Agriculture Museum

This #GivingTuesday, consider giving the the gift of MVC Membership to a friend or loved one, or renewing your MVC Membership. Join, Renew or Gift Membership https://bit.ly/MVCMembership As an MVC Member, you are investing in the support of our new and important offerings that have started since the pandemic, including Virtual Learning Modules, 360 Virtual Exhibits and Tours, Grab 'n Go Bag Drive Giveaways, the digitization of our collection, and more.... You can also make a one-time or monthly contribution and help inspire vibrant communities by connecting the past, present and future. Donate https://bit.ly/MVCDonate As the museums remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, your support means more than ever. We look forward to reopening our doors to the public and welcoming you back to 'your' museum.

We’re bringing you a series of fun and funny images from the Research Library and Archives in search of the best meme. Submit your best caption for this month's Meme Contest photograph. The winning entry will receive a $25 gift certificate to a Ventura County business of their choice. Submit your best meme or caption https://bit.ly/MVCMeme01 to be considered.

Insects get a bad rap, but they aren’t all bad. Us humans may not like to find them where they don’t belong like our kitchen counter or bed but they are important. In the latest Virtual Learning Module, you’ll learn about some of the cool things insects can do. At the end, you’ll find some printable activity packs and crafts for even more learning and fun! Begin your insect journey https://bit.ly/VLM14Insects! Virtual Learning Modules are brought to you in part by the generous support of Montecito Bank & Trust.

Head on over to the United Farm Workers Twitter page to learn about all the work behind the ingredients of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes. There are fascinating close-up videos and in-depth descriptions of the harvest process. Did you know that squash vines are covered in fine hairs that cause severe skin irritation? Or that a box of kale typically weighs 10lbs? Or that while sweet potatoes and yams are unearthed by harvesting machines, they still require sorting and cleaning by hand? https://bit.ly/3fygVGk

Hay Loaders helped to harvest alfalfa hay in Ventura County. Alfalfa was a popular crop in the area because despite the improvement of engine-powered machinery in the early 20th century, horses were still a main source of power on farms. Tractors were an expensive investment. Some farmers devoted up to 1/3 of their land to alfalfa for feed purposes to keep their animals fed and happy. An added bonus to planting alfalfa is that it improves soil so it makes an excellent crop t...o rotate through the fields. Sugar beets were especially hard on the soil pulling moisture and nutrients. With no fertilizers, farmers could rebuild their soil’s fertility with alfalfa. The downside? Alfalfa is a water intensive plant, so before irrigation in areas of the county, it was difficult to grow. Farmers cut and raked the hay in windrows and the hay loader lifted the hay off the ground and placed it in the wagon to save time and effort of using a pitchfork. Hay Loader, c. 1930s Made by International Harvester Co. Used by the McGrath Family Accession No. 1977-25.2

Look at these beautiful, succulent topped pumpkins perfect for your Fall holiday décor! Our talented garden volunteers have been busy foraging plants and dried materials from the Agriculture gardens to create these charming holiday arrangements. Perfect for the home or office, these fetching pieces can last for months with just a little sunlight and an occasional misting. Proceeds will go towards the beautification of the Agriculture Museum’s gardens. You can preorder you...r custom succulent topped pumpkins with UC Master Gardner Melinda at [email protected]. Large Pumpkins $30 Medium Pumpkins $20 Small Pumpkins $15 Cash or checks only. Please make checks out to the Museum of Ventura County. Pick up dates for your custom pumpkin arrangement will be included with your order. Fall into the holidays with your custom arrangement!

Great turn out at the Ag Museum today for our Grab ‘n Go: Dia de Los Muertos edition. Our sincere thanks and appreciation goes out to the Santa Paula Rotary Club, the Santa Paula City Council, and California Oil Museum for volunteering their time to help us distribute over 320 bags today! Gracious volunteers today included: Jeanne Beach Carlos Juarez... Andy Sobel Caitlin Barringer Bob Orlando Shannon Moore Cathy De La Torre The Bower Family Don’t forgot to share your complete crafts on our Facebook page!

Today, we recognize and thank all veterans of all branches for their sacrifice and bravery. Happy Veterans Day! At the end of World War I, four American veterans, including Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., the son of President Theodore Roosevelt, envisioned an organization led by veterans to help fellow veterans returning home from the war. In 1919, Congress chartered the American Legion as an official American patriotic society. That same year, the Ventura County Post 48 organized ...to serve Ventura County veterans. Post 48 had its first meeting on Sep 12, 1919 at the Ventura County Courthouse and invited servicemen from around the county. Ventura County’s American Legion chapters hosted Air Shows, sponsored Armistice Day, and provided camaraderie for Ventura County Veterans. In the 1930s, Post 48 could no longer support the entire county so it split into separate posts and Post 48 become the Oxnard Post. Image 1: The Ventura Post, Post 339, was chartered in 1927. This photograph was taken circa 1942. Image 2: The Camarillo Post No. 741 gifted the keepsake box to Max Riave of Camarillo in 1982 as Our tribute of affection. Image 3: The American Legion designed this 7 inch plaque for use in cemeteries to mark the graves of their members.

