The Placer, A Voice of History: 2020

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

January - February 2021

Ralph Gibson

Museums Administrator

It’s going to take us a while, perhaps a decade or more, to fully grasp what we experienced in 2020 so I’m not even going to try. As we enter 2021, it’s good to be cautious. The year has ended, not the pandemic. With vaccines, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and, as long as there aren’t any major setbacks, things should get back to normal this year.

Estimates range from late spring to the end of the year, so, just like in March of 2020, we really have no idea. What we will do is follow expert advice and open our museums and facilities when the state and county permit us to do so with all safeguards in place. Because it will take time to organize a schedule, not all of our museums will reopen at the same time.

The Bernhard Museum will remain closed until the pandemic is effectively over and social distancing and mask wearing are no longer required. Every precaution we take is with the health and safety of the public, our volunteers (most of whom fall into the high-risk category for COVID) and our staff in mind. Perhaps by the next Placer, I’ll feel more confident about predicting when everything will reopen, but until then, stay safe everyone!

Kasia Woroniecka

Curator of Collections

Celebrating messages of love dates back centuries. The advances in printing and the introduction of the postage stamp made the exchange of greeting cards very popular during the Victorian Period. Early Valentine’s Day cards were handmade with paper, lace, ribbons, drawings, and dried flowers. Early cards sold in America were commercially made in England and Germany. In 1848, Esther Howland, an enterprising graduate of a Massachusetts women’s seminary, began manufacturing cards decorated with paper lace and picture collages. Her business thrived and today she is credited with popularizing the American-made Valentine.

These elaborate creations were often displayed in parlors or saved in scrapbooks. They featured cupids, roses, forget-me-nots, four-leaf-clovers, doves, and red hearts. Cupid symbolized desire and was a traditional favorite on valentine’s cards. Roses were associated with strong emotions of love, respect, and courage. Forget-me-nots symbolized true love. Clovers were tokens of luck and affection. Doves represented loyalty, fidelity, and love. The heart, as the symbolic center of all human emotions, meant selfless love.

Placer County Museums has an extensive collection of Valentine’s Day greeting cards and postcards. Among them are a few charming pop-up, or “mechanical” cards that fold out to reveal creative and colorful lithographs, complex die-cut and embossed designs, and three-dimensional foldable honeycomb paper elements. Most of these stand-up cards were printed in Germany around 1900-1920. (Information for each card is located below their photograph.)

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with cupids, doves and forget-me-nots. Printed in Germany c. 1900-1915. 1983.9.95

Donated by Vincent Gianella of Auburn. Vincent Gianella was a professor of geology, who spent his career at the University of Nevada and the Mackey School of Mines. He was a resident of Auburn for twenty years and was a member of the Auburn Rotary Club, the Placer County Historical Society, and the Placer County Historical Museum Foundation.

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with doves and forget-me-nots. Message on back: “To Miss Seal from David.” Circa 1900-1920. 1983.9.96

Donated by Vincent Gianella of Auburn.

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with four-leaf clovers, forget-me-nots and roses. Printed in Germany c. 1900-1915. 1981.34.12

Donated by Ethel Reynolds of Auburn. She was the wife of Walter Reynolds, an Auburn insurance broker. Both were graduates of Placer Union High School.

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with cupid, a honey-comb puff, forget-me-nots and roses. Message on the back: “To my dear grandma from Elroy. February 12, 1916.” 1976.16.67

Donated by Beverly Allyson of Lincoln. Allyson was the manager of Critter Creek Laboratories and Critter Creek Orchards in Lincoln. She was also the president of the Sierra Foothills Dairy Goat Association.

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with roses and red hearts. “Loving Greetings." Printed in Germany c. 1900-1920. 1976.16.65

Donated by Beverly Allyson of Lincoln.

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with honey-comb puff, four-leaf clovers, forget-me-nots and lilies of the valley. Printed in Germany c. 1900.

