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Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women

  • Description
  • Specs
  • Schedule

Description

Illuminating the hardships, joys, and lives of female pioneers, Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women highlights first-person stories from the women who traveled by land or sea to settle in California prior to statehood.

A woman stands at the edge of a cliff in Yosemite National Park in a sepia-toned photograph.
“Nearly a Mile Straight Down…Yosemite.” Underwood & Underwood stereoview, 1902. Courtesy of The Society of California Pioneers.
Travelers wearing outfits from the early 1900s enjoy time outdoors. A woman stands next to a tree and a couple sits in a carriage.
A visit to the Nick of the Woods, Valley of Lake Tahoe. Courtesy of The Society of California Pioneers.
An Asian woman looks at the camera in an old photograph.
“Subject Unknown”. Courtesy of The Society of California Pioneers.

In 1900, The Association of Pioneer Women of California formed and collected the reminiscences of women who arrived in California before 1854 in a single ledger. This incredible document, filled with over 800 handwritten stories of California pioneer women and in the collection of The Society of California Pioneers, is the basis for this exhibition. Together, the ledger and exhibition create a more complete and balanced understanding of our shared history, by highlighting the voices of women who traveled to California.

The ledger, however, does not represent all women. As such, an important section of the exhibition is comprised of forty diverse portraits of unidentified women. These women represent the thousands of pioneers whose stories were never recorded; each one had a story to tell which is lost to time.

Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women is an exhibition from The Society of California Pioneers and tours through Exhibit Envoy.

Specs

Audience:
General; Students
Rental Fee:
$1,750 + shipping/8 weeks
Size:
Highly flexible; at least 150 linear ft. recommended
Languages:
English
Security:
Limited
Installation Images:
View Here

Exhibit Components:

  • 30 first-person quote panels
  • Introduction and section panels providing context for quotes
  • 18 maps, photographs, advertisements and other 2D reproductions mounted and ready for hanging
  • 40 “Subject Unknown” portraits
  • A hands-on reproduction of the ACPW Ledger
  • Searchable, online ledger hosted by The Society of California Pioneers (search for your region or town!)
  • Audio tour highlighting the 30 quote panels
  • Curriculum guide compiled by The Society of California Pioneers
  • InDesign templates to produce your own quote panels and artifact labels
  • List of artifacts referenced in the text for suggested pairing
  • Exhibition press kit and programming/resource guide

Schedule and Availability

Past Dates

October 11, 2018 – September 1, 2019
The Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco, CA
March 5, 2020 – January 3, 2021
History San Jose, San Jose, CA
November 21, 2021 – January 16, 2022
Ontario Museum of History & Art, Ontario, CA
January 30, 2022 – May 22, 2022 (16 weeks)
Museum of the San Ramon Valley, Danville, CA
June 5, 2022 – October 9, 2022 (18 weeks)
Spooner House, Montana de Oro State Park, Morro Bay, CA
October 23, 2022 – January 1, 2023 (10 weeks)
Museum on Main, Pleasanton, CA
January 22, 2023 – May 28, 2023 (18 weeks)
Shasta Historical Society, Redding, CA
June 11, 2023 – July 23, 2023 (6 weeks)
Los Altos History Museum, Los Altos, CA
August 13, 2023 – October 8, 2023
Hi-Desert Nature Museum, Yucca Valley, CA
October 29, 2023 – December 24, 2023
Mendocino County Museum, Willits, CA
January 14, 2024 – April 28, 2024 (15 weeks)
Sutter County Museum, Yuba City, CA
June 30, 2024 – August 25, 2024
Petaluma Historical Library and Museum, Petaluma, CA
September 15, 2024 – November 10, 2024
Morro Bay Museum of Natural History, Morro Bay, CA
December 1, 2024 – January 26, 2025
AVAILABLE
March 23, 2025 – June 15, 2025 (12 weeks)
La Quinta Museum, La Quinta, CA
July 20, 2025 – September 14, 2025
AVAILABLE
October 5, 2025 – November 30, 2025
AVAILABLE
December 21, 2025 – February 15, 2026
AVAILABLE
March 8, 2026 – May 3, 2026
AVAILABLE
May 24, 2026 – July 19, 2026
AVAILABLE
August 9, 2026 – October 4, 2026
Temecula Valley Museum, Temecula, CA
October 25, 2026 – December 20, 2026
AVAILABLE

Contact us to discuss booking dates beyond 2026.

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