A Corrido is a narrative song that relates the story or event of local community or national interest- a hero’s deeds, a bandit’s exploits, immigration, or a natura disaster. Usually sung in fast waltz time, now often in polka rhythm, they are usually narrated from the point of view of the oppressed, or the underdog. They are meant to represent la voz del pueblo, the voice of the people. There are many corridos written in and about Ventura County including El Corrido de l...a Inundanción de la Presa de San Francisquito (The Ballad of the St. Francis Dam Disaster), El Corrido de Chino Valdez (The Ballad of Chino Valdez), El Corrido de la Huelga de Rancho Sespe (The Ballad of the Rancho Sespe Strike) written by Rafael Haro, and El Corrido de la Huelga de Pizcadores (The Ballad of the Pickers Strike). On February 8, 1941 over 6,000 Mexican lemon pickers went on a six-month strike against Ventura County’s citrus industry. With help from the Agricultural Citrus Workers Union Local 22342, the strikers demanded higher wages, compensation for waiting time due to moisture on trees, and union recognition. Local fruit packers, many of them Mexican women, soon joined the picket lines in front of thirteen packing houses across Ventura County. In the fourth month of the strike, Ventura County Lemon Growers refused to negotiate with the AFL and threatened to evict strikers from company housing. On May 5, 1941, the Limoneira Company shut off gas and electricity and evicted over 700 families. Evicted families settled in tent camps in Steckel Park in Santa Paula, Seaside Park in Ventura and a Farm Security Administration Camp in El Rio. The Growers who evicted the strikers imported Dust Bowl migrants to end the strike. The two corridos shown here, were written during the Citrus Strike of 1941.

Today, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day to honor the Native American peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures. Two mission Native American women basket makers pose in the sun on the San Buenaventura mission steps. Between them sits a little girl. Left to Right: Apolonia, Soraida Garcia, Petra Pico. Research Library at The Museum of Ventura County.

As we observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th, we bring you the stories and contributions made by our Latino community here in Ventura County. Latinos living in Ventura County come from many different countries including Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The Museum will be featuring some of these stories over the next month. Jesus Terrazas and his family owned the Sanitary Bakery in Santa Paula. Although adverti...sed as a Panaderia, it was not your typical Mexican bakery. Jesus Terrazas was an astute businessman, so he baked wedding cakes, jelly rolls and Lady Fingers as well as his beloved pan dulce for residents of Santa Paula and the surrounding area. Every recipe he acquired was written down in a precious ledger book that also contained the names, birth dates and death dates of family members. To the Terrazas family, this was highly prized as it contained both their important personal and professional information. When the St. Francis Dam broke the night of March 12, 1928, the ledger book was stored safely away in a pie safe in the bakery. The flood destroyed the building, but the ledger survived intact, with little water damage and with the recipes and family information untouched. The blank middle pages of the ledger are covered with a fine layer of silt. A chilling reminder of that fateful night.

In celebration of Días de los Muertos, the Museum of Ventura County invites you and your family to pick-up a Grab ‘n Go Day of the Dead Craft Bag at the Agriculture Museum (926 Railroad Ave., Santa Paula) on Sunday, October 18, 2020 @ 12PM (while supplies last). The AG Grab ‘n Go Day of the Dead Craft Bag is stuffed with fun for the entire family, including a recipe for baking Pan de Muerto , a Día de los Muertos mask-making kit and much more. We encourage you to share you...r creations with us by using the hashtag #MVCDDLM2020 on Facebook and Instagram or you can submit images to [email protected]. Drive-ups only, please. You will be met curbside in the Agriculture Museum (926 Railroad Ave., Santa Paula) parking lot by our friendly staff members. Gloves, masks and social distancing practices will be in place. Día de los Muertos 2020 is generously sponsored by EJ Harrison & Sons.

In 2009, the Museum of Ventura County mounted an exhibition called, Wearing Our Stories: Costume and Cultural Identity in the Latino Community. The exhibit showcased artistic expression through clothing and adornment. In celebration of #HispanicHeritageMonth, the Museum wishes to honor some of the local artists, writers and activists who were photographed for this exhibit and who have made and continue to make lasting contributions to the community here in Ventura County. Here are a few highlights from that exhibit. Special thanks to photographers Rudy Cardona and Sam Hernandez.

If you missed "Changemakers: A Zoom Conversation with Dolores Huerta, Jorge Corralejo, David Damian Figueroa, and Anna Bermudez," we have you covered. The entire conversation is available on the Museum’s YouTube Channel! Dolores Huerta and Jorge Corralejo discussed their time working together with the UFW, Dolores’ work building community and organization for change, and Jorge’s exhibit, Huelga! Photographs from the Frontline, plus much more. https://youtu.be/Vn57QD9P1uU

Welcome to the world of Norse Mythology! In the latest Virtual Learning Module, you will learn the origins of some of the most popular Norse legends, explore the virtual exhibit George Stuart Historical Figures Nordic Myths & Legends, and draw your favorite Norse characters! This Virtual Learning Module was created by Natalia Radcliffe, the Museum of Ventura County’s Summer 2020 Marketing Intern. Begin your journey https://bit.ly/32Xid8Y Virtual Learning Modules are brought to you in part by the generous support of Montecito Bank & Trust.

