Museum News

TO THINK ABOUT

An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't. --- Anatole France

Your Museum at Work

September 9: Our silver Jubilee was a rousing success, with the entertainment, crafts, exhibit, antique appraisals, raffle and all the fun activities that have become Museum tradition. Rumor has it that there were so many fire trucks lined up out front that some folks thought we had some kind of emergency - but it was because the Los Molinos Volunteer Fire Department organized our children's activities, yet still had to be at the ready in case they were called to duty. Another new feature this year was the great increase in participation by crafters out in Habert Park.

October 21: The Museum sold its famous "36 Lady" prune cake at the Dairyville Orchard Festival. Attendance was a little off this year, but those who came seemed to appreciate the Museum's traditional dessert. According to Chris Bauer, who was selling books in the Author's booth, a couple of his cohorts downed two loaves right on the spot, and came back to us for more!

October 26: The 2nd through 5th graders from Bend School visited the Museum. The tour began with Paul Quinn demonstrating how folks lived in Tehama County, reading handwritten letters by candlelight and lantern. (Don't try this at home, kids!) Then, the children were divided up into three groups, with Ruth Britt guiding them downstairs, Karen Bacquet upstairs, and Paul giving tour of the outside and the jail. According to Paul, the unfinished annex was a real hit with the youngsters! Upstairs, the most popular item was the fossils, especially those that the kids were allowed to touch.

A warm thank-you to Delight Carter and the other teachers, instructional aides, and parents from Bend. I especially appreciated the class that brought in booklets with questions to be filled out - an activity which kept the students involved with the tour.

November 14: The North San Juan RV Club came all the way from the Grass Valley area to visit our Museum. Paul Quinn and Ruth Britt guided 18 adults on the tour

Upcoming Events

The Museum is again hosting the California Retired Teacher's Association luncheon on June 12, from 11:00-1:00, this year. As always, Ruth Britt will need members to donate salads for the event.

The Museum is especially pleased to celebrate Archaeology Month by having Greg White come and speak at the Museum Annex on May 20th at 1 p.m. about the excavation of a Native American rockshelter at Payne's Creek. Dr. White is Director of the Archaeology Research Program at CSU, Chico.

The City of Tehama and the Museum are currently working on plans for a centennial celebration for Tehama in July. As of this writing, plans include a picnic and horseshoe tournament - but stay tuned for announcements and details!

And, of course, it's never too early to start thinking about the 24th annual Jubilee, which has been set for September 9 this year. We especially want to give the head's-up to any cooks and crafters who plan to sell items at Judy's Country Store this year.

Ramblings - by Sourdough Paul

Got a passel of things to say. See what happens when the water's down an' an old prospector can't pan!

On history: Buildings hold history; they tell a story if you listen close enough. When they get tore down, there goes much of that history. Looks like the Cone home got the bulldozer treatment. I call it "California remodeling".

To you folks not familiar, the Cone family were big land owners in the early part of the last century. Cattle ranchers. Mr. Cone put his money into Red Bluff and lived outside town. You can see his holdings on the 1908 plot map at the courthouse. He had parcels all over the east side of the river. Him and a fella named Kimball built themselves a large business building on Main and Walnut, classic Victorian. A landmark in the town; it burnt down. Now his home out on 99E is gone. With the buildings, there goes the history. More later.

On voting: I got a rule: Go to the precinct that has the biggest kitchen. The workers get busy (read: distracted), and if you hang around long enough you can fill a gunny sack with vittles. After all, the poll workers have to be fed . . . and so do I. You might vote on the way out.

On the correct candidate: Vote for the guy who is made out to be a crook. He's more honest in the long run than his accuser. Look at the accuser - he probably appears on TV with one of those hundred-dollar haircuts, and surrounded by admiring kids. The kids are hired actors, and as to that expensive haircut, he's living' the high life and now wants you to keep payin' for it.

On Veteran's Day: It was called Armistice Day for the time the cannons stopped firing in WWI. But in '54 President Dwight David Eisenhower changed the name to honor all vets who sacrificed for us. He saw many soldiers die, you see. So let you and me "fight" for them by electing people who will better the vet's benefits and care.

On Thanksgiving: I'm very thankful the price of turkeys has gone down. Now, when I'm feelin' neighborly, and borrow one from my neighbor's patio barbecue, it won't cost him so much to replace it.

On Christmas: Praise Jesus! - the rest don't matter none.

Secretary's Message

The Museum, in accordance with its bylaws, Art. III, Sect.1, hereby gives notice of its Annual Meeting, which will be held on January 7, 2007 at 2 p.m., at the Museum, 275 C Street, Tehama. At that time, officers will be elected by the board, and members can nominate individuals to sit on the board. Of course, members are also welcome to attend board meetings at any time throughout the year, generally held at 4:00 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month.

