Today Jim and I took a little drive down 99 to Yuba City to visit the Sutter County Museum. I’ve been meaning to get there for a long time now, because I like small hometown history museums, and because I wanted to see if they were interested in my books. I had a nice chat with the docent on duty and with the museum director, Molly Bloom.

Since the county is named after John Sutter, there was a corner dedicated to him. His reputation is sliding downwards nowadays, but he was a significant historical figure and should be acknowledged. The mural on the wall shows a nice view of what Sutter’s Hock Farm would have looked like from the Feather River, with the Sutter Buttes in the background. (The house burned down in 1865.) There is also a painting of the Hock Farm in 1851, before the big house was built, by William Smith Jewett.

The first area that you come to focuses on the indigenous Nisenan people. Agriculture dominates another part of the exhibit, with a beautifully restored Yuba Ball Tread tractor, manufactured in Marysville, and in its day considered ideal for orchard work. There is also a blacksmith’s shop, chock-full of blacksmithing tools and old-time agricultural implements.

Sutter and Yuba counties have a diverse population and the museum reflects that. There are exhibits dedicated to African American, Chinese, Hmong, Japanese, and Punjabi populations. Immigration from Punjab began around 1900, and Punjabi-Americans, mostly Sikhs, now form a significant portion of the Sutter County population. Their display in the museum is extensive and highly informative.

I particularly liked the area devoted to black and African American history, which included a shout-out to the Sweet Vengeance Mine. Some of the people highlighted here, like Jennie Carter and Edward Duplex, I have written about on this blog. But I have never written anything on Jim Beckwourth, and I really should. The painting on this display case, by local artist Louis Lethridge, is really striking.

The museum also contains a carriage and a Model T Ford, but my favorite vehicle is the Studebaker Junior wagon, in the children’s corner.

The museum has a tempting gift shop, with lots of books, and items by local artisans such as jewelry, ceramics, and soap. I bought three books, ones that will give me topics for many blog posts to come.

The Sutter County Museum, located at 1333 Butte House Road, is open Wednesday through Friday, 9-5, and Saturday 12-4. In addition to local history, it hosts temporary exhibits, so there is always something new and different. The museum is well worth a visit!