“Gold Fever! The Untold Stories of California’s Gold Rush,” a traveling exhibition presenting a treasury of Gold Rush-era images and reproductions of historical documents, will open with a preview reception at the Grace Hudson Museum on its next First Friday evening, November 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. This free event is held in conjunction with Mendocino County's yearly Mushroom, Wine and Beer Festival; mushroom-themed appetizers and local wines will be served. The exhibit will be on display through January 10, 2016.
The California Gold Rush began in the Sierra Nevada in 1848 when sawmill operator James Marshall bent down in the mill's channel bed and picked up some brightly-flecked rocks, declaring "I have found it." The exhibit examines this fateful moment in the American River; the frenzied rush to the gold fields overland and by sea; the experience of vigilante justice; life in the rowdy gold camps; Gold Rush-era commerce and farming; and the shaping of California’s future. Twenty-four photo-mural panels present 1,000 square feet of fascinating text and representations of primary documents, photographs, daguerreotypes and Gold Rush-era paintings. The exhibition spotlights the remarkable stories of individual Californios, women, Native Americans, adventurers and gold seekers who emigrated from all parts of the world during the tumultuous and colorful Gold Rush era, and examines the impact James Marshall’s discovery continues to have on all of California’s people, cultures, environment, politics and economy. This traveling exhibit will be supplemented at the Grace Hudson Museum with artifacts drawn from its own collections, including examples of gold-mining equipment used by Grace Hudson’s family members. The “Gold Fever! The Untold Stories of the California Gold Rush” traveling exhibition tour was organized by Exhibit Envoy in partnership with the Cal Humanities. Exhibit Envoy provides traveling exhibitions and professional services to museums throughout California. Its mission is to build new perspectives among Californians, create innovative exhibitions and solutions, and advance institutions in service to their communities. The Grace Hudson Museum is at 431 S. Main St. in Ukiah and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4:30 p.m. For more information please call 467-2836 or go to www.gracehudsonmuseum.org.
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