Thanks to all of you for your kind support through your membership renewals. This is the financial element that keeps the Museum open and serving the public at no cost. Visitors can come and learn and perhaps be inspired at no cost. We are there for school tours, and any other group, at no cost. Now isn't that a worthwhile effort? Thank you.

A big thanks to Neville Mullins, our membership chair diligently pursuing that task and giving it new life.

Also, the Museum will close for its winter break on November 19, and reopen again February 9.

Paul Quinn

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Curator's Corner
by Darrell E. Mullins, Curator

(Kyoo-ra'ter's) A person having the care and superintendence of anything; and overseer, manager, or steward----a keeper or custodian, especially one of a museum, library or the like.

(Kor-ner) An awkward position, from which escape is difficult… THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

The Exhibit celebrating the 100th year birthday of Tehama was installed prior to the Jubilee this year and has been well received. It contains many photographs and artifacts from Tehama.

One of the paintings is of a "Soiled Dove" as Maggie Bauer was so fond of calling her. The painting is of a nude female that hung behind the bar at the Moon Saloon in Tehama.

She is reminiscent of the style that Maxfield Parrish used in his famous illustrations and oil paintings from 1903 to 1958, and was displayed in all her natural beauty during and after the Jubilee to little comment about her state of undress. But when we scheduled a tour from an elementary school the Board was faced with a dilemma do we shroud the possible offending body or not from the eyes of curious school children.

The Board struggled with the decision for almost an hour. Many opinions were expressed----art for arts sake, freedom of speech----we are a private nonprofit answerable to no public agency! We were all aware that a teacher in Texas lost her job over a similar experience, making note that we have two teachers on our board, all of us realizing that teachers must get permission from parents for field trips and that there was no fore warning about the potential nudity.

We set aside our personal beliefs to acquiesce to an "apparent" higher good. As curator it was my job to cover the offending regions of the painting. Rather than draping the artwork in a feeble attempt to make it a more artistic censorship I used black strips of foamcore board in classic police gazette fashion to draw attention to the obvious.

Ahh----- the sacrifices we make!! Now that this dilemma is behind us we can move on to loftier pursuits.

Funny thing I just remembered my grade school field trip to the De Young Museum in San Francisco, with its many Greek sculptures and seminude paintings. Amazing! No long-term damage, I think. Well maybe some: I am still in a museum.

Darrell Mullins Curator

Resigning Board Member

It is with great regret that the board accepted Bobby McFarlin's resignation as President and board member. He, along with his wife Patty, brought a special energy and many new ideas to the Museum. I personally will miss Bobby's sense of humor - almost the first thing he did as President was tease this editor about forgetting to put his name in the headings of the newsletter! Thank you so much, Bobby for the many hours of hard work and enthusiasm.

Chris Bauer has been elected to serve as temporary President, until our meeting in January.

A Final Salute

Just as this newsletter was going to print, we received the sad news that Dick Ochs, long-time director of the Museum, has passed away. His service to improving and maintaining the Museum is unmatched. He had a knack for knowing what was needed and then being there and just doing it. Few words, his actions spoke for him. In another era, he would have made a heck of a sheriff in a western town. I remember seeing him redo the Museum driveway, bearing the expenses for the gravel and using his own equipment. He worked on the Annex project. Marty and he built the nice kitchen in the backside of the Museum, freeing up the old schoolhouse "coat room" for the curator. He brought the grill every year and loaned his trailer for the Jubilee. He manned the grill without a break through the heat at that time of year. He assembled bicycles and worked through the close affiliation we have with Central Tehama Kiwanis. He will certainly be missed by his friends in both Kiwanis, and at the Museum.

Eleanor Briggs, life member, passed away leaving a legacy of history and good works. She was very involved in the Museum. For a time, a very interesting railroad exhibit she made was featured in the Simpson room downstairs. You see, she was a Simpson - the daughter of John, a community leader here in Tehama.. Mr. Simpson had a mercantile store in the business district on D Street. Mrs. Briggs was quite a historian in her own right, having authored several books which were quite in demand. She and her husband, Weston, retired to the Auburn area. What impressed me most about her was her friendliness. She was always willing to answer questions about history, and one could see her eyes light up when one touched upon a subject she loved.

Don Mossman, husband to Virginia, and stepdad to Darrell and Brad Mullens. Don lived in Washington state and would make a number of wooden craft items for the Jubilee raffle. In particular, you might recall seeing full-size wishing-wells, which he must have crafted in his workshop during winter. Not to be satisfied with these items and the wonderful jellies and homemade preserves from the kitchen, Virginia and he would come down to help us clean and set up for the Jubilee. A more kind and generous person, you would be hard-pressed to find. We all miss Don.

Tehama County Museum Foundation; P.O. Box 275; Tehama, CA 96090
(530) 384-2595