Donated by Marion Malcolm of Newcastle. Malcolm was a trustee of the Auburn Union Elementary School board and a member of the Auburn Garden Club. 1994.42.11

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with cupid, roses and forget-me-nots. Printed in Germany. Message on back: “Love’s greeting to Marion from Whom? Auburn, 1915” 1994.42.9

Donated by Marion Malcolm of Newcastle.

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with a trolley car and cupids. Printed in Germany. Message on back: “From Papa to Marion, 1915.” 1994.42.3

Donated by Marion Malcolm of Newcastle.

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with forget-me-nots and peach blossoms. Message on back: “Grandfather's and Grandmother's (Hannaman) Valentine to Marion, 1910.” 1994.42.5

Donated by Marion Malcolm of Newcastle.

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with two cupids riding a chariot. Printed in Germany. Message on back: “From Mother, 1911.” 1994.42.1

Donated by Marion Malcolm of Newcastle.

Easel type die-cut Valentine’s Day card with two cupids, a cat and red hearts on a rowboat. Printed in Germany. 1994.42.8

Donated by Marion Malcolm of Newcastle

Pop-up and die-cut Valentine’s Day card with girl, a honeycomb paper puff, and a birdcage. Message on back: “Love’s greeting to Marion from mother, 1914.” 1994.42.2

Donated by Marion Malcolm of Newcastle.

Kelsey Monahan

Curator of Archives

The Rescue of the City of San Francisco

While 2020 was quieter than other years, we did receive some great collections into the Archive and Research Center! One of these great donations was from Placer County Museums docent Laura France, of a scrapbook from her father Clifford France. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings detailing the four-day saga to rescue 196 passengers and 30 crewmembers from the passenger train City of San Francisco when it was trapped near the Yuba Pass in January of 1952.

On Sunday, January 13, 1952, U.S. Navy Seaman Clifford France was on his way back to his ship in San Francisco from Chicago aboard the City of San Francisco, when snow slides and an ongoing snowstorm stalled the train near the Yuba Pass and buried it in 12 feet of snow. Northern California and the Sierras had been experiencing a series of devastating winter storms that the Auburn Journal declared were the worst since the winter of 1889-1890.

Initially, sprits remained high among the travelers, until it became clear that rescue would not be easy. Because of the ongoing storms and high winds, relief crews using trucks and snowplows struggled to free the train. By Monday, the boilers had run out of water and the train cabins were without heat. In addition to suffering from the cold, some passengers became ill when carbon monoxide fumes entered the cabins from a generator. Luckily, a doctor had been on board on his way to a vacation and was able to help the sick.

The first relief came Monday night when a group of 13 skiers, aided by a snow tractor, were able to break through the snow and bring food and blankets. The next day, a coast guard helicopter arrived to retrieve ill or injured passengers, but they too were prevented by the storms from reaching them and could only drop off more supplies. It wasn’t until Wednesday, January 16th, that crews were able to clear Highway 40 below the stranded train. Passengers either walked or were taken by snow tractor to waiting cars on the highway. The cars then transported them to the Nyack Lodge in Emigrant Gap, where a rescue train was stationed to finally take them to San Francisco.

The train itself was not able to be moved until January 19th.

Bryanna Ryan

Supervising Curator

As another year ends, now is a good time for reflection. Time to think back on this past year and place it into the greater story of our lives. 2020 was not just ANY year, either.

Each of our perspectives are colored by a great many things and our experiences – though maybe similar – are not the same.

We hope you will consider sharing your perspectives, reflections, and even life stories with us. There are several ways you can do this, and we would love an opportunity to better document the history of our communities by preserving your experience.

Oral History Interview: If you, or someone you know, would like to participate in an oral life-history interview, let us know! This is a great way to document the unique experience of your life in just a few hours. We are making a list of interviews to conduct for when it is safe to do so in the coming year. Please contact Curator of Archives, Kelsey Monahan, to learn more about the oral history program and how to participate: Kmonahan@placer.ca.gov (530) 889-7789.

Online Survey: Consider taking our “Preserving this Historic Moment” survey. There are several questions designed to better understand how the historic experience of 2020 has played out for you. You may be anonymous if you wish and can take it multiple times as your perspectives may have changed.

