Administrator’s Notes
by Ralph Gibson, Museums Administrator
Although the weather threatened wash out our Holiday programs, the cold rain held off long enough to still attract over 200 people to S’mores and Stories and nearly 600 total for both nights of Country Christmas at the Courthouse. All in all, 2024 was a pretty successful year and we look forward to 2025. The year begins with our Gold Rush Program in January and as it wraps up in February, we kickoff Spring Living History at the Bernhard and Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museums.
Our Exhibit Team will be working on a few different exhibits in 2025. More details on those will come in the next issue of The Placer.This year will likely be my last with the Placer County Museums as I am planning to retire. There are some details to work out that may push my exit to early 2026, but for now it’s looking like my last day in the office will be in early October of 2025. I’ll reflect more about my time here in coming articles, but just wanted to address the rumors that have been swirling.
I hope all of you have a terrific 2025!
S’mores and Stories event at the Bernhard Museum
New Donation Highlight
by Kasia Woroniecka , Curator of Collections
Embroidered patches have been used for centuries, initially serving practical purposes such as covering worn-out clothing and identifying military personnel, to becoming a versatile fashion statement.
Sarah Halsey, Maggie McClure, Alice Abeel, and unknown woman; Isaac Tibbetts Coffin Diary, 1870-1885. Golden Drift Historical Society Collection, Placer County Museums.
Almost one year ago exactly the I.T. Coffin Diaries, part of the Golden Drift Historical Society Collection, were accepted into the California Revealed Digitization & Preservation Assistance Program. I am excited to share that the digital images are now available on the California Revealed website! These two diaries will now be preserved and available for research to people all over the world.
To celebrate the availability of these diaries, I took a closer look at a photograph found in the 1870-1885 volume, an image of four young women posed together. Three of the women are identified as Maggie McClure, Sarah Halsey, and Alice Abeel. The fourth woman, unfortunately, remains nameless. I discovered that the three women identified had something in common- all were born in New York state to families that would later make the arduous journey to California, and that shortly after this photograph was taken, their lives would become intertwined forever.
Miss M. McClure (Maggie); Isaac Tibbetts Coffin Diary, 1870-1885. Golden Drift Historical Society Collection, Placer County Museums.
Margaret “Maggie” McClure was born in New York in 1838, the daughter of Hannah (Tuthill) McClure and Col. William McClure. Her father settled in Yankee Jims in 1851 and is credited with introducing hydraulic mining to the area as well as the region’s first orchards. Maggie, her mother, and her brothers joined him sometime between 1856 and 1857. Because of her father’s political activity and connections, the family regularly hosted politicians in their Yankee Jims home. Maggie became known as the “Belle of the Divide,” and was admired for her beauty and charm. She served as hostess at Governor John B. Weller’s 1858 inauguration and attended balls for Governor Milton S. Latham and Leland Stanford. At age 90 she was interviewed about her memories of the balls, describing them as a joyful escape for a "lonely mountain girl." After the death of Col. William McClure in 1871, the family moved to Dutch Flat, where Maggie’s brother Elias Lowe McClure operated the Telegraph and Express Office. Maggie and her mother would later move to Auburn in 1872. Maggie never married and later lived in San Francisco and Oakland. She passed away in 1933 at the age of 95.
Sarah Halsey (top) and E.L. McClure (bottom); Isaac Tibbetts Coffin Diary, 1870-1885. Golden Drift Historical Society Collection, Placer County Museums.
Born in 1852, Sarah Louise Halsey arrived in California with her family in the 1860s, where her father Stephen Y. Halsey worked as a blacksmith and miner. By 1870, the Halsey family had settled in Dutch Flat, where Sarah’s older brother co-owned a photography studio with I.T. Coffin. Coffin’s diary notes that in January of 1871, Sarah was sent to the Santa Clara School for Young Ladies. However, she returned to marry Maggie McClure’s younger brother, Elias Lowe McClure, on June 19, 1872. The couple stayed in Dutch Flat at least until 1880, and they later lived in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Alameda. It appears that the couple did not have any children, and Sarah passed away in 1924 at the age of 71.
Alice Abeel (top ) and B. McClure (bottom); Isaac Tibbetts Coffin Diary, 1870-1885. Golden Drift Historical Society Collection, Placer County Museums.
The fact that Coffin labeled this photograph with the women’s unmarried names, it is likely that it was taken between 1870- early 1872. Did the women know at the time of the photograph that they would be sisters-in-law? Or is this just an image of a group of friends, not yet knowing how their lives would be connected? Those questions can likely never be answered, but this photograph shows just an example of the exciting research possibilities that this digitized diary represents.
See the diaries and other digitized materials at: https://californiarevealed.org/partner/placer-county-museums-division.
Volunteer Spotlight
by Kasia Woroniecka, Curator of Collections
Bev Call has been a museum volunteer since 2017, generously sharing her time at the Placer County Museum, the Bernhard Museum, and occasionally lending a hand at the Gold Rush Museum. With a master’s degree in education with emphasis on special education, Bev has taught students of all ages—from the tiniest preschoolers to university students. Her life journey has taken her around the globe, with time in Egypt and China, where she taught English at the Ocean University and the Quingdao University in Quingdao.
A mother of four and grandmother to eight, Bev is a woman of many talents. Her passions range from remodeling and carpentry to gardening, and she’s even embarking on a new journey to master the piano.
What Bev enjoys most about volunteering is the learning atmosphere and the infectious curiosity of the museum visitors who inspire her. She values the flexibility that volunteering provides, as well as the opportunity to connect with others who share her passion for exploration and discovery.
Photo Collection Highlight
Bert Cassidy awarding Jack Sanders at the National Ski Tournament at Lake Tahoe. 1932.
PCM, 20th District Fair Time Capsule Collection.
Bert Cassidy was the publisher and editor of the Auburn Journal, California Senator and one of the first men to promote the High Sierra country as a winter sports area.
