The new Healdsburg Museum exhibition, Destination Healdsburg, presents historical artifacts, stories and photos from Healdsburg’s tourism history before the era of the grape. Of special interest is a scale architectural replica of West Street (now Healdsburg Avenue) during the 1930s. The display, handcrafted over many months by John Lacaillade with Maggie Bates, will transport you back in time.
The exhibition covers these periods and highlights:
1860s – Stagecoaches transport visitors to “Nature’s Scenic Wonders” of the Geysers
1870s – Railroads bring vacationers to the Russian River and nearby hot springs
1880s and 1890s – Boom times. Healdsburg touted as “San Francisco of the North”
1900s and 1910s – Vacation homes, cottages and tents on Fitch Mountain
1920s to 1950s – The automobile takes over, parking becomes an issue, travel cheaply along the “Redwood Highway,“ in “Auto Camps” to visit “Russian River Resorts”
1960s and 1970s – Scenic agricultural splendor, cows, sheep and “Prune Blossom” tours in the surrounding valleys
Exhibit runs through October 1.
— submitted by Tom Devitt
