1

Gallery ThemeThe overarching theme of the gallery is Coming to California. Here you can discover the influx of people to the state throughout human history—and the interactions of newcomers with the people already here. You can also explore why California was a place that attracted new arrivals and consider the influence of California on our individual and collective identities.

The displays are designed to be like stage sets in a theater. The plywood walls and stage-like platforms are meant to focus the objects on “center stage” and leave lots of room for your imagination. Interpretation takes many forms in the new gallery. Wherever possible, commentary—from historic figures to contemporary scholars—is in the first person, whether it is presented in text, audio, or other media.

OrganizationThe gallery is organized chronologically, from the 1500s to contemporary times. This Gallery Resource Guide is divided into four time periods; for each, exhibits present a variety of themes, historical events, and personal stories. The time periods are:

• Pre-1540 – 1848 • 1848 – 1860s• 1869 – 1920s• 1929 – 1940

G a l l e r y o f C a l i f o r n i a H i s t o r y

2

Background

This first section of the gallery focuses on the history of California from the Native People before first contact, through the periods of exploration, colonization, and independence from Spain.

Here exhibits relate to the traditional ways of life of California Indians, the exploration of California, the moment of first contact between European explorers and Native People, the Spanish Missions, and the period of time when California was part of a newly independent Mexico, open to trade with all of the world.

“ Know that, on the right hand of the Indies, there is an island called California,

very near to the Terrestrial Paradise, which was peopled with black women,

without any men among them.... Their arms were all of gold…for in all the

island there is no other metal.”

—The Labors of the Very Brave Knight Esplandián, Garcia Rodríguez de Montalvo, 1510

Cultures Meet

An immersive audio experience invites students to put themselves in the imaginations of both the explorers and Native People at the moment of first contact. What must the Native People have thought of these pale, often unhealthy, and smelly visitors, who sailed in from over the horizon? What did the explorers think about the Native People they found on the shores of California? Inside are two objects: one a Spanish helmet and the other a piece of headgear worn by the Indians of Central California. Have students compare and contrast the two objects. What was the intended purpose of each type of headgear? After listening to the audio inside the enclosure, ask students if they understood what they heard. Talk with them about what they would be thinking if they encountered a group of people they had never seen before, speaking a language they had never heard. What questions would be running through their minds?

Pre-1540–1848

Places to Explore Things You Can DoThe Spanish Take

This Land

3

Voyages of Discovery Ship

This display is meant to evoke an 18th century sailing ship, the type that European powers used on expeditions of discovery. Have students enter the ship and imagine sailing the vast ocean in search of new lands. Have them explore the artifacts collected from the far reaches of the Pacific. Talk about the different types of jobs there would be on a ship like this: navigator, scientist, artist, etc. What would be the responsibilities for each job? Have your students find one object related to each job (for example, maps, compass, sexton, illustrations, animal specimens, and so on).

Cross in the Ground

This display represents a cross that was erected by the first Spanish visitors to Monterey. When the Spanish returned to the site later, they found the cross had been decorated with sardines and feathers by the local Ohlone Indians. See if the students can identify the objects decorating the cross. Are they reminded of any other objects they have seen in the gallery so far? Why do they think someone left them there? Below is an excerpt of how the Spanish explained the event:

“ Father Junipero Sera asked Juan Evangelista, a Rumsien Ohlone boy, ‘Why

is it that when we first came to these parts, and had set up two crosses near

Monterey, on our return here, we found that the [Indians] had hung on the arms

strings of sardines and pieces of deer meat and at the foot of the cross had

shot many broken arrows?’ And he replied that they had done so, that the cross

might not be angry with them. And to explain why they were afraid, he said that

the sorcerers and priest-dancers who roam through the night saw the cross,

each night, going up high in the heavens—not of dark material as wood is but

resplendent with light, and beautiful to behold; and for that reason they regarded

it with great respect, and made presents to it of all they had.”

—Junípero Serra’s Memorandum, June 22, 1774

photo: Jeff Warrin

4

One historian notes that the Ohlone might have connected the newly erected cross with stories of conquest related to Spanish activities farther south and perhaps wanted to make offerings as a way of avoiding the same fate.

Nearby students will find a hands-on trunk. Inside are representations of the things the new arrivals brought in their “luggage,” including Spanish religious beliefs, language, pastoral agriculture, and disease. Have students look at the large illustration above the trunk for examples of what the Spanish brought to California. Of the various items in the trunk, what do they think had the greatest impact on the Indians of California? A large map nearby on the exterior of the ship illustrates Spanish colonial holdings in the western hemisphere and can be used to facilitate discussion of where Alta California fit within the Spanish Empire.

