What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Plumas County Museum

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Quincy, CA
Plumas County Museum

The Plumas County Museum collects, interprets, and shares the rich social and cultural history and heritage of Plumas County and its natural environs.

The Plumas County Museum is an active "living Museum" that offers new exhibits, presentations, and special events, year round. Our Museum complex consists of the Museum - which includes two exhibit floors and an industrial history (railroad and gold mining) wing; an outside exhibit yard that features mining and lumbering displays, a gold miner's cabin, and a blacksmith shop; and the restored 1878

Variel Home (which is open for tours on Saturdays, 11 am - 3 pm, May through October.) Exhibits within the Museum include an outstanding collection of Native American basketry produced by the area's original inhabitants, the Mountain Maidu; displays on the early Chinese of the area; fine examples of early fi****ms and weaponry; a natural history collection - including a 175-pound mountain lion; an extensive goldmining and railroad exhibit; history of longboard skiing displays; medical exhibits; am ever-changing gallery of contemporary art showcasing area photographers and artists; and much more. The Museum also manages the pioneer log Peppard Cabin and the Pioneer Schoolhouse at the Fairgrounds. Both are open to the public during some special events and during the Plumas-Sierra Fair in August. The Plumas County Museum is truly worth visiting!

08/14/2026

Fun Photo Friday! 📸
Taking a trip back in time to M. H. Duffy's Barbershop in Johnsville, CA. Looks like getting a trim was the social event of the week! They all look like they are having fun (or poking fun at each other, as guys do).
Estimated time of photo c. 1895-1905.

What do you think is in the hands of the young man sitting on the ladder to the left of the photo?

08/07/2026

Fun Photo Friday! 📸
Here's a J.H.. Eastman Photo that is labeled "At Stokes Hot Springs" on the Feather River Highway, Calif. This looks like a fun refreshing stop along the highway!
Check out the gas pump, it is amazing! The stand even offers ice cream and Acme beer.
Based on the details, this was likely taken sometime after 1938, right before WWII and the start of gas rationing.
Who else wishes they can pull over for an ice cream today?🍦

07/31/2026

Fun Photo Friday! 📸
Today, we have the H.K. Porter "dinky" narrow-gauge locomotive hard at work! 🚂💨 This little guy played a huge role in the construction of the Almanor and Butt Lake dams 1910-1914.
What is incredible is that this dinky was discovered in Butt Lake in May 1996, then restored and put on display.
How wonderful is it that we can look at history in action and go see the real thing with our own eyes today? You can check it out in Chester, CA on the Collins Pine lawn along Main Street.

07/24/2026

Fun Photo Friday!📸
Here we have a photo of the Chester, CA Post Office circa 1900. Long before tracking numbers and instant emails, grabbing the mail was quite the community event. Just look at this lineup!
Can we take a moment to appreciate the incredible fashion that we see! Does the woman who is leaning on the hood of the car look like she has a bird hat, or maybe it's just feathers? That automobile is pretty impressive also.

07/17/2026

Fun Photo Friday! 📸
Step back in time to circa 1920 with this wonderful look at Plumas County history! 🌲👇

Handwritten on the bottom of this photo is "Porter's Place Stage Station," located in the town of Twain, CA.

A couple of fun details to spot if you look closely:

🔎 On the building to the left, there is a sign that says, "Twain Tavern."

🚗 There are two vintage automobiles parked out front with nine children posing with them and one that may have seen better days but was still running strong.

Can you imagine stopping here for a break a hundred years ago?

07/10/2026

Fun Photo Friday!📸
This is a beautiful hotel near Prattville, CA (area now known as Lake Almanor). Bunnell's Hotel is a wonderful example of California's rich hidden history! 🏔️✨

In 1867, Dr. Willard Pratt built a hotel to welcome travelers escaping the scorching heat of the Sacramento Valley. Eventually, the whole town grew around it and took his name! The little community of Prattville relocated to higher ground along the shore before the man-made Lake Almanor was created in 1914.

Long before the lake was created, the area was a vast, lush alpine valley called Big Meadows, historically used by the Northern Maidu tribe. 🌳

Any fond memories of that area, the lake or the shores? Please, tell your story! We love hearing about history even if it's your own history!

07/02/2026

Early Fun Photo Friday! Since the Museum will be closed July 3rd and 4th (Happy Semiquincentennial!), we are posting some fun 4th of July parade photos from the past - when floats were floats, and everyone turned out to celebrate! Enjoy!
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06/26/2026

Fun Photo Friday! 📸
Today we have two photos featuring a reservoir located in Goodwin Ravine, south of Quincy, CA (just east of Boyle Ravine). One photo shows Miss Mattie Goodwin and Heine Hoffman enjoying an October 1911 outing, while the other gives us a closer look at the reservoir itself.

What's your favorite local spot to spend a nice afternoon outdoors? 🌿

06/18/2026

Early Fun Photo Friday! 📸(We are out of the office tomorrow)
Hard at work in the Feather River Canyon! These 3 photos are some incredible examples of what a typical day of building the iconic Feather River Highway may have been like: suspending from a granite cliffside, setting dynamite, and clearing tons of blasted rock.
This massive project started July 1, 1928, and it took nearly a decade before the official grand opening on August 14, 1937. Do you have any family stories or old photos of the highway construction?

06/12/2026

Fun Photo Friday!📸
Check out the Portola Elementary School 8th-grade graduating class of 1942! They look sharp, from their tailored suits to the classic white dresses, these kids had style! Does anyone spot a family member or friend?
Congratulations to all our local Plumas County graduates!

Address

500 Jackson Street
Quincy, CA
95971

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+15302836320

Website

http://www.plumasmuseum.org/, http://www.countyofplumas.com/

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