Donate Photos: Do you have any photos you would like to donate? There are only two photos in our collection that document the 1918 influenza outbreak in Placer County. Please consider helping us to better document historic 2020 through photos. It is easy to do and you can upload them directly on our collecting portal.

Who knows what the next year will bring but as always, we would love to hear from you!

April McDonald-Loomis

President, Placer County Historical Society

Here’s hoping the New Year will be a brighter one for all of us! It certainly looks like the vaccine will get us out of these troubling times and I hope everyone will get theirs as soon as it becomes available.

It is still hard to say when we can resume our general dinner meetings with fifty or so people. We will have to wait until we get the go-ahead from the County. We are looking for a particularly dynamic speaker for our first return meeting. If you have any recommendations, do let me know.

Our recent publications, Notable and Interesting Women of Placer County ($5.00) and Auburn Dry Diggings and Water ($20.00) have been selling well. The second volume of Notable Women will be out in January or February. If you haven’t picked up a copy, there is a book order form on the historical society website.

Another book in progress is Auburn’s Landmarks. It should be completed by February. John Knox and I have taken a close look at the landmarks around town to either correct or add information. This will help people understand the reason we have these amazing landmarks. We have certainly learned a lot in the process, and we hope you will too.

We have identified over one hundred plaques and landmarks around Auburn. If you know of one that is fairly obscured or easily missed, please get in contact with me or John. We’ve scoured the area, but you never know. For example, have you ever seen the brass plaque in the middle of Sacramento Street installed to commemorate the making of the movie Phenomenon? It’s an easy one to miss!

Please see the photos below from our latest plaque ceremony for Emily Casement, the Fire Queen, in Old Town Auburn.

I hope you all continue to stay safe and that it will not be long until we can all get together and celebrate the history of Placer County.

Calendar of Events

If you have any questions about meetings going into 2021, please contact the specific historical organization you are interested in. Thank you!

Historical Organizations

Colfax Area Historical Society
Jay MacIntyre, President
(530) 346-8599
colfaxhistory.org

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

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

Fruitvale School Hall Community Association
Mark Fowler

Gold Country Medical History Museum

Lynn Carpenter
(530) 885-1252

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

Historical Advisory Board
Glenn Vineyard
(916) 747-1961

Joss House Museum and Chinese History Center
Larry Finney
(530) 305-9380

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

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

Phil Sexton
(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

Roseville Historical Society
Denise Fiddyment
(916) 773-3003

Friday, October 30, 2020

November - December 2020

Ralph Gibson

Museums Administrator

This year it truly will be “Home for the Holidays”. Because of the pandemic the Bernhard remains closed, which means no Victorian Christmas this year. However, we will be doing something special at the Gold Rush Museum, so expect a little more Gold Rush Christmas Spirit than usual. At the Courthouse we will decorate as usual with the big tree in the foyer and a smaller tree in the Treasury.

While the Bernhard Museum is closed, the grounds are open, and we will once again install exterior Christmas lights. The grounds will still have that holiday flare. Speaking of exterior lights, expect something more dramatic than usual at the Courthouse this season. Classic Christmas in Old Town will be very muted this year with an emphasis on shopping, so we will not be open those evenings. The same thing happened in 1918 when large, public Christmas gatherings were canceled

Shopping over everything else was emphasized – with a nod to donating to the Red Cross (WWI and Influenza).

We will still be full of Holiday cheer, so feel free to visit us any time. The Placer County Museum in the Courthouse is open everyday 10-4, the Gold Rush Museum Fri-Sun 1-4, and the DeWitt History Museum will be open the 1st Wed of the month 12-4. It’s been a crazy, awful year and we all deserve a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Kasia Woroniecka

Curator of Collections

Handkerchiefs used to be a part of every man and woman’s wardrobe. They came in many shapes and sizes. They were often embroidered, trimmed with lace, and showcased their maker’s needlework skills. They were prized as holiday and birthday gifts, purchased as souvenirs during vacations, and even used as a means of flirtation.

