We are a Museum of the cultural history, natural history and geology of the Northern Mojave Desert emphasizing our Indian Wells Valley. We are located in Ridgecrest, California.
Maturango Museum, 100 E. Las Flores Ave.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555 (760) 375-6900, Fax (760) 375-0479
The bright orange Home Depot is across the street from us...
The Museum is OPEN from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EVERY DAY of the
week.
Admission is free to the Store and Information area: Admission to the
exhibits is free to members, $5 adults, $3 students, seniors. Admission
to the exhibits will be FREE to everyone the 2nd Saturday of each month!
This page has been visited
Web Stats
times since Nov. 8, 1995. Not bad for a little
museum "in the middle of nowhere!":-) Revised 8/27/10
Subtle changes happen regularly to this
page. Be sure you have the latest version by hitting "REFRESH"
EVERY TIME you pull up this page!!
CURRENT NEWSLETTER - September 2010
previous newsletters
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
Newsletters from Sept. 2008 and all of 2009 are now found in
this Archive
FREE ADMISSION TO THE MUSEUM'S EXHIBITS EVERY 2ND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH! September 11! Thanks to donations from our local businesses, bring the whole family and enjoy your Museum, member or not! Admission is always FREE for anyone to the Store and information area.
FYI - The Sherman Pass Road from Rodeo Flat to Sherman Pass is being resurfaced from now until Labor Day, weekdays only. There are some serious road closures during this time. Check the schedule at www.maturango.org/Trips.html
FIELD TRIPS September- November. See below using the link. Bus trips, Car caravans, lots of neat things to see and do! Sign up now!
- TOUR OF LITTLE PETROGLYPH CANYON SLIDE SHOW! See the canyon and learn all about our Museum guided tour to this amazing place, then see below to sign up for a trip there! Lower Renegade Canyon is the official name of the canyon, but we call it "Little Petroglyph Canyon" (to distinguish from another nearby canyon which is officially called Big Petroglyph Canyon). The Canyon is little, not the Petroglyphs!!!!
Fall 2010 PETROGLYPH TOUR INFO!!
Currently, only U.S. Citizens are allowed to go up there. More details below. As seen on Huell Howser's
"California Gold" program Oct. 30, 2008 on KCET. We take you
there!!
All Tour information and application found here-
September 18, 19, 25, 26
October 2, 3, 9, 10, 23, 24
November 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21
December 4, 5
Observatory nights next one Sept. 9
We have an extra Printing Press that we'd live to give free to a good home. See details here. Photos included. Come get it.
OPEN ARTIST'S STUDIO TOUR October 23 and 24, 2010.
More details about artists later.
Don't forget the Museum's Store for unique gifts for any occasion! SHOP On-line for books and petroglyph videos, other great gifts. "Rock Drawings of the Coso Range" is back.
Southwest Desert BATS! Want to learn more about our Desert Bats? Dr. Pat Brown-Berry will be teaching her popular class on bats at the Desert Studies Center, Zzyzx (south of Baker, CA), the weekend of October 1-3, 2010. More Information Here, and Application here. See July Newsletter too.
We can always use more docents to do tours of the Museum and take shows to the Schools. Come to a docent meeting! The Museum's Store needs some helpers. See Harris or Jane. Spend a half day meeting and greeting people who come to our Museum, sell things, have a great time. Jane Burbank-Larson is back working in the store.
papers that Sandy Rogers, our Curator of Archaeology, has been writing occasionally that show up in our Newsletter - well, now they're all here, all as pdf files, so you can find them and enjoy them whenever!
We're part of ESCHA - Eastern Sierra Cultural and Heritage Alliance effort. Come to the Museum and get a brochure which lists 20 neat spots between Ridgecrest and Bridgeport on Hwy 395 to stop and visit. Get your "Passport" stamped at our Museum, and then go get the rest too! We don't have the CD here, but you can download the audio bit and play it as you enter the Owens Valley, as most of it relates to the Paiute people and Cerro Gordo - get it from www.roadsideheritage.org, it plays on your computer or MP3player, or cut a CD and listen to it in your car as you drive. 30 min, nicely done.
LOCAL WEATHER - go to www.ridgenet.net there's a little box with current weather info, and under it a place to click for "more info" - do that and you get current stuff and can ask for 10 day forecast, current doppler radar map, surface map, and earthquake map! HOT here... be ready!
