The Bataan Relief Organization

It’s hard for me to imagine memories of World War II fading. My father served as an army medic in Europe during the War and survived the Battle of the Bulge. As a kid, I poured over the photographs he brought home and listened eagerly to his wartime stories.

Unfortunately, members of Dad’s generation are slipping away . . . → Read More: The Bataan Relief Organization

The Election of 1902

Do you ever want to tune out politics—or specific candidates? Nowdays, the existence of mass communications makes it hard. But things were different in an earlier age.

Ed Wittmayer, a retiree who works in the Museum’s archives and library, recently came across a collection of political advertisements in our holdings, each the size of a calling card, . . . → Read More: The Election of 1902

Imagining Old California

Have you ever wondered what California looked like five hundred, a thousand, or even five or ten thousand years ago? How about San Joaquin County? There were different people for sure, but what about animals, plants, and the land itself? What did the area’s long-lost ecosystems look like and how did they interact?

David Stuart, the executive . . . → Read More: Imagining Old California

The Andrew C. Kern Collection

The Caterpillar Tractor Company underwent several major changes throughout the 1930s to adapt to the economic conditions of the Great Depression. After the stock market crash of 1929, the company managed to survive by exporting tractors to the Soviet Union. In the mid-1930s, the market for tractors in the United States improved due to the growing . . . → Read More: The Andrew C. Kern Collection