After lunch, Mark led the history buffs on a tour of the hotel, built in 1864 to replace the original building, which was erected in 1852. Then it was on to the schoolhouse museum to view Cy Rollins’ tremendous artifact collection and Wells Witmer’s amazing scale-model gold mill. Local history authors Ned Purdom (Virga) and Shirley DicKard (Heart Wood) were on hand to sell and sign their books. A trip to the local cemetery rounded out the day. Visitors meandered amongst the graves, and Corri Jimenez even demonstrated proper cleaning of headstones. If you are a fan of Sierra County history, we are your people, and we would love to have you join us on our trips back through time. Membership information can be found at sierracountyhistory.org.
Cy RollinsSIERRA CITY - Sierra County Historical Society hosted its annual picnic on Sunday, September 11 in Goodyears Bar despite threats of extreme heat, smoke, and nasty gnats. A pleasant breeze blew in just in time to mitigate those issues, so close to sixty members and their guests socialized in comfort on the grounds of Mark and Tammy Helm’s St. Charles Hotel. A delightful luncheon was catered by Sabrina at the Forks with dessert provided by Autumn’s Butter Me Up Bakery.
Corri JiminezAttendees of the event declared the entire day a resounding success and look forward to visiting another historic site next year. In the meantime, folks can stop by the SCHS booth at the Art + Ag Trail on Saturday, September 24 at Sierraville School from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.