**CALIFORNIA TRAIL DAYS**

**Friday May 30 & Saturday May 31, 2008 California National Historic
Trail Interpretive Center, Elko, Nevada**

Located 8 miles west of Elko on Interstate Highway 80 at the Hunter
exit#292

**FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:**

**David Jamiel at 7530213 or Gary Koy at 753-0281**

**Free to Public 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM both days unless otherwise noted**

**Sneak Preview Tours of the California Trail Center**

See what's happening at the California Trail Center. BLM staff and
volunteers will greet visitors and provide tours of the building,
interpretive plaza and answer questions about the future of the Trail
Center. The Trail Center is. ***10:00 AM***

**ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILY**

A variety of fun, family oriented, hands-on activities will be provided
at the Trail Center building that will help visitors learn about the
overland migration to California that occurred between 1841 and 1869.
Activities include the following:

**Gold panning: This is what it was all about - at the end of the trail
everyone was looking for gold.** Now you can try your hand at using a
pan to separate gold flakes from sand and water. (*All gold flakes must
remain with exhibitor*) This activity will also include a display of
U.S. coins from the gold rush period.

**Children's crafts**: Join the staff of the Northeastern Nevada
Historical museum as they lead children through the experience of making
corn husk dolls, button toys and fresh butter; all things that pioneer
children made as they traveled along the California Trail.

**Pack your wagon:** Think you could pack enough supplies in your pick
up truck to last you on a four and a half month camping trip? That's
what the emigrants had to do come and learn what pioneers took with them
on their 2,000 mile journey from the Missouri River to California*.*

**Atlatl throw:** Experience throwing an ancient style hunting weapon,
the atlatal. The atlatal is a device for throwing a spear or dart that
consists of a rod or board with a projectile with a projection (as hook
or thong) at the rear end to hold the weapon in place until release.

**Native American food gathering activity:** Prior to the arrival white
explorers and overland emigrants Native Americans in the Great Basin
gathered and prepared wild plants as part of their daily meal.
Volunteers from the *Elko Chapter of the Nevada Archeological
Association will lead participants through a similar food gathering
exercise.*

**Spinning and carding demonstrations:** Need new clothes and there\'s
no Wal mart? Learn how the pioneers used fiber from livestock and turned
it into fabric to make the clothing worn along the California Trail.

**Firearms on the California Trail:** Between 1841 and 1869 firearm
technology advance from muzzle loading flint and percussion lock weapons
to magazine fed metallic cartridge, multiple shot rifles, pistols and
shot guns. Representative samples of these types of weapons will be on
display in the Trail Center.

**Dutch-Oven cooking** demonstrations: (Details to be determined)

**Wagon rides:** Experience riding in an authentic covered wagon pulled
by a four up hitch of big black mules as they roll along the trail the
overland emigrants may have actually traveled. ***Sat. 10:00 --
5:00PM*** ***(**No charge for the rides) Sponsored by Wagon Trails West
Inc**.***

**Oxen drawn wagon** **demonstrations**: See live oxen up close. Learn
why pioneers used more than mules or horses during the early days of the
overland migration. Discover how large and powerful these animals are
and watch how they respond their owner's voice commands. ***Formal talks
on Trail Center Plaza, Fri. & Sat. 1:00PM.***

**Pony Express Exhibit and demonstrations*: ***The Nevada Pony Express
Association will have a display about the Pony Express inside the Trail
Center and will give scheduled talks on the on the plaza. Talks will
include riders dong an exchange of a "Mochia" (pouch that holds mail)
from one horse to another. ***Formal talks &*** ***mail exchange plaza
amphitheater Fri. 1:45 PM & Sat. 2:00 PM***

**Old Melodeon Minstrels:  **Sing along with the Old Melodeon Minstrels.
Listen while Chris, Darla and Danita Bayer play minstrel banjo,
tambourine and penny whistle. Thrill to the sight of Danita\'s flying
Irish feet as she does a hornpipe or a jig. Known throughout Nevada,
California and Oregon, the Old Melodeon Minstrels have made regular
appearances at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma, Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City and Sacramento\'s Gold Rush
Days. They will have scheduled presentation and will be roaming through
the events area periodically during the two day event. ***Formal
presentations, Fri 10:00 AM, 2:30 PM & Sat.1:00PM, & 4:00 PM.***

**Dancing under the stars:** Join the "Old Melodeon Minstrels" on Friday
May 30^th^ for some high stepping dancing \\just like the emigrants did
on the trail and the miners did in their mining camps during the Gold
Rush. It doesn't matter whether or not you already know how to dance;
Chris, Darla and Danita will walk you through the steps. This will take
place on the Trail Center plaza**. *Friday 6:00 PM Trail Center Plaza
***

**Fiddle Styling's of 13 year old master fiddler Alex Johnson:** This
will be the third year for Alex at Trail Days. He will have scheduled
presentations and will periodically roam around the events area.
***Formal presentations, Fri 11:30 AM, 5:15 PM & Sat.10:00AM, & 2:30
PM.***