Handkerchiefs were often made of cotton, linen, or silk. The most beautiful ones were used for special occasions, like going to church or a party. Most women carried them in their purses or tucked them in their sleeves. Men’s handkerchiefs were plain, usually white, sometimes monogrammed and were usually carried in their pant pocket.

The fabric handkerchief began to fall out of favor when disposable paper facial tissue came on the market in the early 1920s. There are many beautiful handkerchiefs in our collection. Here are a few examples:

Cotton handkerchief with lace trim. It belonged to Mabel Carrie Berghtoldt of Newcastle c. 1900-1910. PCM Collection 2012.5.21

Donated by the estate of Drucilla Barner. Barner was born in 1914 in San Rafael. She came to Auburn in 1957 and became vice president of Heart Federal Savings and Loan. She was one of the founds of the Western States Trail Ride Assoication. She won the Tevis Cup in 1961. PCM Collection 1982.50.125

Silk handkerchief with embroidery c. 1900. PCM Collection 1981.24.17

The following handkerchiefs were donated in 1983 by Vincent Gianella and belonged to his wife Catherine and her mother Lydia Helmich Thiele. Vincent Gianella was a professor of geology, who spent his career at the University of Nevada and the Mackey School of Mines. Catherine was born in Los Angeles in 1890. She married Vincent Gianella in 1917. She was active in the Reno Women’s Civic Club, the Reno Twentieth Century Club, and the Women’s Faculty Club of the University of Nevada. In 1957 she was awarded the title of Mother of the Year in Reno by the Nevada Federation of Women’s Clubs. She died in Auburn in 1974.

Silk handkerchief with embroidery, drawn thread work and scalloped edges. Used by Lydia Helmich Thiele when going to church c. 1892-1895. PCM Collection 1983.9.182

Silk handkerchief with flower embroidery c. 1900. PCM Collection 1983.9.727

This silk handkerchief belonged to Lydia Helmich Thiele and it was her favorite c. 1880-1900. PCM Collection 1983.9.220

Linen handkerchief made by Catherine Gianella when she was 7 years old. This was her first attempt at fringing and hemstitching. PCM Collection 1983.9.226

White linen handkerchief with embroidery. Belonged to Catherine Gianella. It was a surprise gift from Vincent Gianella that she received in August of 1916. PCM Collection 1983.9.734

Silk handkerchief with embroidery and scalloped edges. Used by Lydia Helmich Thiele when going to church c. 1892-1895. PCM Collection 1983.9.183

Kelsey Monahan

Curator of Archives

In October, the Archive and Research Center launched the new Placer County Museums Digital Collections website: https://placer.access.preservica.com/. This launch is just the first step towards not only getting all our archival records online, but also our map collection and photograph archive.

For now, you can view records from the Placer County Clerk-Recorder Collection, which date to the beginning of the county in 1851. The largest group of records in this collection are the Deeds and Official Records, which span the years 1851-1960. The name of the collection is almost so plain as to disguise all the information it might hold. Deeds and Official Records contain deeds, deeds of trust, reconveyances, decrees, bills of sale, agreements, and more. The collection can be used in genealogy research, property research, and even research into the history of Placer County businesses.

For example, if we navigate to Official Records Book 475, pages 307-315 (check out this guide to getting started with the collection!) we find a Chattel Mortgage (where personal property or moveable property was used to secure a loan) between Dieudonne Bellurot and Victoria Bellurot, the mortgagors; and Josephine Walsh, Agnes Walsh Martin, and J.G. Walsh, the mortgagees. This mortgage record documents the transfer of the Freeman Hotel in Auburn from the Walsh family, which had been involved with operating the hotel for 50 years, and the Bellurots, who would own and operate it until the 1950s. The Freeman Hotel was originally built in 1868 as the West Hotel, in 1872 it became the Borland Hotel, and in 1880 W.A. Freeman purchased it and renamed it the Freeman Hotel.

Detail from Official Records Book 475, Page 307. Placer County Clerk-Recorder Collection.

