May 1, 2011
NEW KIOSK ADDITION AT THE FAIRGROUNDS:
The American Museum Board and Committee are completing an addition to the front entrance kiosk at the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Bishop, California. The new kiosk addition was designed and constructed by Board Member Dow Mattingly with a crew of Museum volunteers.
New panels under the expanded roof will relate and illustrate historical stories of the uses of mules in the Sierra Nevada and Eastern California. These panels telling of the History of the Mule, Past Mule Days Celebrations, The Use of Mules in Building the Owens Valley Aqueduct, Freight Teams and Freighters, and Recreational Pack Trips will be among the informational and entertaining displays in the new kiosk addition.
The Museum is planning further kiosks for displays in the Owens Valley.
May 31, 2010
Bishop, California has long been a center with a rich history of mule transportation throughout the eastern Sierra region. Mules continue to furnish transportation of people and their goods into the Wilderness Areas of the National Forests and the National Parks. The exciting Mule Days Celebration held each Memorial Day weekend demonstrates the athletic abilities of the mule and rightly claims to be held in the “Mule Capital of the World”.
The new Museum will honor the humble American Mule’s important role in the history of America and the settling of the West and particularly the Sierra Nevada region. This Museum is unique in that it will be the only major museum dedicated to the mule in the United States. The goal of the Museum and Heritage Center is to inform, interpret, entertain and educate visitors about the important role of the mule in this cultural heritage and the story of Mule Days with its varied, and colorful past.
The Museum Board is processing a HUD grant that will allow us to plan and construct some kiosks and traveling exhibits to be shown at other area Museums and historic sites celebrating this history. Exhibits will include historic pack equipment, stories and photos of pack stations, early freighting by sixteen and twenty mule teams, building the aqueduct and dams with mule power, mine packing and use in agriculture. Plans continue to be developed for a permanent museum building and heritage center on the Tri-County Fairgrounds. As well as historic and interpretive exhibits, the museum will present living history demonstrations and interactive programs of cultural interest. The museum will exemplify the past and embrace the future.
Officers of the Museum are: President, Denton Sonke; Vice President, Dick Noles; Correspond Secretary, Ruby Allen; Recording Secretary, Marye Roeser; and Treasurer, Anita Sonke. Board of Directors are: Greg Allen, Howard Arcularius, Sam Dean, MC Hubbard, Bruce Klein, Joanne Parsons, Lou Roeser, Sarah Sheehan, Harriette Allison, Dow Mattingly, Jennifer Roeser and Bob Tanner.
The Museum information and membership booth is located just inside the entrance t the Fairgrounds during Mule Days. Become a Founding member, obtain your mule button, visit with committee members and learn how you can be came a part of and share your expertise and service in creating this dynamic new museum. The American Mule Museum is a non-profit organization and needs your participation and help in many ways. The Museum committee meets every 2nd Thursday of the month at 6 PM in the Patio Room on the Fairgrounds and welcomes all interested folks to join us.