Museum News

Upstairs Video Available Soon

Bobby McFarlin and Dick Chamberlain have recently recorded a videotape of the upstairs exhibits, for the sake of our guests who have difficulty ascending that steep and narrow staircase. The video should be available in time for the Jubilee.

TO THINK ABOUT

We have to abandon the idea that schooling is something restricted to youth. How can it be, in a world where half the things a man knows at 20 are no longer true at 40 -- and half the things he knows at 40 hadn't been discovered when he was 20? --Arthur C. Clark

CRTA Luncheon

The annual California Retired Teachers Association Luncheon was held this year on June 13. Participants enjoyed a display of Revolutionary War-era flags presented by John Patchen and his American Revolutionary War re-enactors, who attended the events in full authentic costume. Karen Bacquet, Ruth Britt, Pat Felthouse, Jim Stevens served food and drink. Thanks to all the salad-makers for contributing to a successful event.

Jubilee

The 24th Annual Jubilee: Good Food and Good Times Planned for All

Well, it's that time of year again, folks: The 24th Annual Tehama County Museum Jubilee will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2005. Those of you who come back every year are familiar with the usual festivities, but we've had some real creative thinking going on this year, and have added some new events:

For the more adventurous, we're planning a Bucket Brigade contest. For $25, your five-person team can compete for a plaque and a $100 donation to the nonprofit organization of your choice. All the equipment is being provided by the Orland Fire Department, but you certainly don't have to be a fire fighter to participate. For more information, call Patti McFarlin at 528-2587.

Patti's earlier brainchild, the Antique Car Show will be back again this year. Pre-1945 model cars will be on display, with a People's Choice Best of Show trophy given. In addition, we all will have a Motorcycle Show, in which contestants will also be competing for a People's Choice Award. There is no limit on style for entries. Special thanks to the Christian Motorcycle Association for all your help with this event.

Your Jubilee Favorites are Returning this Year!

Opening Ceremonies will be held at 10:30 a.m. with Ross Turner and three troops of Boy Scouts as color guard, and our very own songbird Elizabeth Graffell singing the national anthem.

Musical entertainment will begin at 11:00 and last until approximately 6:00 with a variety of local talent that should be enjoyed by young and old alike.

Willie Smith of the Christian Motorcycle Association is in charge of children's activities this year. A fishing game, bean bag toss, tattooing and hairspraying are being planned for the young 'uns.

Sam Kissee has graciously agreed to do his antique appraisals for the Jubilee again this year. It certainly isn't too early to start rummaging through your attic or garage for your antique items - you never know whether that old keepsake might be of only sentimental value, or a priceless heirloom. Appraisals will begin at 11:00 and end at 3:00.

Judy's Country Store was so popular last year that many items sold out, so we have a crying need for homemade items to sell. Especially needed are home-baked goods, like brownies, cookies, dry-mix packages, and muffins. And, of course, home-crafted items like tablecloths, potholders, afghans, etc. are always welcome.

Pat Felthouse is the person to contact, if you'd like to make something to donate.

The Jubilee Raffle is one of our most popular and successful events, with a variety of prizes offered, large and small - from a copy of *Tehama County Memories* and gift certificates from local businesses, to handmade lawn ornaments, bicycles and barbecues. An envelope with raffle tickets is enclosed in this newsletter, so make sure to put your name in - you never know what you might win! And, of course, donated items to be used as raffle prizes are still welcome.

And Most Importantly: The Food!

The Central Tehama Kiwanis Club has again kindly consented to cook breakfast and lunch for us. Breakfast will be served, beginning at 7:00 a.m., and will include pancakes, eggs, ham, and juice or coffee for $6; child plates at $3. Lunch begins at 11:00, with burgers, hot dogs, and salad.

Our tri-tip dinner is back, by popular demand, with our own Paul Quinn manning the barbecue. Along with the steak, dinner will include beans, salad, dessert and coffee or iced tea. Tickets are available for those who want to beat the crowd and pre-purchase their dinners. It will be served from 4:00 on. The price is right at $8.50; child plates available for $5.00.

President's Message

Well----another year behind us, and what a year it was!

As president I am involved in almost every aspect of the organization---board governance, exhibit design and installation, repair/maintenance, etc. etc. There are several very capable committee chairs that share the burden with me and though we struggle, like many non-profits trying to raise enough funds to keep the door open and the insurance paid, it is a "labor of love." There are times that it seems like an endless task of one fundraiser after another, some more profitable than others.