Part of what makes Chattel Mortgages so interesting are the inventories of property, in this case, an inventory of all the furnishings inside the hotel from 1946. Not only can the listing tell us how many rooms there were and how they were furnished, but also how the hotel was decorated – the inventory lists 10 taxidermy mounts in the bar alone! It also gives some insight into the services they offered, like the hotel’s barber shop and in later pages their banquet supplies and dining room equipment.

Detail from Official Records Book 475, page 311. Placer County Clerk-Recorder Collection.

Sadly, the Freeman Hotel was torn down in 1970, but records like this can give us a glimpse into the past. To read the record and inventory in its entirety be sure to check out pages 307-315 of Official Records Book 475.

Interior of the Freeman Hotel, undated, PCM Collection. Are the spittoon and wall clock the same ones listed in the 1946 inventory of the lobby?

April McDonald-Loomis

President, Placer County Historical Society

Happy Fall! Perhaps a new season will bring some relief from the virus and the wildfire smoke. As far as the pandemic, we have been able to hold board meetings via Zoom, but our dinner meetings are still on hold. We have reserved our regular dates and times for the Veteran’s Hall next year. We still don’t know when we’ll be able to hold a dinner for 60 people. Patience seems to be the key in getting through this.

We’ve gotten a few things accomplished. The new Charbonneau plaque was installed in Old Town, many thanks to the City of Auburn for their assistance. In that same park, we will soon have a plaque dedicated to Emily Casement, the Fire Queen, with help from the E Clampus Vitas, Chapter 3. Another group of plaques that will be put up soon by the City are new ones on Nevada Street noting the gold-rich area of Spanish Flat and the location of the Auburn fruit sheds. We are still working on plaques for several downtown businesses. If anyone has any ideas for buildings or sites you think should have markers, do let us know.

We have a couple of new publications that are available through our website. A booklet entitled Roadhouses in Placer County, and a full-size resource book by John Knox entitled Auburn Dry Diggings and Water: Rivers, Ravines, Ditches, Springs, Wells and Waste. John has done an incredible job tracing the origins of our water supply over time. Everything you ever wanted to know about Auburn’s water is in this book! Go to placercountyhistoricalsociety.org for the book order form.

Placer County History Award, October 21st at the Bernhard Museum Complex

The Placer County History Award went to Dave Allen this year. There was a small outdoor ceremony at the Bernhard Museum Complex on October 21st (photos below). Congratulations Dave!

Stay safe, April McDonald-Loomis, President

Bill Oudegeest

Donner Summit Historical Society

On December 16th, presuming the weather is cooperative, four people, experienced long-distance runners and history and outdoor enthusiasts, will leave the State Park at Donner Lake to re-enact the travels of the Forlorn Hope.

The Trail of the Forlorn Hope

First, a little background. At the end of October 1846, the Donner Party was trapped by snow. They’d made mistakes, but they’d have gotten over the Sierra if the weather had not turned against them. Over the ensuing weeks snow continued to fall, they lost their cattle, and made four attempts to escape. They were trapped and starving.

On December 16, fifteen people made a final escape attempt. They thought they could snowshoe to California in ten days and bring back help to their desperate families. It took thirty-one days and only seven survivors, five women and two men, made it to California. When the first man, helped by Native Americans, knocked on a settler’s door, the woman who answered broke into tears. Bloody footprints trailed behind him; he was emaciated and almost dead.

The Forlorn Hope is the name of the escapees from Donner Lake. They galvanized a response that resulted in four rescue parties over the following months that rescued about half of the Donner Party. All that is well-known and repeated in many books and articles. This year’s re-enactors hope to make the trip with modern clothing, equipment, and adequate food—with all members surviving until the end, in five or six days.

You can imagine the work these four have undergone figuring out the logistics, trying to divine the route of the Forlorn Hope, and preparing mentally and physically. In 1846, they were more interested in survival than plotting the route, besides, they got lost. The story of this re-enactment will be compelling and remarkable, though not quite as compelling are remarkable as the original. Look for future articles on this endeavor.

If you want to get more background on the Donner Party, the Summit, and the Forlorn Hope, read the “Donner Party and Donner Summit: Heroism, Pathos, and the Human Spirit.” You can also go to the Heirloom indices for a series of articles on the Donner Party and Donner Summit, parts I-V in the December 2016 to April 2017 issues.

