Living History Encounters

Schoolyard

Hands-on playtime. Kids will discover period-correct toys and games including, but not limited to, Corn Husk Dolls, Marbles, Pinatas, Hoop and Stick, Stick Horse Racing and more. 

 

Buried History

Furniture Maker and Undertaker. An interactive display showcasing various funeral practices and how many things changed during and after the Civil War. 

 

Laundress, Working Women

Interactive demonstration of period correct sewing, laundering and other domestic work women took on during the Gold Rush to make their own way. 

 

Railroad camp

U.S.-China Friendship Association and Historical Society of El Dorado County. Informational booth about El Dorado County’s railways and how Chinese immigrants contributed. 

 

Coloma Parlor

Nancy Gooch. Live encounter with Nancy Gooch who was brought to El Dorado County as a slave and became a prolific land owner and the matriarch of a large family. 

Wakamatsu

Informational booth for Wakamatsu Farm and an in-person encounter with Okei Ito, 

Okei has the dubious distinction of being the first Japanese woman to be buried on American soil. 

 

Californios

Mining shack with a live encounter with Joaquin Murrieta. Murrieta was known as the Robin Hood of El Dorado. He turned to a life of crime and vengeance when his wife was raped and his brother hanged in front of him. 

 

Buffalo Soldiers

The Buffalo Soldiers famously fought for the North in the Civil War. This retinue provides information and historical context to the Buffalo Soldier legend. 

 

Saloon Stage and Card Table

A Saloon Stage to provide a performance space for Gypsy Dancers, Taiko Drummers, Acoustic acts, and other period-correct entertainment. A Faro Table with a live encounter with Ben Nickerson, an infamous El Dorado County gambler.