We utilize all volunteer labor to carry out this awesome task, which is sometimes like herding cats! The volunteer is so critical to our organization! We have no paid staff or receive any financial support from any governmental agency. The task is daunting and often leaves our Volunteers and Board exhausted.

This year we had two interns from CSU Chico who helped put together the current exhibit on Hi Good. The interns were very helpful with researching and documenting the many aspects of this exhibit along with the actual installation. I will be trying to recruit more students from CSU Chico for next year.

We are lucky to have community service groups like the Kiwanis to support us with monetary and manpower donations. Without them I don't see how we could survive. There are only so many donated dollars out there and so many deserving community based non-profits needing it. When you pay your annual dues this year consider adding a little extra to your check to help continue our service to the community.

Thanks for everything you do!

Darrell Mullins

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The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it. - Dee Hock
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The "Thank You" Column

As all our members know, the Museum runs on volunteer labor. A major event like the Jubilee involves the coordination of dozens of people, and countless hours of donated spare time. Even minor events, not to mention routine operations just wouldn't happen without people who decide to roll up their sleeves and pitch in. While "thank-yous" are a regular feature of our newsletter, their importance should not be underestimated: Without these volunteers - without you - the Museum simply wouldn't exist.

An Unsung Hero

Jerry Short is seldom seen around the Museum these days, due to his work schedule. Nevertheless, he plays a very important behind-the-scenes role in publicizing the Jubilee, and getting the word out to t.v., radio, and other advertising spaces. Thank you, Jerry, for all your hard work!

Pat Hacker, Our Webmaster

Another special thanks is due to Pat Hacker, for maintaining our website.

This website provides detailed information about the Museum 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - and is one of the most effective publicity sources we could have.

From the "Oops!" Department

As much as I'd like to tell you folks that the editor of your newsletter is perfect, organized, and always remembers every detail, the truth is unfortunately otherwise.

My first major oversight was forgetting to thank Pat Felthouse for her pivotal role in organizing the Doll Show. Pat contributes in so many ways to the Museum, that I feel terrible about forgetting her - the doll show, the quilt show, and bookkeeping, just to name a few. My apologies, Pat, and thank you so much for everything you do for us.

I also forgot to include the news, in our last issue, that Hugh Mills has resigned from the Museum Board of Directors, due to scheduling conflicts with other commitments. Thank you,

Dairyville Orchard Festival Coming Up This Fall

The Museum is looking forward to another annual event on October ?, where we sell our famous "36 Lady" Prune cake and Starbucks coffee. This event really puts the "fun" into "fundraising", as we volunteers hang out together, chat with customers, and enjoy the neighboring food booths at lunchtime. The Orchard Festival is also a great opportunity for raising public awareness of the Museum, and its mission - and to recruit new members.

It's not too early for any cooks out there, with a talent for baking, to think about making up a few dozen of these prune cakes. Ruth Britt has the recipe, and can be contacted at 385-1057.

Docents Needed!

The Museum is still in desperate need of volunteer docents. Our docents work only three hours a month, on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday afternoons. Please consider donating your time for this vital job.

Ishi/Native American Exhibit Planned

The word from the exhibit committee is that a new Native American theme, emphasizing Ishi, is being worked on for the Simpson room downstairs, and artifacts from the Sheep Camp Archaeology/Hi Good exhibit will be moved upstairs. The Hi Good project, as you might remember from last year, was a unusual exhibit, based upon an archaeological dig overseen by Richard Burrill and Shasta College.

Ishi, of course, is a native son of Tehama County, and his story is known to every northern California schoolchild, and always a popular topic among visitors to the Museum. So, be sure to take the time to check out the inside of the Museum, while you're here to enjoy the entertainment and other features of our Jubilee..

Sourdough Paul's Ramblings

Let me introduce this here little story by saying that only the fuss-budget editor of this newsletter has kept me from using the proper name of the column, "Tall Tales of Tehama." Her bloomers get all twisted up at the mere mention of any word that means the truth has been a little massaged to give it a bit of life. So, with a slight tip of my hat to you, and a wary eye out for the editor, I am going to relate a story what's walked in the front door of the Museum one Sunday:

You see, this gentleman and his lovely wife were up here from the fair city of Clayton, by Concord. His name is Mr. Douglas Hartfelt, and he grew up in old Tehama city. His family came here in the early years. His grandfather opened up a blacksmith's shop, which was located behind the general store on "D" Street, one block south of the Museum.

In 1949, a number of businesses still eke out a living on "D" Street - and 13 year old Douglas gets a goat for his 4-H project. But what young Hartfelt don't know is that at a pretty early age - in goat life - the old hormones kick in and turn cute billy into one onerous critter.