It takes only 10 min. longer to go to Las Vegas from Ridgecrest through Death Valley and via Hwy 190 to Death Valley Junction and Hwy 160 to Pahrump and to I-15! And you don't have to deal with I-15 all the way; If you're coming north on Hwy 14, it's way faster to get to Death Valley via Ridgecrest and Trona than from Hwy 190 from Olancha.
ADMISSION IS FREE TO THE MUSEUM STORE AND VISITOR CENTERS where we have free maps, and lots of good tourist information. (You pay to go see the actual exhibits) Come on in and shop till you drop! Pick up info and maps!!
Death
Valley Tourist Center -maps, books and videos for sale,
and free information about the Park. 
Click for a file of information about Tourist
Info for Death Valley National Park including Scotty's Castle
tours, travel directions, sights, camps, phone numbers, etc. All
campgrounds open. Daily tours at Scotty's Castle, but no gas there -
plan ahead.
The Visitor Center will be closed for an extreme makeover from Nov. 15 onward
for 18 months! There will be modular buildings with Rangers and DVNHA books for sale.
The Stovepipe Wells Restaurant and Bar had a major fire Aug. 25 and will be closed
for many months for repair. Snack-type stuff and gas still available at the Store
across the street, and the Motel is still open.
If you have any questions about a specific area, call us or the
park before you go! (760) 786-3200. Come to the Museum to get
information and the park newspaper and let us help you plan your
trip to this wonderful desert Park! FYI - photos
of snow and Death Valley's lakes FULL of water! taken January
12 and 16, 2005, SNOW
on Emigrant Pass pictures!
More details about other ideas of things to see and do on your way to DV can be found on the Trips from Ridgecrest page. Lots of updates and good current information are on the top of that page! We have the book "Death Valley and the Northern Mojave, a Visitor's Guide"- great maps and photos of popular places to visit.
FYI - pretty pictures of Mt. Whitney and
Owens Lake with snow 1/14/05 It does this every winter there!
Death Valley roads- see NPS
weather and road info links . The Morning Report is not on-line.
Northern
Mojave Visitor Center - information on other places to
visit in the Northern Mojave desert.
Looking for something to do? New in town? Haven't even been to
Trona? How about cats? Trains? Indians? Click for DAY
TRIPS from Ridgecrest Exploring the Northern Mojave Desert
- a file-full of ideas for places to go from Ridgecrest which
are 1/2 hour, 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 hours from town in all directions-
Mojave Desert, Antelope Valley, Southern Sierra, Owens Valley,
etc. Hard copy is available for sale in the Store. **- on the
web page are recommendations for places in their prime right now!
Current conditions in Yosemite, Bodie, Mammoth, etc. Check it
out! We also have Chamber brochures for most towns up Hwy 395,
maps, etc. and of course all sorts of info about Ridgecrest. Stop
in - it's all free!
A list of nearby Chambers of Commerce,Visitor Centers, Museums, etc.
A file of the wonderful papers that Sandy Rogers, our Curator of Archaeology, produces once in a while for our newsletter. All are pdf files.
Will resume in the fall.
Meanwhile, of interest - from the Kerncrest Audubon Society:
Hector Villalobos, our BLM Field Manager, will be giving an
informative presentation on wind development at the Kerncrest Audubon
meeting on Thursday September 16 at 7:00 PM at the Maturango Museum. The
topic is wind development on Ridgecrest area BLM lands. BLM has several
applications for wind development along the flanks of the Sierra Nevadas
between Mojave and Haiwee Reservoir. The meeting is open to all interested
public.
Chamber Concerts at the Museum
Concerts are held every so often on a Friday. The concert is
sometimes repeated on the Saturday following. Admission $10.00 adults,
$5.00 children under 12; - buy tickets early, limited seating
(Only 60 tickets sold per performance) and they usually sell out
before the concert. Contact: Fran Rogers 375-4271
Doors open at 7 p.m., Concerts start promptly at 7:30 p.m.
September 17 & 18 Tom Foggia, Classical Guitar
October 8 & 9 Art and Music By Sergio Ramirez and Catherine Douglas
October 30 Ridgecrest Brass Ensemble
January 28 & 29 HDMTA "Classics Otra Vez"
February 11, 2011 String Quartet and Ridgecrest Methodist Church Trio
April 29 & 30, 2011 "We Friends"
Sylvia Winslow
Exhibit Gallery Shows
The Friday evening of the opening of each show is an "Artist's Reception" from 7:00 to 9 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. there is a presentation by the artist. The art pieces are for sale, prices are listed on a brochure and on the object's title tag. A portion of the sales benefits the museum.