Calendar of Events

If you have a question about meetings for a specific historical organization going into November or December, please contact them directly.

Historical Organizations

Phil Sexton
(530) 583-1762
northtahoemuseums.org

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

Saturday, August 29, 2020

September - October 2020

Ralph Gibson

Museums Administrator

As a museum professional, I am ethically forbidden from collecting in areas that compete with our museums’ collection. But, like most people in my field, I am a collector. What I collect are vintage Halloween cards. Some collectors aspire to possess cards in mint condition that were never mailed. Myself, I prefer used cards produced before 1920 that may not be in the best condition. Their use is part of the history I find appealing. This was a time when superstitions held more weight than today, especially in rural areas. The cards were designed, produced, purchased, and mailed in fun, but sometimes with a kiss of old-world magic.

Before Trick or Treating became popular in the 1930s, Halloween was about parties, games, spooky stories, and mischief. Many of the cards I have in my collection interpret superstitions that revolved around young people magically discerning who they will marry in the future. Some women looked into a mirror with a lit candle at midnight on Halloween to catch a glimpse of their intended. Others divined the first letter of their future mate’s name by the shape of a long peel shaved from an apple.

My cards also reflect the pranks and mischief that were an important part of the holiday. But what I love most is the iconography: the old-world witches, ghosts, bats, Jack-O’-Lanterns, black cats, etc. In the era I collect there aren’t any cards with vampires, mummies, or Frankenstein’s monster. These creatures, though born in history and literature much earlier, wouldn’t become part of Halloween until the Universal movies of the 1930s.

There probably won’t be Trick or Treating this year due to Coronavirus. Instead, Halloween 2020 will likely resemble the holiday interpreted in my cards. It may be more about spooky stories, games, mischief, and little bit of old-world magic – my favorite! Happy Halloween!

Kasia Woroniecka

Curator of Collections

We know today that smoking is not good for you. Yet people have been smoking for thousands of years with the help of some very interesting objects. Pipes come in many shapes and sizes, and are made of many different materials like wood, clay, metal, porcelain, plaster, or bone. Researching these was quite an adventure.
We have thousands of objects in our collection, so it is not surprising that things occasionally get misidentified. It turned out that we do not have as many opium pipes as we thought we did. Here are a few examples of pipes in our collection.

Chinese water pipe, c. 1850-1870

This Chinese water pipe dates to around 1850-1870. It is decorated with beautiful floral cloisonné pattern and a small tassel. The water pipe operated like a hookah: the hot smoke passed through water in the container at the base of the pipe. This removed impurities and cooled the smoke which was then inhaled through the long pipe. Tobacco was introduced in China sometime in the 16th century and smoking it grew in popularity due to its supposed healing properties.

Tobacco, except for snuff, was made illegal during the Ming and early Qing Dynasties in the early 17th century. Even though the penalty for breaking the law was harsh, people of all classes still indulged in the practice and tobacco was an important part of social gatherings and entertainment. Water pipes were expensive and were used as decoration when not in use. This type of pipe is often mistaken for an opium pipe, but it was used for smoking tobacco. Many historic photographs of opium dens show opium pipes along with water pipes, which leads to the confusion.

Chinese opium pipe

This is a Chinese opium pipe made of bamboo. Opium smoking was an accepted social practice in 19th century China. The Chinese who came to California during the Gold Rush brought recreational opium smoking with them. This pipe is missing a bowl, which would have been attached to the metal fitting on top of the pipe, called the saddle. Smoking opium is different than smoking tobacco and required several tools and a lot of practice. That is why most opium smokers preferred opium dens, where attendants would prepare the pipes for them.

The opium was first heated over a lamp and shaped with a needle into a small pill, called chandu. The pill was placed in the bowl on the pipe’s saddle and heated by the lamp. Once the opium simmered, the smoker inhaled the fumes. Smoking opium was usually practiced lying down, because it was the most comfortable position to hold the pipe over the lamp. Opium pipes were long since space was needed between the smoker and the heat source.