That summer in Tehama, things must have been a bit casual with doors left standin' open to catch whatever breeze there might be on a hot afternoon. The goat slipped out of the yard of Douglas Hartfelt's home on 2nd Street, and rounded the corner onto "D" Street, the remaining business block. He trotted unnoticed by the general store on the corner, passed the open door and shadowy interior of the Mint Saloon where a few unemployed locals sipped beer and swapped fish stories, and he finally halted at the hotel entry.

The stairway door stood open, no one around and the critter follows his nose inside, and up the stairs. By the time somebody discovered him and bellered an alarm, the knucklehead had stripped off great sheets of the wallpaper to get at the glue. Being a small town, the goat's life was fortunately spared, as they knew Douglas - and they summoned the good kid to come get the bad kid.

Shortly thereafter, the word spread that someone was stealin' bread from the general store, and that no one was able to catch the thief. The bread delivery man pulled in early in the morning, and always put the bread in the wooden box with the heavy lid at the entry to the general store. The proprietor brought the bread inside when he opened up, except lately he would be missing loaves, or worse - once he found just the loaf wrappers on the sidewalk. He had not wanted to padlock the box, 'cause he too was stubborn, and set out to catch the bandit himself, since the law hadn't done anything about it.

So with stout club in hand, the proprietor lay in wait, inside the darkened store for several mornings in a row. Every mornin', just as the sun was comin' up, the delivery van would pull in and the man would load the box with loaves of fresh bread. Then, he'd close the lid, and leave - and none came around. By the end of the week, the shop owner was about to give up for there were to be no deliveries on the weekend. Just then, this scrawny billy goat trots by on the sidewalk, nuzzles up to the lid and sniffs for a moment. To the man's astonishment, the goat standing on his hind legs pushes the lid open with his nose, smooth as a Paris jewel thief, and helps himself to the freshly baked loaves.

This prank caused the goat to be summarily banished from the city limits by the bread cartel. Somehow, the delivery man was called at his next stop, and he returned to Tehama to seize the rogue 4-H project and dispose of it, hopefully with extreme prejudice as he had caused the store owner considerable financial loss. The bread man put the goat into the back of his truck with a promise to "make sure the goat doesn't come around again". He knew what the store owner wanted, but he was a soft-hearted, church-goin' man, with no personal grievance against the critter, and so decided he'd take the goat as far away as possible and turn him loose.

Only, the billy had never in his life been in an automobile, let alone in the windowless back of a bread truck, and he began kickin' at everything around him. The driver had just crossed the open grated bridge, when he heard his bread racks crash in the back of the truck, so he swerved to the side of the road, and slammed on his brakes. He threw billy out, there on the Los Molinos side, hopin' that the dumb animal would be confused as to direction and scared to cross the grated bridge.

But, Douglas Hartfelt's little 4-H project made it home that day, probably using the pedestrian boardwalk on the bridge - none the worse for wear, and well-fed.

On the Lassen Trail With J. Goldsborough Bruff

Part 7 - From Big Meadows to Bruff's Camp

This is the seventh in a series of excerpts from Gold Rush, "The Journals, Drawings, and Other Papers of J. Goldsborough Bruff, Captain, Washington and California Mining Association, April 2, 1849-July 20, 1851." This book was edited by Georgia Willis Reed and Ruth Gaines, and was published in 1949 by the Columbia University Press in New York.

Since Bruff came to California via the Lassen Trail in 1849, and since the Lassen Trail terminated at Peter Lassen's Rancho near today's small community of Vina at the mouth of Deer Creek in South-east Tehama County, we would like to let you share in some of Bruff's experiences and tribulations through his journal. We have remained faithful to the spelling, grammar, and choice of words as they appeared in the journal.

We pick up the story at Big Meadows (now Lake Almanor) where all parties rested and cut grass for the final push down the ridge between Mill Creek and Deer Creek to the Settlements near what is now the small town of Vina. This was a difficult passage under any circumstances, but coming as it did at the very end of an effort that had already sapped their strength, their will, their resources, and the strength of their animals, and with winter coming, Bruff made some interesting decisions that caused this final leg to be nearly fatal:

[Oct.17] - Held a meeting in regards to provisions, &c. Agreed to divide and distribute the remaining provisions, among the members (about 6 days rations of bread-stuffs) . . . Tried a member for a violent assault with a Bowie-Knife, on his messmate, and turned off a man for slandering the company - who had been traveling some time with us.

