Museum - Three Rivers Historical Museum in Three Rivers, California

Updated: For the safety of our visitors and docents the Three Rivers Historical Society Board of Directors has decided to close the Museum and Bequette House, we continue to be closed until further notice. We wish all docents and visitors to be safe during this time and appreciate your understanding. Three Rivers Historical Society Board of Directors

Over the past weeks, fire crews have been working to protect Hockett Ranger Station and surrounding area by limiting the Castle Fire’s spread. Ground resource...s continue to work the northern part of the fire and are reporting increased containment between Homer's Nose and Cahoon Rock. Ground resources are preparing trails and connecting natural barriers to prevent northerly fire growth towards Horse Creek. Structure wrap remains in place on the Kern Ranger Station, Hockett Ranger Stations, and private structures in the Kern River Canyon. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are grateful for all the hard work and dedication by these firefighters in what seems like a never-ending fire year. #FireYear2020 #HistoricProtection

We received such a generous donation that we have decided to up our goal! Remember your donation supports the Museum and your local Three Rivers volunteer firefighters!

Don't forget to grab your tickets for the Drive Thru BBQ next Wednesday, November 4th from 3-6 pm. Tickets are just $10 Available online at 3rmuseum.org or at the Museum by calling 559-561-2707. https://3rmuseum.square.site/product/bbq-full-meal/341

See this cool post that was shared with the Tulare County History Group by Armando Hinojosa. Thank you for sharing!

You can buy your tickets online. https://3rmuseum.square.site/product/bbq-full-meal/341 Link in our bio. Or call the Museum at 559-561-2707.

Want to support the Museum and Volunteer Firefighters but can't make it to the drive thru? Donate to this fundraiser and we will add this money to our ticket sales. Proceeds will be split between the Museum and the Three Rivers Volunteer Firefighters.

The drive thru BBQ is happening . . . With a few edits. See our flyer for more information.

It's finally happening . . . Help support two great groups in town!

We were contacted recently through our website with a wonderful list of questions about Mineral King and the surrounding southern Sierra. I didn't have all (OK,... most) of the answers but reached out to a few of our great volunteers and Laile di Silvestro took on the task of answering them for me. We decided there is just too much good info on each of these answers so we should share them with all of you too! One at a time, so as to not overwhelm you, or Laile! Hope you enjoy. - Lisa Q: Were beavers ever present in Mineral King? If so, are there plans to reintroduce them for the huge ecological benefits they could offer to the valley? A: According to biologists and historians, there was never any North American beaver population (Castor canadensis) in Mineral King. There is, however, a different, much smaller, and arguably awesome species of rodent in the Mineral King area commonly known as the Sierra mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa californica). The miners’ records don’t mention these rodents. This isn’t surprising, however, as they are very elusive animals and the populations are small. Any miners who cornered a mountain beaver would have found themselves face to face with a small creature wildlife biologists describe as ferocious, voracious, vicious, cantankerous, and thirsty. They are only about three pounds and a foot long with half-inch tails. Their fur ranges from gray-black to auburn to light brown. Given their reputation, it should be no surprise that they have claws, and sharp teeth. The mountain beavers live in burrow systems that host from one to eleven rodents. Their burrow systems and stacks of vegetation have been noted in the Redwood Creek and Atwell Mill drainages. It is uncertain how the rodents fared during the recent dry years; however, they are survivors. Indeed the fossil records indicate that they have existed relatively unchanged for 35-45 million years, making them the most primitive of living rodents. Public domain image from https://commons.wikimedia.org//File:Aplodontia_rufa_(Harva.

10 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT GIANT SEQUOIAS. 1. AGE: The oldest known Giant sequoia is 3,200+ years old. When the Roman Empire was at its height in 117 AC..., this tree was already over a thousand years old. 2. SIZE: Growing 20 to 26 feet in diameter, and 164 to 279 feet in height, Giant Sequoias are the world’s natural skyscrapers. The limbs of a giant sequoia are bigger than most trees, sometimes reaching eight feet in diameter and 100 feet in length. 3. BIGGEST: The General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park is the world’s largest living thing by volume, with a height of 274.9 feet and maximum diameter at the base of 36.5 ft. 4. RESILIENCE: Giant sequoias have an amazing resilience to forest fires because of the high tannin levels in their bark. In some of Visalia’s historic homes, mulched redwood bark was used as attic insulation because of its fire-retardant qualities. 5. NATURAL ENEMIES: Though resilient to fire, the Giant sequoia is susceptible to high winds, moist soil, heavy snow loads, root rot, fungi, carpenter ants, and other insects. 6. GROWING CONDITIONS: Requiring a specific soil type and climate, they are unique to the 260-mile strip on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. 7. HOW FAST: The average growth is about two feet a year until they mature; however, this can vary greatly depending on environmental factors 8. REPRODUCTION: A Giant sequoia produces 60 million seeds in its lifetime, but only 3 or 4 of those seeds will grow to be 100-year-old trees. 9. SEEDS: The seeds, which are almost pure tannin, are flat like a grain of oatmeal, and only about 1/8 inch in diameter. 90,000 Giant sequoia seeds = 1 lb. When they fall, they can drift as far as 100 feet from the trunk. 10. CONES: Cones may stay on the tree for up to 21 years. Douglas squirrels eat the conenot the seeds. This is one way the seeds are dispersed. For more information on how to visit these amazing trees, get your free copy of the Sequoia Visitor 2020 guidebook at www.sequoiavisitorsguide.com

It’s #minermonday ! With the election just around the corner and our staff experiencing some miner chaos with fire evacuations and other excitement, it seems ...the perfect time to celebrate the chaos caused by Mineral King’s female electorate in 1876. By taking on ownership of mine claims at a time when that was unthinkable, the women of Mineral King did something even more unthinkable. They gained the right to vote in Mineral King Mining District elections thirty-five years before being legally permitted to vote in California and forty-four years before gaining the right to vote in federal elections. Only two women were brave enough to vote in 1876; however, their votes made the difference in an extremely close race. George Washington Thurman won the powerful position of district recorder by those two votes! Chaos ensued, and there were angry letters to the editor. In the end, however, the election judge decided that the women’s votes counted. The two women who voted thereby set the precedent for all other mining women in the district. We hereby celebrate them all with their names as they were entered in the official mining district records. Let them inspire you. Your vote matters. #sequoianationalpark #mineralking #mineralkingpreservationsociety #vote #righttovote #womenvoters #womenvote #historical #mining #minermonday See more

We have packed up important records and artifacts and they are on their way down the hill to a safe location. While artifacts have been taken out, our buildings are still under security surveillance. We would like to thank Amy King from the Tulare County Museum for coming up and helping not only us but Mineral King Preservation Society pack up important documents and artifacts. Stay safe everyone!