San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum facts for kids
Cottage built by Charles M. Weber, founder of Stockton, California
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| Formation | 1954 (Historical Society) / 1966 (Museum) |
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| Type | Museum, Nonprofit |
| Headquarters | 11793 N. Micke Grove Road, Lodi, CA 95240 |
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Region
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San Joaquin County, California |
| Website | https://www.sanjoaquinhistory.org |
The San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum is a cool place to learn about history! It's located in Micke Grove Regional Park, right between the cities of Lodi, California and Stockton in California. The museum first opened its doors in 1966. It was created by San Joaquin County and the San Joaquin County Historical Society.
This museum is quite large, with over 40,000 square feet of space for exhibits and work. It started with just a few hundred items from William G. and Julia Harrison Micke. Now, it has grown to include more than 75,000 historical objects. Plus, there are over 500,000 documents and photos! These items all help tell the story of how San Joaquin County grew and changed over time. The museum was officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums in 1973.
Contents
What You Can See: Museum Exhibits
The museum has many interesting exhibits that show different parts of San Joaquin County's history. Here are some of the main ones:
The Weber Family Story
- The Helen Weber Kennedy Gallery: This exhibit tells the story of Charles Maria Weber. He was the person who founded the city of Stockton. You can learn all about him and his family here.
Native American Life
- The Native American Gallery: This area shows how the local Yokuts and Miwok tribes lived. You can learn about their daily lives and cultures in the San Joaquin Valley.
Tools and Technology
- The Floyd Locher Tool Collection: This is a huge collection of tools! It's the biggest tool collection west of the Mississippi River in the United States.
- Innovations in Agriculture: San Joaquin County has always been important for farming. This exhibit shows how the county helped create new ideas and machines for farming around the world.
- Tractors and Earth Moving Equipment: You can see big tractors, scrapers, and bulldozers here. Many of these machines were invented and built right in San Joaquin County. This includes equipment from famous companies like the Holt Manufacturing Company, R. G. LeTourneau, and Samson Iron Works.
Exploring Nature and History Outdoors
- The Sunshine Trail: This is an outdoor exhibit that lets you walk through different natural areas. It shows the various ecosystems found in the Sierra Nevada mountains, the foothills, and the San Joaquin Valley.
- Historic Structures: Around the museum grounds, you can visit old buildings. These include the Calaveras Schoolhouse from 1884, the Charles Weber cottage, and the beautiful Victorian-style Julia Weber House.
Learning Programs: Education at the Museum
The museum offers special programs to help people learn.
Becoming a Docent
The museum has a Docent Program for adults. Docents are like volunteer teachers. They take a year-long course to learn about local history and how to teach it. After they finish, they help out with different museum programs.
Bringing History to Life: Living History Programs
Museum docents also run "living history" programs for elementary school students. These programs help kids understand what everyday life was like in the 1800s and early 1900s. It helps them connect with the history they learn in school.
- Valley Days: Students learn old-time skills like gold panning, blacksmithing, and grinding corn.
- Pioneer School: Kids get to spend a day in the Calaveras School House. They use the actual California State Curriculum from 1884!
- Farm to Fork: Students get to pretend they are part of the farming industry.
In 2023, the San Joaquin County Historical Society received $3.2 million for a future Pioneer Village project. This will be an exciting new addition!
Tours and Traveling Trunks
The museum docents are also available to give tours to visitors. They can guide you through the exhibits and share interesting facts.
Grandmother's/Grandfather's Trunk Program
Docents also run a popular program called "Grandmother's/Grandfather's Trunk." For this, docents dress in pioneer clothing and visit schools. They bring trunks filled with old artifacts. They explain what these items were used for, helping students imagine life in the 1800s.
The Museum's Archive: A Treasure Trove of Records
The museum also keeps the official archives for San Joaquin County. This means they have over 500,000 documents and photos. These are available for anyone who wants to do research.
What's in the Archive?
- Weber Family Collections: Records about the Weber family's personal lives and businesses.
- Tillie Lewis Collection: Personal scrapbooks and papers belonging to Tillie Lewis.
- Reclamation Collections: Historical documents about water rights, mosquito control, and land reclamation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
- High School Yearbooks: Yearbooks from many high schools in San Joaquin County. This includes schools like Stockton, Lodi, Tokay, Ripon, Tracy, Lincoln, St. Mary's, and Edison High School.
- Local Family Records: Records to help people research their family history, including the First Families of San Joaquin collection.
- County Records: Official records from San Joaquin County. This includes meeting notes from the Board of Supervisors, property records, marriage and death records, voter lists, and old maps of Stockton, Lodi, and Clements.
- Agricultural Technology Manuals: Books and guides about farming machines.
- Chinese Business Records: Business records written in Chinese from the Chinese community in Stockton.
- Other Collections: Over 150 other collections about businesses in San Joaquin County, including manufacturing, shipping, and farming.
