Administrator’s Notes
by Ralph Gibson, Museums Administrator
Fruitvale Heritage Trail: Mary Dillingham, Diane Adams, Kaitlin Grebe, Laurie Meyerpeter and Daphne Lake.
Over the summer, visitors will start to see new exhibit elements appear in the Placer County Museum, but it will not be completed until sometime in 2026. This exhibit is large in scope and I am already planning a return visit to see it realized.
As in previous Placer articles, I am going to end by looking back. From the Museums Administrator’s Report to the Historical Advisory Board in the summer of 2005, Melanie Barton informed the board of work being done at the Bernhard Museum Complex (BMC): “Improvements to the BMC are underway. A part of the parking area has been replaced with lawn to create a more park like setting for the Living History Program and Community Education Programs. Plans have been made for outdoor lighting to illuminate the house and winery and for an outdoor kitchen to protect the wood burning stove for the Living History Program. Both of these projects should be completed before the first of the year.”
Both projects were completed before the first of the year, but I would argue that the parking area wasn’t truly completed until we had it paved.
I hope everyone has a terrific summer and I hope to see you somewhere on the Heritage Trail before 4:00 pm on September 6th!
New Donation Highlight
By Kasia Woroniecka , Curator of Collections
This porcelain jar with a spoon , likely used for jam or mustard, belonged to Effa Elvira Lardner Gordon, who was the youngest daughter of W. B. Lardner and Jennie Mitchell Lardner. W.B. Lardner was a prominent attorney, State Senator, Placer County District Attorney, and Auburn's City Attorney.
The jar was manufactured by the Porcelain Manufactory Hermann Ohme, which operated in Niedersalzbrunn, Silesia, Germany (present-day Wałbrzych, Western Poland) between 1882 and 1928. Ohme’s clear glaze porcelain was sold throughout Europe and the United States. In the U.S., many undecorated pieces were also marketed for hand painting—a popular pastime in the early 20th century.
Mining History Through the Lens of Charles L. Weed
By Christina Richter, Museums Administrative Clerk
In 1858, Sacramento photographer Charles Leander Weed documented mining activity along the Middle Fork of the American River Canyon in a series of photographs taken on “behalf of the Vance establishment for commercial purposes.” * Weed’s images captured early mining sites including Kennebec, Hossins, Package, Grand Mountain, Main, Poverty, and Oregon Bars, as well as Cranwilles, Sardine, and Young America Claims.
Nearly 120 years later, in 1976, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation revisited these locations to create a comparative photographic record. With the pending Auburn Dam expected to flood the canyon, there was a push to document the historic sites before they were lost. On October 9, 1976, Auburn native and mountain man Wendell Robie, joined members of the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the Bureau to locate and map the original Weed photo sites. Over the course of 11 trips from 1976 to 1978, the Bureau successfully matched and photographed each location.
One comparison features Weed’s photograph #11 (below), taken from the east side of Maine Bar.
Though the Auburn Dam was never completed, the resulting side-by-side photographic record remains a valuable resource for historians and preservationists today.
*ref: Pg 15 Charles L. Weed Historic Photographs of the Middle Fork American River Mining Activities, by John H. Turner, April 1983. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Sacramento, California binder.
Bernhard Museum Exterior Renovation Project
By Kasia Woroniecka, Curator of Collections
Bernhard Museum June 2025
Volunteer Spotlight
By Kasia Woroniecka, Curator of Collections
Diane’s interests extend beyond history. For health reasons, she adopted a vegan lifestyle and now encourages others to explore plant-based eating. One of her favorite dishes is a creamy cashew cheese sauce, which she adds to many dishes.
Diane brings warmth, enthusiasm, and a deep sense of purpose to everything she does.
Thank you, Diane!
Placer County Historical Society
No dinner meeting until October 2025. Guess it’s time for some leftovers!
Woman retrieving food from the freezer, 1964. PCM, Gold Country Fair Collection
Please go to www.placercountyhistoricalsociety.org for more information
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