Pony Express riders speak during lecture series

Thank you to all who enjoyed the barn tour from everyone at Douglas County Historical Society. The Historic Emigrant Trail Barn Tour was a huge success with many more people turning out than we ever expected. We truly thank you for supporting your local museums. As you know, we receive no state or county operating funds. We are totally self-supporting and you are our heroes.

Thanks to all the barn owners who opened up their treasured barns for all to see. And thanks, too, to all those behind the scenes who made everything run smoothly. Special thanks to the Douglas County Farm Bureau who put on a great lunch and to Paul Oatman for sharing his knowledge of barns. Above all, thank you to our chairwoman and event coordinator, Laurie Hickey. Without her, the whole tour could not have happened.

Saturday, May 31, is the last day to enter the May photo contest. Maybe you were on the tour and got a great shot of one of the barns. Wouldn't that be a great depiction for the month of May in our county? Whatever you have chosen, submit your photo in person to the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville or directly to me at in2my2cats@yahoo.com by 4 p.m. Saturday. We will announce the winner in next week's column.

Saturday, June 7, is our Student-Senior Day where students and seniors get into the Gardnerville museum free. (Students do need to be accompanied by an adult.) Laurie Hickey will be portraying Clara Martin Hawkins, wife of Theodore Perry Hawkins, Genoa Pony Express relief rider. Laurie, a fifth-generation native of this area, is remotely related to the family.

Theodore "Ted" Hawkins was born in Ohio in January, 1843. He traveled with his immediate family from Ohio to settle in Utah in about 1850. Hawkins was a mighty 5 foot 4 inches tall, fitting the description of a pony rider: small in stature, lithe and brave with a wiry physique. His relief run was from Genoa to Dayton. Hawkins died in 1925. His wife Clara was born in 1856 and died in 1929. Both are buried in the Genoa Cemetery.

Also in June, Carson Valley Art Association artists will display their art in the Carson Valley Museum's Main Street Bookstore. From June 3 to July 7, Beth Bosman, Pam Brekas, Nancy Kilberg and Mechele Johnson's work will be on display. The Main Street Bookstore is open during regular museum hours and before and after the June 12 lecture series which will highlight the Pony Express Re-ride.

Summer is almost here. There are so many events coming up it will be almost impossible to cover them all in this column. There is the Pony Express Re-ride, Snowshoe Thompson Day, the Young Chautauquans at the park, the swap meets. And that's just June. Stay tuned.

If you have any questions about anything mentioned here, please call the Douglas County Historical Society at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville at 782-2555. Visit our Web site at www.historicnevada.org. Remember, DCHS and its two museums do not receive any regular state or county funding. It's up to our members and friends to help keep our doors open.

n Contact Ellen Caywood at in2my2cats@yahoo.com or at 790-1565.