Julia Cronin
Artifact of the Month: 5th Annual Sheriff’s ...

July’s Artifact of the Month is a souvenir program from the Fifth Annual Shasta County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo in 1953. This sublime relic can teach us so much about what life was like back then.

Artifact of the Month: 5th Annual Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo Souvenir Program
Julia Cronin
Artifact of the Month: Quinine Prescription Box ...

Malaria? In Redding? You bet! Step back a hundred years to the “good old days” and imagine a warm June day after a nice, wet spring. It’s a recipe for mosquitoes! Malaria was a common, and deadly, ailment – along with a host of other preventable and treatable diseases that we seldom worry about today.

Artifact of the Month: Quinine Prescription Box and Medicine Labels
Turtle Bay
Howard Colby’s Shasta Dam

Just as no subject was unremarkable, no spot was inaccessible. Colby maneuvered around the Dam carrying a 40-pound 8” x 10” format Kodak camera, a wooden tripod, film holders, and the rest of his gear. He also used a 4” x 5” format camera for some shots. This combination of a large format camera and Howard’s skill produced crystal-clear, high-resolution photos with incredible details.

Howard Colby’s Shasta Dam
Turtle Bay
Dennis Wahlman’s Insects

Insects represent some of the planet's most bizarre – yet familiar – and enchanting life forms. Some can be as intricately delicate as a butterfly, while others can be as tough and gnarly as some beetles.

Dennis Wahlman’s Insects
Turtle Bay
Turtle Bay Auction 2024 Recap

The community eagerly anticipated the Turtle Bay Auction, and this year's event did not disappoint. The theme was "Off to The Races," and guests arrived dressed in their finest Kentucky Derby-inspired ensembles. They were greeted by a stunning display of decorations that transported them to Churchill Downs.

Turtle Bay Auction 2024 Recap

electricity

Artifact of the Month: RenuLife “Violet Ray” Machine

Artifact of the Month: RenuLife “Violet Ray” Machine

When we first encountered this artifact in the collection, we asked ourselves what on earth it could be. The name implies that it was “medical” in nature. Patent dates indicated that it was manufactured sometime after 1919 and the overall style and materials suggested not too long after that patent date. This gadget is a “violet ray” medical appliance, once advertised to cure a multitude of ills by applying a high voltage, high frequency, low current to the human body, and by producing ozone for direct inhalation. These devices were designed to be used in medical settings and at home by the consumer.