July 10-Sept. 8 - Curator's Show - Edward Curtis Photogravures - amazing protraits of Native Americans from early 1900's
Sept. 11 - Oct. 13 - Folk Dance Costumes
October 16 - November 17 - Open Studio Artists, always a popular event to showcase our local talent
OPEN STUDIO TOUR, Oct. 23 and 24; go visit the artist's studios!
November 20-January 12 - Rebecca Smith, "Tapestry Interpretation of Ancient Imagery"
a poster with photos for each 2010 show
OPEN ARTIST'S STUDIO TOUR INFO - Open Studio tour is scheduled for October 23-24. More details later.
See a 360 degree PANORAMA (2.5 MB) of the Curator's Show with Edward Curtis's amazing photos. Download, and move it with your mouse! Some pictures can be instantly enlarged by clicking on them. Mark has also been making the art titles and price tags available at the click of a mouse. These are COOL! (big file- opens with QuickTime) See Hints for using Quicktime
PAST ART SHOWS Click here for
a file of movies of our shows from December 2002 onward!
Note: the shows from Dec. 2002 through 2007 have been removed
from the server but are available on a CD disk from Andrea Pelch
at the Museum, or from Carroll Evans.
Quicktime is
a free download. See Hints for viewing
panoramas if you're new to Quicktime.
Other Events which happen at the Museum which might interest you too...
HIGH TECH THINGS!
QuickTimeMovie
Player is needed - check your machine to see if you have a
current version - 7x for both Macs and PCs.
See Hints for viewing panoramas if you're
new to Quicktime and panoramas.
** Cool movie of our Saber Tooth Cat doing its thing,
with growl even! Download the kitty movie
(it's big-840K file)
***and thanks to Mark Pahuta, we have a 360 degree panorama
of the Sylvia Winslow Art Gallery Shows stitched together.
ART SHOW Current art show
panorama
Wickiup Project- Wickiup Project Movie
PAST ART SHOWS Click here for
a file of movies of our shows from December 2002 onward!
Check out a full panorama of the
Museum Exhibits in the North Gallery! (1.3MB file)
and a look around the Museum Store
Zoom in to check out the merchandise, then come buy it! (964K
file)
Many thanks to Mark Pahuta! His talents with both the camera and
the computer have made all these possible!
Our New Building Expansion Project
We're on our way gathering donations to greatly expand our
present building! The footprint will more than double the present
one, connected to the north with a new entrance in the center
of the new complex on the east side. Our exhibits in the North
Gallery will remain where they are now, but the new part will
have a much larger gallery/lecture/concert room, more exhibit
space, a bigger store, and all sorts of wonderful things! For
more information, contact Harris Brokke at matmus6@maturango.org.
To make a donation, click here for a form
to send in.
Permanent Exhibits in the Museum's North Gallery.
See full QuickTime panorama of the Exhibit room and Children's Corner, and you can move your cursor up and down to even see the birds!
Relics from various mines which have been
given to the Museum
The "iron sheep" leaping over rocks
iron "shaman" by the labyrinth
The bell from the Little Lake Hotel.
Cool photo from Bob Hoagland's Ercoupe by Carroll Evans
For a larger, labeled photo of the whole works, click here
The white dome by the labyrinth is the Museum's observatory.
We occasionally have public "star parties."- at 8:30
p.m. If you'd like to
schedule a group to visit the telescope on a special occasion
contact us!
Sundial! is pretty accurate! Don't forget to adjust for Daylight Savings time...
** The Labyrinth is "open" at any time -come
on over and stroll around
and around and around it! Try it under a full moon :-)
Now we have leaping sheep behind it. Come see!!
Mark Pahuta has made a panorama of
the Labyrinth! It's interactive, as are the rest - you can
move around within it. Hold your mouse pointer down at one edge
of the photo and watch it rotate! It's a large file, 514 K, but
have fun!
