State Indian Musuem
California's first Indian museum. Opening in 1940 and updated in 1984, this museum is still in use.
This was the first museum in the state of California dedicated to the California Native Americans. The museum focuses on the history and culture of California native tribes. Beginning with the history prior to the arrival of the Spanish, through the Mission system, the Gold Rush, to the modern day. The Museum has exhibits on culture past and present. Most popular is the display of woven basketry.
This small stone building, washed white in keeping with Mission era architecture, is a functioning museum. Inset into the door of the museum is a bronze plaque.
The plaque reads:
"The State Indian Museum was built fifty years ago as California's first state-run museum devoted to Indian cultures. It continues to serve the same purpose today, displaying an updated (1984) major exhibit on California's Indian peoples."
