tunnel, gold rush era artifacts and play an interactive Gold Rush game. 11:00 am plaque dedication to May Perry, first Placer County Museum Curator.
Normal Hours of Operation: Friday thru Sunday 10:30 – 4:00



June 23rd
Griffith Quarry Museum  8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Corner of Taylor and Rock Springs Roads, Penryn
View exhibits on granite quarrying, the Penryn Granite Works business, the history of Penryn and the Griffith Family.  Hands-on exhibits and a guided tour of the Quarry Park at 8:30 am.
Normal Hours of Operation: Saturday and Sunday 12:00-4:00


Rocklin History Museum 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
3895 Rocklin Rd., Rocklin
916-624-3464  www.rocklinhistory.org
View exhibits on Rocklin pioneers, buildings and granite quarrying plus extensive photographs and interpretation of J.P. Whitney and his land holdings. Granite splitting demonstration at 11:00 am – you can’t miss this!
Normal Hours of Operation: Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday 1:00-4:00



June 30th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Gatekeepers Museum
130 West Lake Blvd., Tahoe City
530-583-1762  www.northtahoemuseums.org
View the Marion Steinbach Indian Basket Collection and exhibits on Tahoe history; special exhibit on the 1960 Winter Olympics; and special activity outside.
Normal Hours of Operation: Daily 10:00-5:00

Watson Cabin
560 North Lake Blvd., Tahoe City
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 with docent-led tours.
Normal Hours of Operation: (summer: Wed-Sun 12-4).



July 7th
Fruitvale School    8:00 am – Noon
3425 Fruitvale Rd., Lincoln
916-769-7959  www.fruitvaleschool.org 
Witness the education that farm children received 100 years ago in a one room school house in rural Lincoln. Experience hands-on Living History activities and be sure to bring your picnic basket and enjoy lunch on the grounds!
Normal Hours of Operation: Open by appointment only.

Sierra College Natural History Museum   10:00 am - Noon
5000 Rocklin Rd., Rocklin
Enjoy exhibits on contemporary nature in our region as well as fossils of life that lived millions of years ago. Special program on sharks during their Heritage Trail!
Normal Hours of Operation: Open when school is in session; first Saturday of the month 10:00 am - Noon.



July 14th  10:00 am – 4:00 pm 
Placer County Museum (Historic Courthouse)
101 Maple St., Auburn
Overview of Placer County history, Pate Collection of American Indian Artifacts, gold collection, restored Sheriff’s Office, Women’s Jail with Alma Bell, Placer County authors table and the Placer County Genealogical Society will offer guidance on family history research.
Normal Hours of Operation: Daily 10:00-4:00

Gold Country Medical History Museum
219 Maple St., Auburn
Restored Victorian building is on the site of the original Placer County hospital. See medical, dental and nursing implements, equipment, furnishings, pharmaceuticals, ephemera, and a collection of “quackery”. They offer demonstrations of quackery, tours and interpretation of artifacts.
Normal Hours of Operation: Saturdays 11:00-3:00, April-October.

The Joss House Museum and Chinese History Center
200 Sacramento St., Auburn
530-823-0375
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. Open Saturdays 10:30-4:00



 July 21st
The Wheatland History Museum 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
111 Main St. Wheatland, CA
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. Open 1st and 3rd Saturdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Lincoln Area Archives Museum   10:00 am – 4:00 pm
640 Fifth St., Lincoln
916-645-3800  www.laamca.org
View Nisenan artifacts, Gladding McBean & Co. photographs, a gold scale from the Van Trent Mine, military uniforms and artifacts and Chinese baskets.  Also on display are a restored buggy and a grain scale from the local Walter Jansen & Son.  Miss Katy will be showing off her fabulous late 1800s kitchen and come see the Lincoln Depot replica – it’s wonderful!. Beverages and cookies available.
Normal Hours of Operation: Tuesday through Saturday 11:00-3:00.