Gladys Merrick Xeriscape Demonstration Garden - Thanks to a grant from the Indian Wells Valley Water District for materials and lots of donated labor, we have installed a watering system which will meter each of the three "mounds" for water used, once the plants are established. We hope to show that desert plants don't need much water after they get going, but exotics do. Plants are arranged by where they are found in our deserts - the mound closest to the parking lot has plants normally found in the "Low Desert," i.e. Colorado Desert and Sonora Deserts of Southern CA, AZ, etc. They don't like freezing, but don't mind heat. Lots of cactus types. Plants in the next mound are from the "High Desert," both the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts. They don't mind freezing but don't like too much heat. Grasses, yuccas hardy perennials. The mound nearest the new office building is labeled "Exotics" - plants from drought areas on other continents. They are often planted as ornamentals here because they can stand heat and freezing. There is a list of the names of these plants available at the store counter. We have room for more plants - if your garden has some to spare which fit into these three categories, please mention this to the store attendant and the Garden committee will be contacted. Thanks! More to come - interpretive signs, etc.
Gladys Merrick loved desert plants and her yard was full of them. She always offered tours to anyone interested, but especially during our annual Wildflower Shows. We moved some of her plants to this garden as we set it up, and we honor her memory fondly. She gave so much of herself to the Museum - docent, wildflower illustrations, etc.
The photo at right is Mark Archer's art class "seat of knowledge," dedicated to Elva Younkin. Come sit on a corner of it and contemplate a while...Other benches are in memory of Dick and Bernice Boyd, and Rosemary Wisdom Dixon.
Be sure to go stand by the "Sue Byrd water feature"
near the Exotics mound, made by Danny Foster as a part of his
Eagle Scout project.
See who comes by to get a drink!
Latest addition to the garden area - an interactive SUNDIAL.
You are needed - step
on the month
and your shadow tells the time.
Check your watch!
This was made by the Museum's Docents and dedicated to Bill Faith.
Shouldn't YOU be a member of our Museum? Then you get a reduced tour fee and you'd be able to join us on neat trips which are for Members only! Click here for Membership Application!
 |
TAKE A MATURANGO MUSEUM SPONSORED "TOUR" TO LITTLE PETROGLYPH CANYON. Click on the photo for the slide
show.
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Petroglyph Tours! - Current rules and regulations- Only United
States citizens are allowed to go at this time. All persons now
must bring "proof of U.S. citizenship" like a valid
passport or birth certificate, etc. Reservations must be made
at least 10 days before the trip as paperwork gets turned in to
the Navy then. No last minute additions or substitutions are allowed.
The Museum recommends long pants and "sturdy"walking
shoes. Hiking poles with rubber tips (required) really help.
No large vehicles or campers allowed. ***Be sure if you drive
that you have your current driver's license, current registration
papers, and current insurance cards. They WILL be inspected
at the Museum and at NAWS gate! No papers, no go.
NO phone reservations! But we do need you to phone in on the Friday before your trip to make sure it's still a go - the Navy or weather can cancel or delay the trip at any time!
All the tour information and application may be found here
Details are critical! Watch the slide show if you haven't already, read all the info carefully.
2010 Petroglyph tour dates
September 18, 19, 25, 26
October 2, 3, 9, 10, 23, 24
November 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21
December 4, 5
Field Trips, Class
and Tours
You may sign up and pay by credit card over the phone or by FAX.... When
you sign up for a bus tour with TLB bus, you select your seat
when you pay. PLEASE, if you're interested in a bus tour trip,
sign up earlier rather than later!! We need to sell enough seats to make it go, and if we
cancel, you get a refund. So if you're interested, sign up!!!
Ask Harris if you have questions. Information pages with all the details
are available at the blue underlined links below.
Sept. 25- McFarland Toll Road & the Greenhorns with Phyllis Hix We'll car caravan to Kernville to meet Phyllis, who will show us a Tubatulabal site and other fascinating local attractions. Four-wheel drive and some strenuous walking are involved. Please sign up by 9/20. Meet at the Museum at 7:15 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m. departure. Cost is $35. for Museum members and $50. for non-members and member guests.
October 1-3 Southwestern Desert Bats Class , a popular class taught by Dr. Pat Brown-Berry at the
Desert Studies Center, Zzyzx, CA. Lectures during the day, mist-netting and finding
bats at night in this desert location within the Mojave National Preserve. Some dirt roads. Meals
and lodging included. See More Information here,
and Application here.
October 2 Around Owens Lake A car caravan to explore side roads and interesting historical sites starting at Little Lake to Olancha to Lone Pine to Keeler and back to Olancha. Petroglyphs, mines, kilns, RR, lots of neat places to visit. Let by Janet Westbrook. Some graded dirt roads. Meet at the Museum at 7:45 a.m. for 8 am dparture. Cost is $30 for Museum Members and $35 for non-members.