On January 24, 1848, James Marshall plucked a gold nugget out of the American River while helping John Sutter build his sawmill. So, was this the first gold strike that started the gold rush? Not exactly... On March 9, 1842 at the San Feliciano tributary of Piru Creek, Francisco Lopez discovered gold, half a dozen years before gold was found at Sutter’s Mill. Lopez was a trained mineralogist, having studied mining at a university in Sonora, Mexico. Francisco Lopez leased land... to run his cattle on Rancho San Francisco, a swath running 22 miles from what is now Valencia to Piru, not far from where Piru Creek empties into the Santa Clara River. Governor Juan B. Alvarado awarded the ranch to Antonio Seferino del Valle, a member of the family that owned the famed Rancho Camulos in Ventura County. The Del Valles were among the most prominent families in Southern California. The story goes that while looking for stray cattle, Francisco decided to rest under an oak tree in Live Oak Canyon and have his lunch. He saw some wild onions growing nearby and as he pulled them out, he noticed gold flakes sticking to the roots. Lopez was joined by two friends in this discovery: Manuel Cota and Domingo Bermudez. But was this what really happened? Historians claim that as a trained mineralogist, Lopez had heard of the possibility of gold in that creek and was systematically looking for it whenever he was in the area. While we’d like to believe the romanticized version, it’s unlikely that gold was found through just dumb luck by a simple rancher looking for stray cows, but rather a trained mineralogist. Hundreds of prospectors rushed into the area to try their luck. By 1847 it was almost mined out. Unfortunately, Francisco Lopez was not credited at the time with the discovery because he was Mexican and not American. So, while history continues to record the first gold strike at Sutter’s Mill, we now know the actual story. The importance of this moment in history is documented in the Museum of Ventura County’s mural, History Through the Trees, created by local artist, Ryan Carr, in 2016, at the Ventura museum site in downtown Ventura.

A Zoom Conversation with Dolores Huerta, Jorge Corralejo, David Damian Figueroa, and the Museum’s Chief Curator Anna Bermudez is about to begin! We've opened the conversation up to EVERYONE, so join us tonight https://bit.ly/35USkc3 @ 6:30PM. All it requires is your name + email. You don’t want to miss out! [Image] Dolores Huerta, Boston A & P, 1974. Photographed by Jorge Corralejo.

As we observe National #HispanicHeritageMonth from September 15th to October 15th, we bring you the stories and contributions made by our Latino community here in Ventura County. Latinos living in Ventura County come from many different countries including Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The Museum will be featuring some of these stories over the next month. El Brillante Market, Santa Paula Sam Salas was born on November 3, 1929. The same month ...that his father, Juan Salas opened his first store in Santa Paula. El Brillante opened at 245 S. Ojai Street and was at this location until 1941. Juan Gonzalez Salas, known to his friends as J.G. came from Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico in 1922. J. G. had been orphaned at a young age. Seeking a better life, he left Mexico and found work at the Stork Ranch on South Mountain until 1928 when the St. Francis Dam disaster destroyed the property. By that time, J. G. and Concepcion Salas had a growing family and J. G. had the desire to start his own business. In 1929, Citizen’s Bank had opened in Santa Paula and J. G. wasted no time in securing a loan from the bank. All he needed was $600 to achieve his dream of owning a candy store, like the one in his hometown of Parral. He had loved that store and the beautiful name it had: El Brillante. J. G. opened a candy store but it was soon apparent that the families in the barrio around his store wanted more. They wanted a business where they could buy meats, vegetables and some of the Mexican foods that gave them a taste of home, so J. G. opened the store as a grocery. With eleven children it was difficult to find housing and J. G. decided to purchase a property on Ojai Street that had a storefront and several apartments. In 1938 the Salas family opened a second store at 401 Oak Street and lived in two adjacent apartments. In 1941 the Ojai Street store closed, and J. G. opened a new El Brillante at 1016 Main Street. J. G. Salas wanted a better life than he had in Mexico for himself and his family. He worked at the grocery business until 1952 and then began a business making concrete blocks. He later owned a radio station in Santa Paula, Station KSPA. He was also one of the founders of the Alianza Hispana Americana in Santa Paula, a mutual aid organization who started La Casa Del Mexicano in 1946. J.G.’s work ethic continues on in his children and grandchildren. His son Sam ran El Brillante along with his wife, Annie until his retirement in 2008. For a young man who started out his life with no home or family, J. G. achieved much success in his career and fulfilled his greatest dream of having a family, a job and stability.

The Museum of Ventura County is pleased to present the first installment in its series of conversations with Changemakers: Dolores Huerta, Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, civil rights activist and community organizer, will join longtime activist and civic leader Jorge Corralejo, documentary film producer and farmworker activist David Damian Figueroa, and Chief Curator Anna Bermudez for a Zoom Conversation on Monday, September 21, 2020 @ 6:307:30PM. Registration is open and free!