Chinese long-stem tobacco pipe, c. 1875

This is a Chinese long-stem tobacco pipe that dates to around 1875. The length of the pipe stem affected the taste. The longer the stem the milder the taste.

Japanese Kiseru tobacco pipe, Natamame style

This is a Japanese Kiseru tobacco pipe. Kiseru were made from metal or a combination of metal and wood or bamboo and came in various styles. This one is the Natamame. It is flat to fit easily in the belt of the kimono. This type of pipe has been used in Japan since the 16th century when tobacco was introduced by Portuguese traders. A small amount of shredded tobacco is placed in the tiny bowl at the tip of the pipe. It is enough for a few puffs before the ashes are dumped out, and a fresh supply is added.

Tyrolean pipe, c. 1907-1927

This pipe is called the “Tyrolean” for Tyrol, the Austrian and Italian region in the Alps. It is sometimes called the Jaeger pipe, the wine pipe, or the German hunter pipe. This style pipe has a large bowl or reservoir called the abguss, used to hold juices and tar to improve the fragrance and flavor of the tobacco. This style was popular in Central Europe since the 18th century and the one in our collection dates to 1907-1927.

Punch pipe, c. 1850-1900

This is a tiny figural clay pipe c. 1850-1900 that portrays Punch, one of the characters of the traditional puppet show Punch and Judy. Pipes representing political figures, animals, occupations, or other symbols were popular during this time-period. Clay was a common and inexpensive material for tobacco pipes. These pipes were fragile, and their long stems broke easily. This one was made in a casting mold.

Plains Indians style "peace pipe," c. 1900-1940

This is a Plains Indians style “peace pipe” with a pipestone carved bowl and wooden stem c. 1900-1940. It is not an original sacred pipe, but one made for sale. Traditionally ceremonial pipes were smoked to offer prayers or to seal a treaty.

Sea snail shell pipe, c. 1850

Pipes have become objects of great creativity and ingenuity. This one was made around 1850 out of a polished sea snail shell giving a broader meaning to the old saying “smoke 'em if you got 'em.”

Katy Bartosh

Staff Writer

What amusements were available to a miner during the Gold Rush? What did they have to look forward to after the backbreaking work of mining a claim? The circus! Saloons and music were common forms of entertainments, but circuses arrived early and returned annually. These shows started in the 1850s and continued into the 20th century.

The first circuses started in America in the late 18th century. These were small European endeavors with acrobatics, trick riding, and clowns. In 1825, showman Joshua Purdy Brown, started the first real American circus.

When public amusements were banned in Wilmington, Delaware during the Second Great Awakening, Brown erected a “pavilion circus” outside the city limits, starting America’s tradition of canvas, big top circuses. With expansion moving westward, circuses did as well.

Placer Herald, June 10, 1853

The Placer Herald announced the arrival of Lee & Marshall’s National Circus and Hippodrome on June 10th, 1853. Lee and Marshall were operating a primarily equestrian exhibition out of Sacramento. These early gold rush circuses relied on show drama and equestrian skills.

Articles reference a dedicated “Circus Lot” in Auburn that was used for shows. It was located behind the Methodist Church.

A variety of shows continued to rotate through Auburn, typically June through September. In 1856, Rowe & Co.’s Circus arrived with Adonis, the dancing horse, and Mr. R. Wills, the Wizard Bugler.

Dan Rice

Dan Rice’s Great Show stopped in 1860. Rice would go on to become the most famous circus clown of the 19th century, and even ran for president in 1868.

While early shows primarily utilized horses, elephants and other exotic animals became more prevalent with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad made it easier and less expensive to ship larger shows with a greater variety of animals.

Wisconsin showman Dan Castello took his circus from Omaha to California on the newly completed railroad in May 1869. He arrived in Auburn in September, and his whole season was immensely profitable. Castello would convince P.T. Barnum to join the venture a year later and the circus eventually became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus—The Greatest Show on Earth.

Placer Herald, September 18, 1869

By this point, the railroad and the circus became synonymous in America.

