July - August 2019

Ralph Gibson

Museums Administrator

I was born during NASA’s Gemini program and was seven years old when Apollo 17, the last lunar Apollo Mission, splashed down on December 19, 1972. I remember most of the launches, moon walks and splashdowns that were covered. I thought I would grow up in a world where humans physically explored all the planets in our Solar System and beyond. But, of course, that’s not what happened.

On July 20th we’ll celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It happened so long ago that a growing number of people believe that the landings were faked. How could we have gone to the moon with such primitive technology?

Of course, they forget we developed the Nuclear Bomb in 1945, the Hydrogen Bomb in 1952, and had been testing and building highly sophisticated missiles, rockets, and planes throughout the 1950s and 1960s. When it came to Apollo, if it didn’t exist, we developed the technology needed.



Construction of railroad at Cape Horn

The same can be said of the Transcontinental Railroad. There were engineers who thought cutting a passage through the Sierras was impossible. Like NASA, if it didn’t exist, they developed new techniques and technologies to make it happen.

The Transcontinental Railroad turned 150 years old on May 10. Two months and ten days later, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of our first steps on the lunar surface. If you happen to be one of those who thinks we didn’t land on the moon, you might as well not believe in the Transcontinental Railroad either.

Kasia Woroniecka

Curator of Collections

Moving passengers and freight over thousands of miles made accurate timekeeping essential. Timetables governed train arrivals and departures and ensured trains did not collide. Prior to 1883, most towns in the United States had their own local time.

On November 18, 1883, railroads began using a standard time system with four time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. All clocks were synchronized within each zone. In 1891, a massive train collision near Cleveland, Ohio killed nine people and the following investigation revealed that the watch of one of the engineers was 4 minutes late. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad appointed Cleveland jeweler Webster Ball to investigate time keeping issues. Ball developed a system for ensuring that all railroad timepieces were precise. A commission was appointed to adopt a universal set of timekeeping standards by all railroads.

Workmen in front of a locomotive. Location unknown. Watch chains visible on front pockets of three men on the right side of the image. PCM Archives.

By 1893, the General Railroad Timepiece Standards were in effect. Watches that fit this description became known as railroad watches. Not all railroad watches were railroad approved and watch requirements differed. The railroad industry referred to the watches as “standard watches,” since they met the railroad’s time service standards. Conductors were not the only ones required to carry watches. Many railroad regulations required engineers, switch yard controllers, foremen, flagmen, and porters to carry them.

Until the 1970s, when the watch mechanism was replaced with a battery, all watches were mechanical. Actual jewels, or stones, were used in watches to reduce friction and wear in the watch mechanism. Today, train traffic is controlled by satellite communication and a centralized traffic control system. Wristwatches replaced pocket watches for railroad staff, but pocket watches remain very popular among collectors.

There are several railroad style watches in our collection. None of them have a provenance indicating they were used by someone working for a railroad company. However, they fit the typical requirements for a railroad watch in the late 19th-early 20th century: they are large size 16 and 18 American made watches with open face dials that include the seconds dial, and a minimum of 15 jewels.

Waltham

Waltham Watch Company and Elgin Watch Company were both used as early as the 1860s and 1870s as railroad standard watches. The Waltham Company was founded in 1850. Until the second part of the 19th century most watches were hand made. The company focused on producing watches at a lower cost using interchangeable parts and became the first to mass-produce watch movements on an assembly line. The company went out of business in 1957.



Elgin

This watch (right) has a dial with Roman numerals. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that Arabic numerals became an official standard in railroad watch design. Elgin, also known as the Elgin National Watch Company, was
founded in 1864 and became one of the biggest watch companies in the United States. Elgin made many railroad grade watches, including their first watch, the size 18, 15 jewel B.W. Raymond, named after the company’s president. Standardized watch sizes allowed customers to purchase internal watch movements separately from the cases and have those fitted later with the design of their choice. The company went out of business in 1964.


Hampden

The Hampden Watch Company was founded in 1877 in Massachusetts. In 1888 the company relocated to Canton, Ohio, where it introduced the first size 16, 23 jewel movement made in America.

