Critter Corral returns to Micke Grove Park
Ever wanted to meet a cow, goat, pony or alpaca up close? Now’s your chance. The Critter Corral will return to the San Joaquin County Historical Museum this weekend — and there’s plenty more to do at Micke Grove, too.
From Saturday until Aug. 27, visit and pet live farm animals every weekend at the historical museum.
The Critter Corral is one of several agriculture-themed exhibits at the historical museum.
One recent addition is the exciting, 9,000-square-foot “Innovators in Agriculture” exhibition in the Cortopassi-Avansino Building. The building showcases the development of intensive, irrigated agriculture in San Joaquin County beginning in about 1900. It focuses on several crops the county is known for, including beans, asparagus, cherries and walnuts.
The 18-acre museum shares more of San Joaquin County’s history in seven additional exhibition buildings, the renovated Sunshine Trail (a living exhibition of native plants and habitats) and the new Delta Water path.
It’s also home to four historic buildings:
• Charles Weber House: This redwood cottage was once the home of Charles Weber, who founded the Stockton Mining Company during the California Gold Rush. It was built in 1848 and stood at Weber Point until it was willed to Micke Grove by Weber’s granddaughter, Helen Weber Kennedy.
• Calaveras School: Originally located near Highway 88 north of the Calaveras River, the school built in 1866 was one of the last working one-room schoolhouses in the county by 1959. It was moved to the museum and restored in 1976, and now plays host to the Pioneer School Day program.
• Blacksmith Shop: The late 1800s blacksmith shop still works, and is used during Valley Days and other special events.
• Julia Weber House: The home of Charles Weber’s wife, Helen, and daughter, Julia, this home was built in what is now downtown Stockton in 1892. It is the most recent addition to the museum, and has been restored to its early appearance.
Other permanent museum exhibits include artifacts of the Miwok and Yokuts people who lived in the county before white settlers arrived, old winemaking and fruit growing equipment, tools used in the California Delta, and items used by early trappers and settlers, including William Micke, the farmer and philanthropist who donated Micke Grove Park to the county.
A special historical exhibit, “Washington Street: The Heart and Soul of Stockton Chinatown,” will be available at the museum through May 28. It will be followed by a showing of the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibition, “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America,” from June 24 through Aug. 6.
With the parking fee, visitors also gain access to Micke Grove Park. The park’s attractions include a Japanese garden with cherry trees, a tea house and a koi pond, the 3acre Wortley Lake, softball fields, picnic areas, children’s playgrounds, horseshoe pits and more.
Micke Grove Zoo and the Fun Town amusement park are also in the park, for additional admission.
Hours at Micke Grove’ other attractions vary.