BackgroundThis section focuses primarily on the years immediately following the discovery of gold in Northern California. It includes the activities and interactions of those who arrived to seek their fortunes, those already here who had to adapt to a new California, and those who stayed after the rush and made a home.

Here students will find materials related to the initial discovery of gold, the various ways in which people tried to “strike it rich,” the different effects of the Gold Rush on people from different cultures, its environmental impact, the rapid growth of San Francisco, and the types of homes created by those who stayed after Gold Rush ended.

Tent StoreThis display is meant to evoke a general store where miners would get their supplies. Have students explore the various types of goods that were sold in Gold Country and for what prices. Compare how much money they could have made from different business ventures in the Gold Rush, such as baking pies, taking photos, renting rooms, and mining for gold. Have students imagine themselves newly arrived in Gold Country, looking for business opportunities. What would be one thing they would want to bring to California during the Gold Rush to sell? If they decided to look for gold instead, what clues can they find to show them what daily life was like?

1848–1860s

Places to Explore Things You Can DoComing for GOLD

5

At the nearby daguerreian studio, ask students to strike a pose that would make a good daguerreotype for showing the folks back home about life in the “diggings.” A daguerreotype is one of the earliest types of photography (1839) invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre. It is a photograph made on silver-plated copper. Early daguerreotypes (those from 1839–1845) required a person to sit still for 60 to 90 seconds for the image to be captured. Many people hypothesize that this is why most of the people in daguerreotypes are frowning. In reality, the majority of daguerreotypes we see today are from after 1845, when new technology (the addition of bromine fumes to the process) reduced exposure times to an average of about 15 seconds. Most likely, people didn’t smile because they weren’t used to having their picture taken. You can see more daguerreotypes in the Gold Rush section of the Art Gallery.

The Clash and Mixing of Cultures

In this interactive picture gallery, exhibits present specific examples of cultures that clashed during the Gold Rush and reveal the way greed and underlying notions of superiority and entitlement intensified these conflicts. Here students can attach titles to portraits of a diversity of miners, such as “typical miner” or “foreign miner.” Each distinct choice will trigger a new perspective. Have students compare and contrast how the Gold Rush affected people from different cultural backgrounds.

Rapid Growth of San Francisco

This display depicts how San Francisco grew up practically overnight during the Gold Rush. The rapid growth, coupled with quick-and-dirty building techniques, meant that fires were a common occurrence. Ships arriving in San Francisco harbor were often abandoned in the rush for gold or were used as temporary housing or stores. The growth of the city was so intense that people plotted out lots in the mudflats, and landfill helped extend the city boundaries. Have students find evidence of the constant construction and the fires that plagued the city. What clues show how residents dealt with the problem of fire? Another problem caused by the rapid growth was crime, leading to the rise of the Vigilante Committee. What evidence do they see for how law and order was maintained in early San Francisco?

Background

This section focuses on issues of land ownership and the effects of agricultural practices, the foundations of the agricultural industry in California, the impact of the early railroads, and San Francisco at the dawn of the 20th century.

Here students will find materials related to a variety of late 19th century agricultural communities, tools used to divide the land, displays depicting the building of the transcontinental railroad, the impact of the railroad on the lives of people (both positive and negative), the abundance of agriculture in 20th century California, and the rise of San Francisco as a prominent West Coast city.

“Wise men buy land. Fools sell.” —Henry Miller, owner of 700,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley

1869–1920s

6

Mud Wagon

The central artifact of this section, the Mud Wagon, was built in the 1880s and owned by the Moore family of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Moore family lived in East Oakland and maintained Mission Peak Ranch in Mission San Jose (now Fremont) as a rural getaway. The Mud Wagon carried the family from the train station in Irvington up the muddy road to the ranch. After the students have walked around the wagon, ask what they think it was used for. Do they think it had more than one use? Can they find any evidence for this (e.g., moveable doors and seats)? Do they think the ride was bumpy or smooth? Can they find how the wagon was stopped?