July 28th   10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Colfax Area Heritage Museum
99 Railroad St., Colfax
530-346-8599  www.colfaxhistory.org
Experience exhibits on the history of the railroad, gold mining, pioneer life, as well as collections of Maidu Indian and Chinese artifacts. Drinks and snacks will be available.  Enter a drawing for books on Donner Pass and Railroads of Placer County by local authors Roger Stabb and Jack Duncan.
Normal Hours of Operation: 9:30 -3:00 Monday-Saturday

Golden Drift Museum
32820 Main St., Dutch Flat
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.
Guided walking tour of Dutch Flat at 10:00am followed by Cemetery Tour at 11:30am.  In celebration of the Lincoln Highway and Highway 40 there will be a handout available with a map and list of local points of interest where the routes run through this area.
Free refreshments.
Normal Hours of Operation: Memorial Day- thru the end of September: Friday – Sunday 12:00-4:00 (open summer holidays)

Donner Summit Historical Society Museum
21501 Donner Pass Rd., Soda Springs
Donner Summit is the richest historical area in California: first wagon trains, first transcontinental railroad, highway, telephone line, and air route. Lincoln Highway and Historic Highway 40 talk by Norm Saylor at 1:30 pm.
Normal Hours of Operation: Saturday and Sunday 10:00-4:00



August 4th  10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Maidu Museum & Historic Site
1970 Johnson Ranch Dr., Roseville
Explore site where Valley Nisenan Maidu Indians lived for thousands of years; discover native plants and over 400 bedrock-grinding holes; experience unique and rare sandstone petroglyphs; 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, arrowheads and snacks & drinks.
Normal Hours of Operation: Saturdays 9:00-4:00

Roseville Telephone Museum
106 Vernon St., Roseville
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 not only rare telephones, but also a demonstration of an early switchboard.
Normal Hours of Operation: First Saturday of the month 10:00-2:00.

Roseville Historical Society Carnegie Museum
557 Lincoln St., Roseville
The Roseville Historical Society's Carnegie Museum and Archives is filled with artifacts and ephemera of Roseville's past! We highlight our train display, a massive "N" gauge model railroad depicting Roseville's Old Town and peeks into our turn-of-the-century past. We also feature the pioneer Roseville Fiddyment family, beginning with matriarch Elizabeth Jane and the next several generations who worked the land and used its resources to make a living. The feature display this year is “A Walk Through Time on Vernon Street” which traces the history of Roseville evolving from a railroad town to the exciting, bustling city it is today!
Normal Hours of Operation: Tuesday thru Friday 12:00- 4:00; 1st Saturdays 10:00-2:00.



August 11th& 12th  9:30 am
Donner Summit Hike.
On this, our seventh year, we're going to tour mostly on the north side of Old Highway 40, Donner Pass Rd. Of course the walk will be illustrated with dozens of historic photographs and lots of stories.

This year will be very ambitious for the number of stories to tell. We’ll be starting at the Donner Ski Ranch parking lot and talking about Tunnel 6, the Summit Hotel and the railroad facilities right there. Then we’ll cross Donner Pass Rd. and talk about Sierra Junipers, the transcontinental air route (and the remains of the weather station buildings where there is a GREAT view), the Catfish Pond or Maiden’s Retreat (above), the idea that the north side of Old 40 was the Emigrant Trail and possible proof, the recent report of cadaver dogs and Donner Party, down and around to Old 40, Donner Pass Rd. and across to the petroglyphs, China Wall, up the old Lincoln Highway to the PCT trailhead, and back to the start.

Do not consider going on this hike unless you are nimble because there are parts where we’ll have to scramble over some rocks since there is no trail. Meet at 9:30 am each day at the Donner Ski Ranch parking lot (19320 Donner Pass Road) and bring a hat, good shoes, sunscreen, water, camera, lunch, and curiosity.



August 31st 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
DeWitt History Museum
2985 Richardson Dr., Auburn
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 early history of the area from Nisenan Maidu Indians to early mining and ranching. Special van tours of the historic campus every half hour from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm.
Normal Hours of Operation: Wednesdays Noon – 4:00 pm.