November 6, California Science Center Enjoy a trip by IWV Charter Bus to the
California Science Center to see the largest exhibition of mummies and related artifacts
ever assembled. The exhibit presents a never-before-seen collection of
naturally and intentionally preserved mummies. This compelling collection, presented
with reverence and dignity, includes ancient mummies and important artifacts from Asia,
Oceania, South America, Europe, as well as ancient Egypt, dating as far back as 6,500 years.
Embark on a journey into the extraordinary world of mummies and mummification.
Through modern science, engaging interactives and multi-media exhibits, the exhibition reveals
how the scientific study of mummies provides a window into the lives of ancient people from
every region of the world, offering unprecedented insights into past cultures and civilization.
It is recommended that we allow 75 minutes to view the exhibition and of course there is the rest
of the large Museum to keep you busy.
No photography, food, drinks or large bags are permitted in the gallery. IMAX tickets are
available but are not included in the price for this trip.
IMAX performances run throughout the day and each performance lasts about 45 minutes.
See info
sheet at the link above.
Sign up by Nov. 1 please. $60 members, $75 non-members. Depart at 7:30 a.m.
arrangements being made for more trips. Ideas? - get um to Harris- matmus6@maturango.org
Return to Index
Escorted Overseas Tours
Travel with the Museum to exotic places!
Trips led by Leo Girardot, recently retired professor of history
and psychology at Cerro Coso Community College. Phone (760) 375-8737
and leave a message.
Sept 8-20 Oberammergau and bits of Italy, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic
See Leo's new website about the Passion Play and trip,
with sound
explaining the play and why and how they do it. Contact Leo for further info.
Those of us who went 10 years ago had an amazing time!
Return to Index
Museum Membership
Become a member of the Maturango Museum!
Membership in the Museum helps
support our services to the community and entitles you to special
benefits including free admission anytime, monthly newsletter
with all our events listed, members-only receptions and field
trips, reduced fees on regular field trips including to Little
Petroglyph canyon, and a 10% discount on purchases in the Museum
Store. Come on in and join, or click
here for membership application!
Annual memberships are: Family: $50;
Individual: $40; Senior (55) family: $45; Senior (55) $35
Return to Index
Museum Information:
Museum Entrance Fee: The lobby with tourist
information and Museum Store is open to the public, free.
Exhibit room and art gallery: Free
to members; $5.00 for adult nonmembers;
$3.00 students, seniors, military; Children
under 6 free
Museum Hours: Daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed
major holidays).
Telephone: (760) 375-6900, Fax (760) 375-0479.
Address: 100 E. Las Flores Ave. (at China Lake Blvd., across from
Home Depot.) Ridgecrest,
CA 93555.
Wheelchair accessible: We have three handicapped parking spaces,
one of which is van-accessible, and two ramps to our doors. The
building is on one level. Restrooms meet code. We do not have
a power-assisted door, but there are always people at the counter
who can open the door if needed.
E-Mail:
Please note we now have seven e-mail accounts, suffix numbers
matter! In an effort to hide from "spam bots," this
is a graphic and the handy "mail:to" hotlinks are gone.
Sorry... you'll have to type it in the old fashioned way...
Museum Holidays - the Museum will be
closed the following 7 days each year: New Years Day, President's
Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day,
and Christmas Day. Other than that, we are open every day from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert is a separate organization from the Maturango Museum. P.O. Box 2001, Ridgecrest, CA 93556-2001. They provide displays for the Museum and have their own speakers and field trip programs. Check out their Home Page! It contains the HSUMD Newsletters, news of the USO building project, field trips, etc. They now own the USO Building on Ridgecrest Blvd. and have their activities, Board meetings, archives, and exhibits there.
Click here for an ever-expanding chronology of historical events in Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties.
We have neighbors... A whole list of nearby Visitor Centers, Museums, Chambers of Commerce, etc.
Kern River Preserve in Weldon has lots
of neat
activities all the time!
Incredible web site by Kernville's Alison Sheehey Beautiful
photos of local plants and animals, with data, etc.
Searles Valley, Trona, etc., has a very active Historical Society with three museums, and a world class Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society. Check out their web pages!
Go to: The top
of this page
Go to: Death Valley information page Pages of updated info about our neighboring valley!
Go to: Trips from Ridgecrest info page- Exploring the Upper Mojave Desert - Ideas for trips which take 1/2 to 3+ hours from Ridgecrest; how to make camping reservations; other current info.
Go to: Historical Society info page History of some local areas, and latest news from our Historical Society, newsletters, etc.