[Oct. 18] - Commences clear., Temp.30 degrees (ice) We stowed our grass, and moved early . . . We followed the river, on the right of it, about 1 m. and forded. Many ox trains fording, much delay …Banks steep and slippery …In 5 miles from Grass Camp came to the last ford of the F.R. (Feather River) …Left the ford and proceeded over a level of dead grass …close to marsh, where we turn up hill to the left … Road through the pines, edge of hill, skirting the valley … Passed 6 dead and 1 live abandoned oxen … Road stony …over the ridge … now a rocky and ragged descent …Now over a table hill, through a thick pine forrest …Westerly to a level plateau, up a very stony hill, over the top … up a high and rather stony hill … over a very stony hill .. over stony hills and level places, - then descended hill S. W. to the banks of Butte Creek 4 miles from the last ford …Most of the way thick forrest of stately pines and dense undergrowth Hills covered with creeping Holly, giving the appearance of green grass at a little distance. (A few miles back, on the heights, a father with 2 children, a body and a girl were driving a lot of lame oxen along. The children were very small, and the little girl said to her brother, "Never mind, Buddy, 'taint far to grass and water.") We drove 11 miles and camped. Had to drive the mules down creed 1 ½ miles on the other side, under guard, to graze - Grass nearly grazed quite off here . . . (15 miles to-day.)

[Oct. 19] - On hitching up, we missed another mule …the train proceeded, and I remained on the ground, waiting for the return of the man had gone back, in search of the lost mule. Proceeded W again for about 3 ms. the valley here spreads out in low & level pine bottom; … Saw 10 dead oxen, and many horns and heads of recently killed deer. [in 7 miles] we entered the beautiful valley of "Deer Creek." and camped in the 1st good spot - 10 miles … about 1/3 of the distance today, brought us to where the valley contracted; - and the stream, road & mountains on the left … a slight divide between Butte & Deer Ck. 3 or 4 miles from the last valley, the stream runs W … Numerous camps here. Children laying and playing on the green sward, happily unconscious of the troubles of others.

[Oct. 20] - Started at 7 A.M. S. W. for 2 ms. over marshy bottom … reached the creek, 5 ms. miles [sic] from camp, where it makes a bend under a hill … muddy banks: forded it, and in ½ m. came to another ford of the stream, close to the foot of the hills - stony bottom; kept on the left side about 100 yds. then recrossed it; here the road and ford was very bad; the hills had so encroac[h]ed, with trees, stumps, logs, & stones, steep muddy banks, stony bottom, swift current but narrow stream. 6 dead oxen at the 2nd ford, and 8 here. This ford was very bad for wagons to rise from; very narrow, steep, and slippery banks to ascend; Above and below, near the ford, were fallen trees and driftwood & brush. The close-set trees were scored at the ascent, to permit the wagon-hubs to pass. - Much chafed by the wheels. 20 yds. directly in front of the ford was a deep marsh and mud holes, filled with stumps, logs, and dead cattle. - Hardly before the hind-wheels of the wagons had cleared the trees on the edge of the bank, the lead mules had to be turned short to the left, to prevent their foundering in the mud - Straight ahead from the ford. - Then dash through the willow-bushes, green and dead, logs and stumps; -the slender green willows - (very tough), on this short and newly made trail, switch'd the bellys & legs of the mules as they passed over them, causing them to jump and stumble, for about 50 feet; then turned right over a marshy place, full of logs and brush, & well garnished with dead oxen, the wheels passing over legs and necks, burrying them in the wet soil, for 50 yds.

Now over dryer ground, with logs and drift, and stumps, for about 50 yds; then left up a hill. On

this ascent, a mule fell, in the traces, and was with difficulty raised, to renew his exertions … in a Southerly direction, descended to a very rocky margin of a stream, after a rough descent - (Deer Ck.) … This is a very new trail, - full of stumps, and the green trees cut therefrom, laying right and left, unwithered … Road now over the hill, mostly good, but with some very bad places in it, grazing the trees with our hubs, on one side, and running foul of large rocks on the other; … In about 6 miles we reached a spring … here we watered the mules, filled the kegs and canteens, and drove on a short distance below, in a vale, and nooned …The road now has a slight descent, occasionally, with considerable ascents, rising to a culminating ridge, from whence, in 40 ms. it descends 5000 feet. Reached a very rugged hill … We descended to a mere indetation where was a good spring and large reservoir hold for animals, 6 ms … 5 of my wagons on the abrupt hill 50 yards ahead, - and the remaining one here, in hollow, with me. Lost 2 more mules, exhausted, here. Plenty of broken wagon fragments here. (5+10:15 miles)



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