September 1st & 2nd 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Forest Hill Divide Museum
24601 Harrison St., Foresthill
530-367-3988  www.foresthillhistory.org
Watch blacksmiths craft period tools, view exhibits on mining, Native American Heritage, the lumber industry, fires & firefighting and life in the Victorian era.  Hands-on activities for kids, craft and food booths, gold panning demonstrations, and visitors can watch the State Gold Panning championships. Visitors can also enjoy the re-enactments of the Georgetown Regulators. They are combining the Heritage Trail with their annual Heritage Festival.
Memorial Day - Labor Day Saturday and Sunday 12:00-4:00








Museum Calendar of Events Outside of Heritage Trail


North Lake Tahoe Historical Society (530-583-1762)
July 8th   Gathering at the Gatekeeper’s annual fundraiser and Silent &am Live Auction  4:00 pm – 8:00 pm $75 (members) or $85 (non-members)
130 West Lake Blvd., Tahoe City

Aug. 26th   Native American Weaver’s Market  10:00 am – 4:00 pm (FREE)


Placer County Museums (530-889-6500)

Aug. 17th  Grand Opening of the Gold Rush Museum 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm (FREE)
601 Lincoln Way, Auburn

Sept. 15th Community Education program: “Beyond a Miracle, Creating California’s              Empire of Agriculture” Film presented by Bill George at the Bernhard Museum Winery at 1:00 pm.
291 Auburn Folsom Road, Auburn




Get-Up-And-Go Cards
You can pick-up your Get-Up-And-Go cards at the first Heritage Trail Day (June 16th) from the Bernhard Museum, Benton Welty School Room or the Gold Rush Museum.  After that day, you can pick up Get-Up-And-Go cards from any participating museum.  You can pick up cards and get them stamped on any day the museum is open throughout the summer.  This year, it will take 8 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. 
   


Thank You to our Sponsors!




Parlor #59 (Auburn) and Parlor #63 (Lincoln)





Thursday, April 26, 2018

What is the Heritage Trail?

The Heritage Trail is a summer-long road trip through history where 22 museums throughout Placer County open their doors admission free for one special day.  To make it easier to see all the history our county has to offer, only small geographic clusters of museums will have their "Heritage Trail Day" on a given Saturday throughout the summer (see schedule in post below).  The event kicks off in Auburn with the Bernhard Museum, Benton-Welty Schoolroom and the Gold Rush Museum on June 16th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. 

Most museums will have special activities for the whole family to enjoy.  Keep checking this blog for our 2018 Trail Guide which should be posted in the next couple weeks.

Pick up a Get-Up-And-Go card at any participating museum and get it stamped at each museum you visit.  Once you have eight stamps, you can turn it in for a drawing for one of three Gift Baskets!

This year we'll once again have a student Scavenger Hunt!  You can pick up the Scavenger Hunts at any participating museum or download from the Placer County Museums homepage.  Each Scavenger Hunt will have ten questions, but students only need to answer seven.  Once they have seven answered, they can turn it it for a drawing to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet, a Kindle Fire or one of three backpacks filled with school supplies.

Monday, April 23, 2018

Heritage Trail 2018

Heritage Trail 2018 is coming!  Here are the dates for our clusters of museums:


June 16th 
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Bernhard Museum (Auburn)
Benton Welty School Room (Auburn)
The Gold Rush Museum (Auburn)


June 23rd 
8:00 am - Noon
Griffith Quarry Museum (Penryn)

10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Rocklin History Museum (Rocklin)


June 30th
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Gatekeepers Museum (Tahoe City)
Watson Cabin (Tahoe City)


July 7th
8:00 am - Noon
Fruitvale School (Lincoln)

10:00 am - Noon
Sierra College Natural History Museum (Rocklin)


July 14th
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Placer County Museum (Auburn)
Gold Country Medical History Museum (Auburn)
Auburn Chinese Joss House (Auburn)


July 21st
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Lincoln Area Archives Museum (Lincoln)

10:00 am - 2:00 pm
The Wheatland History Museum (Wheatland)


July 28th
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Colfax Area History Museum (Colfax)
Golden Drift Museum (Dutch Flat)
Donner Summit Historical Society Museum (Norden)


August 4th
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Roseville Historical Society Carnegie Museum (Roseville)
Roseville Telephone Museum (Roseville)
Maidu Museum & Historic Site (Roseville)


August 11th & 12th
9:30 am
Donner Summit History Hike
Meet at the Donner Ski Ranch parking lot.

August 31st
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
DeWitt History Museum (Auburn)


September 1st & 2nd
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Forest Hill Divide Museum (Foresthill)


Keep checking back as some details may change until we publish our Trail Guide.