Current Exhibits - 2010
Italian Americans Celebrate Their Heritage
Sisson had, and the community continues to have, a vibrant Italian American influence. We celebrate their heritage with a large new display this year which includes specific elements relating to home life, the church, wine making, fraternal organizations, music, athletics, and patriotism.
100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America
We are getting a one year head start on the 2010 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. Dick Lange's exhibit will be much expanded for 2010.
B-24 Bomber Crash
We have a poignant presentation commemorating the lost lives of 6 US servicemen during WW II when their B-24 "Liberator" heavy bomber crashed near Black Butte.
Permanent Exhibits
The Mountaineering Wall
This exhibit was designed in 2004 by historian and Sisson Museum Director Perry Sims. He has done extensive research on the first horse to climb Mt Shasta and has compiled pictures showing the first man, first woman and several groups to climb the mountain. The display was funded by a grant from JEDI and the Stewardship Fund of Siskiyou County, with matching grants from Black Bear Diner and The Fifth Season, along with major individual contributions from the community.
The centerpiece is the conoidal reflector from the top of the 1875 surveying signal which was a unique landmark on the summit of Mt. Shasta until 1903. The descriptive panels surrounding the display detail the nature of the surveys, the installation of the signal, and several significant events related to the artifact.
The mountaineering displays include details of the creation of the Shasta Alpine Lodge, more commonly known as the Sierra Club Cabin, and climbing and biographical information about the first non-native man and woman to achieve the summit. An historical error, repeated since the 1880s is corrected by naming Catherine Edson Eddy the first white woman to climb to the summit.
Credit is also given to colorful J. M. "Mac" Olberman, the Sage of Shasta, for his remarkable contribution to the rich folk history of the mountain.
Several other notable climbs have been described, including the occasion of the first horse proven to have been taken to the 14,162 foot summit in 1903.
A popular addition to the display is an evolving summary of Feats and Records listing the youngest and oldest persons to climb, as well as speed records and other non-historical information.
Mt Shasta - Then and Now
Nancy Harmon, a local elementary school teacher composed this wall to show the changes in the town from the time it was Sisson to now as Mount Shasta City.
Other Exhibits
The Museum features many other exhibits including: a model railroad depicting the town of Dunsmuir in its heyday as a bustling railroad town, artifacts from Mount Shasta's history and a display of vintage women's fashions.