This watch (below) was produced after the merger of The Hampden Watch Company and the Deuber Watch Case Company in 1923. After the company went out of business in 1927 it sold its machinery to the Soviet Union. Dueber-Hampden watchmakers and other technicians were hired to train Russian workers at a watch factory in Moscow.



Dueber-Hampden

Century U.S.A, Seth Thomas Watch Co.

Railroad watches became popular with people who did not work on the railroad but appreciated the reliability and accuracy of a well-made watch. This open face railroad style watch with an image of a locomotive, labeled “Century U.S.A,” was made by the Seth Thomas Watch Co. The company was founded in 1853 in Connecticut. They were known for making full-case clocks, as well as tower and street clocks. Between 1884 and 1915 the company manufactured a line of pocket watches. The pocket watches were lower grade watches and most likely not used in railroad service.

Elise McQuaide

Administrative Clerk

Placer County is home to several festivals and markets focused on the area’s rich agricultural tradition. Many of the posters for these seasonal celebrations have made their way into the museum collections.

Harvest Festival poster, 1989, artist unknown

This painted poster advertises the Harvest Festival that was once held at the Bernhard Museum. Mr. Bernhard produced wine the first year the family lived on the property, but more than wine, he focused on fruit. Newspaper articles listed the apples, pears, plums, figs, apricots, nectarines, oranges, and peaches that were grown on the property. This is one of two versions of this design we have and is the most recent to be entered into our collection. No artist is credited on the poster.

20th Anniversary Foothill Farmer's Market poster, 2009, artist Jan Kapple Klein

Other images celebrating agriculture in Placer County include posters for the Foothill Farmers’ market, several of which feature work by local artist Jan Kapple Klein. This poster celebrates the 20th anniversary of the festival (1989-2009). The Foothill Farmers’ market continues to be held today.

Mountain Mandarin Festival poster, 2014, artist Larry Hausen

Another popular event is the Mountain Mandarin Festival, held every year in November. When the county’s pear crop was destroyed by tree disease in the mid-20th century, mandarins became a staple crop. Their popularity continues today, and the Mountain Mandarin Festival celebrates the local fruit and highlights different orchards through January. Local artists are featured in posters, many recently being done by California artist Larry Hausen. These vibrant posters are bright and colorful, inviting visitors to look forward to bounty available through the winter.

As the “fruit basket of the nation,” not only does the museum document the history of the county’s farmers, but the constantly growing portfolio of the art celebrating them as well.

News from the Placer County Historical Society

April McDonald-Loomis, President

The Historical Society is heading into the relatively quiet summer phase. There will not be a general Dinner Meeting until October 3rd. Please also note the July Board Meeting will take place on the 11th, due to the 4th of July holiday. If anyone has any suggestions for speakers or topics for our meetings, please contact me or any board member.

Art Sommers recently came down from his new place in Oregon and brought with him more of his extensive Placer County Collection. It is hard to describe how important this one man’s hobby has been to documenting our county’s history. Photos, postcards, and other paper documents – a treasure trove! Another big collection that has come to the Museums through the Historical Society is the Haswell-Birdsall Collection.

The Haswell-Birdsall families have a long history in Placer County. Frederick Birdsall was instrumental in setting up the early water system, and also built the first firehouse that is on El Dorado Street today. He used the top floor for the office of his water company. This is a valuable collection that will be of immense use to researchers.

It is donations from people like these that help make our Archives and Collections Facility such a unique and valuable repository. Next time you are spring cleaning or looking through the attic, keep the museums in mind.

Remember, what might seem “modern” to you and I are now hitting the “historic” mark! Were the 1960s really that long ago? I checked with Bryanna Ryan, the Supervising Curator and former Archives Curator, for some guidelines. She said there is no specific date. The Archives look for items and photos that specifically relate to Placer County events, people or places. Ryan states that the key question to ask about any artifact is whether it holds any historic or informational value to future generations. Contemporary photos, for example, the erection or removal of a building or a modern-day parade would be considered for preservation.

