SACRAMENTO VALLEY MUSEUM

About Us

The Place and Our Past

Welcome! Do visit us to learn more about our area at our museum, built in 1911 to serve as Williams High School, graduating classes from 1912-1956. Some alumni include jazz musician Turk Murphy, of San Francisco's Earthquake McGoon's fame, Kenneth Zumwalt, Editor of Stars and Stripes military publication during WWII and the Fouch Family of pharmacists, who served our community for over a century. In 1963, the building transitioned into an impressive regional museum full of special exhibits in a most unique setting, a true step back into time, featuring late 19th and 20th century local memorabilia.

Colusa County, with Williams its center, is in the middle of the Sacramento Valley, the northern end of the agricultural bounty of the Great Central Valley that is drained by the Sacramento River (The San Joaquin River drains its southern end). Here, grizzly bears used to roam and several native tribes thrived on salmon, deer, waterfowl and acorns. Our area is still a popular hunting and fishing destination. Colusa County, one of California's original 27 counties, derived its name from the largest Wintun village at a bend in the Sacramento River. The Colusa Casino is now located on the site of another.

East of Williams, The River

Colusa, a pretty city, can claim the 2nd oldest County Courthouse in California (Mariposa has the oldest). All its early original archives are intact; its documents a great research resource. 18th century Spain colonized California's central and southern Pacific coastal areas with presidios and missions. Russia claimed the northern coastal section for their fur trade empire. Not until the late 18th and early 19th century did non-Natives penetrate inland into this northern area. A party of Spanish explored up the Sacramento River as far as the Feather River but did not settle. Neither did the mountain men trappers who passed through here later, when this was Mexico, (1821-1848). American scouts Kit Carson and John C. Fremont followed camping at the volcanic Sutter Buttes, geologically the smallest mountain range in the world.

Before the 1849 Gold Rush, wagon train parties crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains bringing early settlers such as John Bidwell, eventually founder of Chico. He worked for John Sutter, a Swiss adventurer who established a fort in Sacramento for his New Helvetia dream. Another one of Sutter's employees, John Marshall, a carpenter would later "discover" gold while building a millrace for him... Miners arrived from all over the world and some later moseyed here to stay.

So did California Bear Flag Rebellion participants who settled here soon after statehood in 1850 to found Colusa such as William B. Ide, Robert W. Semple and Will S. Green. In addition to Colusa, Princeton up river and Grimes down river were founded as active Sacramento River ports servicing steamboats that transported local people and agricultural products of grain and fruit to market cities. Mr. Green would turn this valley greener as the "Father of Irrigation" who conceived of an effiecient flood control system of bypasses and river levees.

West of Williams, The Hills

Stagecoaches delivered San Francisco's upper crust to hot spring spas in the West Coast Range Hills, Wilbur being the closest, still in operation. North of there lies Sites where sandstone was quarried to construct some of the San Francisco's well-known skyline such as the Ferry Building. North of it is the ranching area of Stonyford, gateway to the Mendocino National Forest.

The I-5 Central Corridor

By the mid 1870's the railroad came through Colusa County. Communities on the valley's "plains" were founded. Williams, started by W. H. Williams, originally was called 'Central'. It remains a convenient crossroads with numerous services for fine dining, delis, fast food, lodging, vehicle repair and maintenance, agricultural supplies and services. Maxwell, just to the north of Williams, too was founded as a railroad depot retaining its western frontier atmosphere and appeal, also with good eateries, hosting in late spring an annual rodeo. Arbuckle, just to the south of Williams, is restoring its historic train depot and station, one of the oldest in the state. The early higher education of Peirce Christian College (name later changed spelling to Pierce) was founded at neighboring College City, thus its name.

The People and Our Present

Colusa County can boast engineering minds that adapted farm machinery to local soil conditions such as Jess Hardy (Visit his and other area inventions at Heidrick Farm Machinery & Hayes Trucking Museum in Woodland, Yolo County, 45 miles south of Williams). We also proudly claim local leaders in livestock breeding, lavender product creation, fly fishing bait design, recycling of agriculture by-products such as rice hulls to produce energy and straw for construction material, and tomato cannery, walnut and almond orchard and cotton gin management, just to name a few examples of local folks and industries... Again, we look forward to your visit to our Sacramento Valley Museum!

Home