Museums Weekend draws in explorers
Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Gridley, Centerville shine during annual event
CHICO >> A chilly, rainy weekend might have been a good excuse for many people to just relax at home and do nothing. However, with an event highlighting Butte County museums of all types Saturday and Sunday, it proved to be a good time for folks to get out and see what their museums had to offer.
After all, the price was right — there was no charge to get into any of 18 venues during the Explore Museums Weekend, operated by Explore Butte County, an organization to promote tourism within the county.
Museums in Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Gridley and tiny Centerville were open and on display. Some are well-known and heavily visited, such as the Gateway Science Museum in Chico and the Gold Nugget Museum in Paradise, while others may be a little more obscure but certainly no less impressive or important, such as the Gridley Museum and the Colman Museum in Centerville.
At the Colman Museum, 13548 Centerville Rd., 26 attendees visited by the middle of the day Sunday, following an attendance of 45 Saturday. Adjacent to the 1890s one-room Centerville School — in use as a school until 1966 — the museum features history of Butte Creek Canyon, which played a significant role in mining as well as providing early 20th century electrification for the canyon as well as Chico.
The museum is remote — about 11 miles from Highway 99 off the Skyway, Honey Run Road and Centerville Road. The 2018 Camp Fire threatened the facility, coming about 100 feet away from the wooden school building.
Colman exhibits
Docent Claudia Lang
showed with much pride the museum's collection of Native American woven baskets, representing Maidu, Modoc, Achomawi, Wintun, Pima, Atsugewi and Paiute Washo tribes.
There is also a Civil War exhibit, which features sabers from the war, clothing, photos, and other irreplaceable items such as a “description book” from Halleck Post No. 19, Grand Army of the Republic. In it are listings of all Chicoarea Civil War veterans, describing injuries (if any) and other service facts; these men needed to be registered in order to receive pensions from the U.S. Government.
“Mac” Stilson and Nathaniel Bryant Colman were two war veterans of the canyon;
their stories are documented in the museum.
Gold prospecting and mining — a major historical driver in the canyon — is represented in the museum. Docent Hubert Venema described the 1972 discovery of a 5½-ounce gold nugget by 9-year-old Vincent Barrow, who was out on a walk in the canyon and kicked what he thought was an ordinary rock; it turned out to be gold.
Also, prospector Tim Calhoon offered an expert presentation on gold panning, explaining gold's characteristics and behaviors.
monca and more
Near the center of Chico, the Museum of Northern California Art, at 900 Esplanade, was bustling Sunday afternoon with adults and children enjoying art based on the migration of snow geese, the theme of the current exhibit. It runs
through March 19.
Executive Director Pat Macias said the venue had 292 visitors Saturday and had already notched 225 visitors by 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
“This has been a really good thing,” Macias said of the museum weekend. “We've had people who say, `I've walked by or driven by but have never stopped in.' It's a very good kids-andfamily thing.”
Indeed, just about all age groups were represented as people moved
from room to room, inspecting the art. Kids also had a table in the lobby where they could create their own art.
Carol Myers and Whitney Wolff, both of Chico, enjoyed the museum and were next headed to a couple of other stops — the Chico Art Center and the Chico History Museum.
“It's great to see lots of families with children,” Myers said. “We also appreciate that the museum has artists from outside the community who donate to the museum. There are lots of media on display here.”
The recent donation of a piano in one of the display rooms attracted Michael Brown of Chico, who masterfully played despite, as he stated, never having taken piano lessons.
“I've played ever since I was 17,” he said. He played with a skill that was perfect for an art setting.