The Great New York and New Orleans Zoological Equestrian Exposition set up in Auburn on July 25, 1873. The show boasted a variety of animals including zebras, kangaroos, gorillas, and a drove of Bactrian camels.

These large circuses were more extravagant. In 1877, the Grand Trans-Continental Tour of Forepaugh’s Aggregation was the most elaborate to date. Forepaugh featured the “only living male hippopotamus, or river horse, in America,” as well as lions, tigers, bears, a rhinoceros, and a “magnificent museum of wonders.”

Placer Herald, August 25, 1877

The arrival of the circus was usually well received, though the occasional complaint appeared in the local paper about the quality of the animals, acrobatics, or conduct of the performers.

In 1893 there was a tragic accident. Sells & Rentfrow was coming through Grass Valley on the railroad when two engines and four cars went off the track, killing a young man and several animals. This was only a month after the circus lost several of their animals in the town of Salem, Oregon, including a black bear, monkey, and hedgehog.

The yearly arrival and departure of summer circuses continued into the 20th century until the fair became a more popular local attraction.

Bryanna Ryan

Supervising Curator

Our interpretive projects look a lot different that usual this year. With our museums closed we have finally realized an opportunity to prioritize getting content online and for those of you keeping track at home, since March we have published seventy-two virtual history projects.

You may now take a virtual walking tour of Dutch Flat or Auburn and see historic photos associated with the buildings while you journey. There are grounds tours of the Gold Rush Museum and the Bernhard Museum. Soon, there will also be grounds tours for the Griffith Quarry Park and the Foresthill Divide Museum. Kasia has produced twenty-three artifact highlights and has many more on the horizon.

One of the great things about these is that we can feature things that may not be in display condition or that didn’t quite fit into one of the themes of our brick and mortar museums. Even thought they are virtual, these have the effect of bringing the object so much closer to the viewer than we usually are able and the Bernhard Ring and the 1910 Wedding Cake Topper are good examples of how special a small object can become when given a chance to really see it.

History projects have explored many things including Rattlesnake Dick, the Hidden Treasure Mine, Newcastle, the Hawver Cave, the Lincoln Highway, and the geologic beginnings of Placer County. With our Living History and Gold Rush Programs unfortunately on pause, we are also looking for ways to reach students where they are through online content.

Through it all, we are learning a lot - both about the history of Placer County as well as what works and what doesn’t in developing these projects. The bulk of the research comes from the Archive and Research Center and there is an exciting new venture for this facility, as well. In the next couple of months we are hoping to launch our catalog online where at least some of our records will finally be searchable to the distance researcher. Stay tuned for this and in the meantime, don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions for projects we should explore.

April McDonald-Loomis

President, Placer County Historical Society

Greetings,

I hope everyone is staying in and staying well. These certainly are challenging times. So many of us are missing usual routines and our volunteer work. We can only hope we can see an end in sight. There is hardly anything happening at the Historical Society but I have a few things to share.

Karri Samson, John Knox, and I are working on some additional plaques for buildings in Auburn. We are working on 805 Lincoln, 835 Lincoln, 922 Lincoln, 928 Lincoln, 823 Lincoln, and 1590 Lincoln. If anyone knows the owners of the above buildings, please let me know to save the time tracking them down. We always need the owner’s permission to place a plaque on the building.

Also, the replacement for the Charbonneau plaque in the Fire House Park in Old Town should be coming soon. The wording on the plaque was incorrect and we are replacing it. We are also involved with E Clampus Vitus in installing a plaque for Emily Casement, the “Fire Queen,” in the same park. That one is on track for the Fall.

Proof for Emily Casement Plaque for Fire House Park

We don’t currently have any general dinner meetings planned for the near future. This too, like so many things, is on hold.

A special note, Betty Samson, a Society member for many years just celebrated her 95th birthday! We wish her all the best and miss seeing her at the dinner meetings.

April McDonald-Loomis, President

Calendar of Events

If you have a question about meetings for a specific historical organization going into September or October, please contact them directly.

Historical Organizations

Phil Sexton
(530) 583-1762
northtahoemuseums.org

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