For photos, the Archives will either accept direct donations, or the images can be scanned and the originals returned to you. If you have items you are unsure about, call the Archives at 530-889-7789 or Collections 530-889-7705.

Nothing much is happening on the Salmon Statue for Central Square; the advocates have withdrawn the original proposal as it didn’t fit the space. They will most likely return to the Historic Design Review Committee with another proposal. The Society is still lobbying against the statue, not on artistic principle, but rather the fact that salmon have no viable historical significance for the Auburn area. To put this statue in such a conspicuous public space would be misleading to the public. The Central Square, as laid out by the Streetscape Committee several years ago, is meant to feature people and activities that are symbolic of Auburn. The Committee has been very careful in selecting the tiles that grace the Square, making sure they are historically symbolic or significant. This statue does not fit the criteria.

Don’t forget to start collecting some “not so valuable/not so historic/not so informative” items for the raffle in December!

Placer County Historical Organizations 

Colfax Area Historical Society
Chris Miller
(530) 346-8599
colfaxhistory.org

Donner Summit Historical Society
Bill Oudegeest
(209) 606-6859
donnersummithistoricalsociety.org

Foresthill Divide Historical Society
Sandy Simester
(530) 367-3535
foresthillhistory.org

Fruitvale School Hall Community Association
Lyndell Grey
(916) 645-3517

Golden Drift Historical Society
Sarah Fugate
(530) 389-2121

Historical Advisory Board
Glenn Vineyard
(916) 747-1961

Joss House Museum and Chinese History Center
Richard Yue
(530) 346-7121

Lincoln Area Archives Museum
Elizabeth Jansen
(916) 645-3800
laamca.org

Lincoln Highway Association
Bob Dieterich
bobd@iname.com
lincolnhighwayassoc.org

Loomis Basin Historical Society
Karen Clifford
(916) 663-3871
ppgn.com/loomishistorical.html

Maidu Museum & Historic Site
Kaitlin Kincade
(916) 774-5934
roseville.ca.us/indianmuseum

The Museum of Sierra Ski History and 1960 Winter Olympics
David C. Antonucci
(775) 722-3502
tahoemuseum.org

Native Sons of the Golden West Parlor #59
Dave Allen
(530) 878-2878
dsallen59@sbcglobal.net

Newcastle Portuguese Hall Association
Mario Farinha
(530) 269-2412

North Lake Tahoe Historical Society
Marnie Carr
(530) 583-1762
northtahoemuseums.org

Old Town Auburn Preservation Society
Lynn Carpenter
(530) 885-1252

Placer County Genealogical Society
Toni Rosasco
(530) 888-8036
pcgenes.com

Placer County Historical Society
April McDonald-Loomis
(530) 823-2128
placercountyhistoricalsociety.org

Placer County Museums Docent Guild
Fran Hanson
(530) 878-6990

Rocklin Historical Society
Hank Lohse
(916) 624-3464
rocklinhistory.org

Roseville Fire Museum
Jim Giblin
(916) 538-1809
rosevillefiremueum@gmail.org
rosevillefiremuseum.org

Roseville Historical Society
Christina Richter
(916) 773-3003
rosevillehistorical.org

Calendar of Events

Heritage Trail in July and August

July 6th, 10am-4pm
Placer County Museum, Gold Country Medical History Museum, The Joss House Museum & Chinese History Center

July 13th, 10am-4pm
Maidu Museum & Historic Site, Roseville Telephone Museum, Roseville Historical Society Carnegie Museum

July 20th
Wheatland History Museum (10-2pm)
Lincoln Area Archives Museum (10-4pm)

July 27th, 8am-12pm
Fruitvale School

August 3rd, 10am-4pm
Colfax Area Heritage Museum, Golden Drift Museum, Donner Summit Historical Society Museum.

August 10th & 11th, 9:30am
Donner Summit Hike

August 17th, 10am-4pm
Truckee Old Jail Museum, Truckee Railroad Museum

August 24th, 8am-12pm
DeWitt History Museum, Placer County Museums Archives and Collections Facility

August 31st & September 1st, 10am-4pm
Foresthill Divide Museum