Another Musuem mystery. Was Turtle Bay’s copy of Little Mendocino painted by Grace Hudson herself? Or is it one of many dozens of copies made by other artists? “The Game is Afoot”, as another famous Holmes would say.
This miniature pendant replica represents the type and styling of gold objects that characterize the Tolima culture of central Colombia. A reproduction that accurately depicts a creation of inspiration from supernatural visions and nature. Often worn as a pendant, this piece captured an embellishing portrayal of a shaman being in an animal spirit form.
Did a local lawman really tangle with Black Bart? Explore the history of M. F. Eldridge, Black Bart, and Samuel Colt and delve into the fascinating history of Gold Rush stamped holsters in the September Artifact of the Month by volunteer Bob Harris.
In 1984, a traditional Quinua ceramic figurine was purchased from a Valerie’s Choice catalog by the
Redding Museum of Art and History, one of the predecessors of Turtle Bay Exploration Park.
Back in 2004, I was working in Utah at an all bird facility. I was in charge of the Bird Show Department. Of the 450 birds at the facility, the 35 in my care were the ones who had the privilege of being trained and becoming ambassador animals. Most of the animals I got to care for either came from wildlife rehabilitation or were unwanted pets. It was rare that I got to raise a bird from one of the exhibit pairs, but because of a program called SSP, now was my chance.
Animal skulls are always an interesting find. When you find one, you know it’s a skull. Whereas if you come across a rib bone, an ulna, or a tibia, you might not even be aware that it’s a bone or from a skeleton. You can learn a lot about an animal based off of just their skull which is why we are bringing to you a selection of skulls from Turtle Bay’s education collection. Throughout this exhibition, you get a chance to observe skulls, and even a few skeletons, up close.
Most people see me as a pretty confident, self-assured person, but the truth of the matter is that when it comes to raising these wild animals, I am always worried that I am going to mess it all up. When they turn out good, I am sure that it was luck and I had nothing to do with it. Up until this point I had been pretty lucky but I was sure that this time my luck was about to run out. I was failing with this animal and success didn’t look like a probable outcome.
We all jumped back into our cars and rushed into the Park to start our evacuation protocols. Looking back now, it is so unreal. As we were running around packing up animals, I couldn’t believe how well each mammal kenneled when we asked. With our adrenaline pumping, they surely felt that something was wrong.