**Women's Voices from the Overland Trail:** Women pioneers often formed
the backbone and inspiration for the long, arduous western journeys of
the nineteenth-century emigrants. Historian and Professor Doris Dwyer,
Western Nevada Community College, will base her presentation on the
diaries, memoirs, and reminiscences of pioneer women and men who
emigrated westward from 1840 through 1860s. These accounts, which pay
special attention to the landscape to Native Americans, and to the
danger and promise of the journey, provide a vivid account of pioneer
life. P*resentation is sponsored by the Nevada Humanities, Historic
Speakers Bureau*). **P*rogram, Fri 3:15 PM ***

**Meet Margaret Breen:** Professor Doris Dwyer, Western Nevada Community
College will use a Chautauqua style presentation to portray Margaret
Breen. Margaret Breen, along with her husband and several children, were
members of the Donner Party and shared in the suffering of their fellow
emigrant. Due largely to her efforts, the Breens were one of only two
families in the party to survive without loss of life. Ask Margaret
about her ordeals and how she survived. (P*resentation is sponsored by
the Nevada Humanities, Historic Speakers Bureau*). ***Sat. May 31^st^ at
11:30 AM*.**

**Black Smithing Demonstrations:** (Details to be determined) Ongoing
Friday and Saturday, Special talks Friday May 30, 4:00 PM -- 4:30 PM

**ENCAMPMENTS**

**Newe or the Western Shoshone People Exhibits**

In the spring of 1841- 1869, the Newe (People) would have held several
significant ceremonies and would have traveled far to gather edible and
herbal spring greens. Seasonal game, such as ground hog, squirrels,
rabbit, trout deer and antelope were used to supplement the plants that
were gathered These topics will be covered as part of the Newe
encampment or as scheduled talks during Trail Days. These topics and
others will be covered in the Newe exhibit area. Scheduled talks will
include:

***- [Crafts:]{.underline}*** Willow weaving, Basket & Newe Origin,
***Fri. 10:45***

***- [Story telling, Period clothing, buckskin
preparation:]{.underline}***,, ***Fri. 4:30 PM***

***- [Food preparation]{.underline}***: Pine nut soup, Buck berry
pudding, Jerky stew and Wild garlic & water cress; Fri***. 10:00 AM --
5:00 PM***

***- [Medicine]{.underline}:*** Native herbs, ***Native American
camp,*** Sat***. 10:45 AM***

***- [Commerce and Games: Native Trade talk, Native stick
games:]{.underline}***,, ***Sat. 3:15 PM***

**Trapper and Emigrant Wagon Camps:**

**Living History Encampments**: Visitors will enjoy walking through the
different types of trail camps. Volunteer interpreters will be in 1850s
costumes and will answer questions about what is being displayed and
answer questions about the equipment and history of the California
Trail.

***[Trapper camp]{.underline}*:** Walk through a recreated trapper camp.
Visit with the participants as they explain what life was like in the
Far West between the 1820s and 1860s. Learn how food, was prepared on
the trail, how pioneers set up camp and the kinds of tools and firearms
they depended upon for their survival.

***[Emigrant Wagon camp]{.underline}*:** See a full size emigrant wagon
and visit with the volunteer interpreters about the kinds of experiences
faced by overland emigrants as they traveled overland to California.
Learn about the different types of people who went west and the
equipment they took. Try to figure out for yourself what you would take
if you were going to take a 41/2 month, 2,000 walk across America.
***Sat. only***

**[Military Camps]{.underline}:**

*3^rd^ California Volunteers:* Visit with volunteers as they portray the
soldiers who served at Fort Ruby (1862 -- 1869) and at Fort Hallack
(1869 and 1874). See the equipment they used, the clothes they wore, the
weapons they used and discover what life was like for the soldier
serving in the Great Basin during and shortly after the American Civil
War.

**SIGN UP FOR A JUNE 7, 2008 HIKE OF SOUTH FORK CANYON**

**[Hike a segment of the Actual historic California
Trail]{.underline}***:* Follow the footsteps of the Donner Party through
South Fork Canyon from South Fork Reservoir to the Humboldt River The
hike is sponsored by the Humboldt High Roads group and led by a BLM
staff member. The hike is scheduled for Saturday June 7, 2008. Sign ups
will take place at the Trail Days event. ***For additional information
contract Jill Jensen 753-0378 or Jan Petersen 753-5668***

**EVENT MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS**

Elko Chapter of the Elko County Archeological Association

Humboldt High Road

Northeastern Nevada Museum

Mormon Battalion reenactment group

White Knife Shoshone Company

Wagon Trails West Inc.

Elko Coin & Currency

Nevada Humanities

Mormon Oxen Association

Wal Mart

BLM/ California Trail Center

Elko Convention and Visitor Authority

Elko Chamber of Commerce

The Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities

Nevada Pony Express Assocication

A Lot Great Volunteers