Dividing Up the Land

In this immersive environment, students enter a space papered with documents—deeds, maps, water rights, land claims, government acts, lawsuits—that illustrate the diversity and complexity of issues surrounding land ownership, land use, and access. Wall cases with surveyors’ tools and guns reinforce the notion of mapping and dividing up the land (sometimes by force). In the center of this space, the Land Grab Interactive exhibit allows visitors to “develop” land as they navigate across a large interactive map of the state. While exploring this space, discuss with students all the various uses of land in California (agriculture, ranching, mining, factories, settlement, recreation, etc.). How has the use of land in California changed over time? How do people come to “own” the land? How did Native American land use differ from that of later settlers? Can they find any evidence of how California Indians were forced to give up their land? Below is information on a painting displayed in this section by Dalbert Castro related to the issue of taking Native land.

Maidu Walk by Dalbert Castro (Maidu), 1980

In 1862, the Konkow Maidu people of Chico and the Atsugewi people of Shasta County were forced by the U.S. government to move to the Round Valley Reservation. At the reservation, American settlers attacked and killed 45 Native people. Survivors fled in terror back to Chico but were forced by the government to return to Round Valley. This painting tells the story of the second trek back to the reservation over a hot, rugged landscape. Dozens of people died or were left sick along the way. In the painting, the people march westward in sight of the Sutter Buttes, a place of power for them.

Places to Explore Things You Can Do

photo: Terry Carroll

Places to Explore Things You Can DoComing for LAND

7

Refrigerated Railroad Car

In 1888, the first refrigerated cars were packed with fresh fruit in California, destined for New York. By 1892, California fruit was shipped all the way to London. In this exhibit, students can walk into a boxcar-like recreation of a refrigerated railroad car stacked with crates of produce loaded for market. Inside students will hear the voices of those foreign-born laborers on whom Californian agriculture has relied almost exclusively. Waves of workers of different ethnicities (such as Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino) who have worked in different parts of California over time are represented in audio and projected images inside the boxcar.

Students will also find artifacts of daily life among farm laborers. Have students search for evidence of people with diverse agricultural traditions working in California agriculture. Outside the boxcar, students will see how California was transformed into a cornucopia of fruits, vegetables, and nuts in the late 1800s and how word of that abundance was spread. Discuss why the train (and refrigerated car) were so important to agriculture in California. Point out the title on the boxcar, “California Feeds the World,” and discuss its meaning with the students.

Background

This section explores the impact on California of the huge numbers of migrants who came during the Depression in search of work and a better life.

Here students will find materials related to things people brought with them to California during the Depression and the desperate living condition some were forced to endure. They will also see examples of projects and programs sponsored by the government that were intended to pull the United States out of the Depression.

“ And then the dispossessed were drawn west—from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, tribes, dusted out, tractored out. Carloads, caravans, homeless and hungry; twenty thousand and fifty thousand and a hundred thousand and two hundred thousand. They streamed over the mountains, hungry and restless—restless as ants, scurrying to find work to do—to lift, to push, to pick, to cut—anything, any burden to bear, for food. The kids are hungry. We got no place to live … ”

—John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, 1939

1829–1940

photo: Rue Flaherty

8

Depression Truck

This exhibit, embedded in a Ford Model T from the era, depicts how people came during the Depression, with as many of their belongings as they could carry. Have students explore the variety of objects that migrants brought with them to California. Have them imagine having to leave their homes for new lands and new opportunities; what would they bring with them? What would be most important? What would they hope to find in California? On the wall behind the truck are projections of photographs taken by Dorothea Lange depicting daily life during the era as well as newsreel footage of the flood of people coming to California. Diary accounts tell individuals’ stories and experiences, and a radio embedded in the back of the truck provides examples of music from the period.

Pipe City

At the foot of 19th Avenue in Oakland, nearly 200 people lived in leftover concrete sewer pipes, scavenging vegetables from nearby grocery wholesalers. They called their village “Miseryville,” but the press dubbed it “Pipe City.” Students can climb inside a section of a large pipe with a mattress in it and listen to audio clips of people talking about their personal experiences during that time. The pipe is set against a backdrop of images of government relief camps or “tent cities.” Statistics on what it took to get into one of these camps convey the desperation of the times. Have students imagine what it would be like to spend a night in such a pipe. Who would come to live in a place like this? Below is a newspaper description of those who came to live in Pipe City:

“To qualify for citizenship in Pipe City you must be jobless, homeless, hungry, and preferably shoeless, coatless, and hatless. If one also is discouraged, lonely, filled with a terrible feeling of hopelessness and helplessness, one’s qualifications are that much stronger. One belongs.”

—Oakland Post-Enquirer, December 3, 1932

Next to the pipe is a painting of Pipe City. Take a moment to have students look closely at the painting and then talk with them about what they think life was like in Pipe City.

photo: Jeff Warrin

Places to Explore Things You Can DoHARD TIMES