From My Shasta Home

Growing up in the Bay Area, I was exposed to so many amazing museums at my fingertips. They were always fantastic, but it wasn’t until we moved up here that I truly realized what I was missing. My first visit to a small town museum in Weed, CA, was a delightful surprise, and I have been hooked ever since. Those little museums can really tell the story of their communities in such a powerful way.

This one-room schoolhouse was in Yreka, CA – The Siskiyou County Museum.

The museum’s Outdoor Museum is a delightful blend of original and recreated buildings that showcase the charm of pioneer-era structures. Many of these buildings were lovingly relocated from different parts of Siskiyou County or rebuilt to capture their historical essence. According to the museum’s own description, this outdoor area proudly features “original and recreated buildings from all over Siskiyou County,” inviting visitors to step back in time and explore the rich history of the region! This schoolhouse was a recreation with the contents inside the schoolhouse historically consistent with the late‑1800s / early‑1900s school era. They’re arranged to feel like a functioning one‑room school, giving tours to the school children of today.

I can’t help but think about how today’s kids are really not that different from us when we were their age! Right now, they’re buzzing with excitement as the school year comes to an end and summer is just around the corner. Schools in our area are wrapping up on Friday, May 28, and I can just feel the anticipation in the air!

Those times were so exciting, with the anticipation of summer. My parents would pack us up and head out to visit family in Tennessee and Ohio/Indiana. Dad always liked to leave early because, despite growing up in Tennessee, he couldn’t stand the humidity and wanted to enjoy cooler weather, which hardly ever happened.  Once, we even hit a light dusting of snow in the higher elevations of Colorado while traveling back that year in a truck and camper.

I love old books like this. 

In the mid-to-late 1800s, children in Yreka, CA, like those in most rural and frontier towns, didn’t enjoy the long, lazy summer breaks we know today. Instead, summer was a time for work, travel, and seasonal labor rather than rest. Back then, the American school year was short—about 132 days, and most students attended only around 78 days. In these rural areas, kids often went to school from December to March and again from mid-May to August. The rest of the year, especially summer, was spent farming, hunting, gathering, and helping with family chores. Pioneer children in California would pitch in with planting, harvesting, and other seasonal work.

Want to be a school teacher in 1872? Here are the rules for the Teachers

Something must have happened between 1872 and 1915 because the rules seem stricter.

I fondly remember my third-grade days at a school in San Francisco back in the early 1960s. We had separate playgrounds for boys and girls, but some of the girls loved to play right (yours truly), on that yellow line between the two sides. It was so much fun when we girls would hope to be playfully pushed onto the boys’ side or when a cute boy might accidentally end up on our side! Sometimes, the girls would sneak in a quick kiss, and while we might have ended up sitting on the bench for that, it oh it was sometimes the highlight of my school day. Oh, how times have changed since then! Yikes, I would have received 4 lashes for that!

I always stood up for innocent kids being bullied at school. There was this one bully whom I just couldn’t tolerate, and I felt compelled to step in and help. I ended up getting hit in the mouth, which split my bottom lip open, but I managed to give back some good punches too! Luckily, I had an orthodontist appointment right after school, so they were able to fix me up. It was quite the adventure! The two of us would encounter each other again…

Have you had the chance to check out the charming little museums in your town or nearby? If not, I really encourage you to give them a visit! They’re often free or super affordable—this one I went to was just $3 per person. It’s a great way to spend some time and learn something new!

I’m glad some of you from Blogger are here, which pleases me. Have a safe and memorable Memorial Day weekend.

Until Next Time, Debby