The weather may be changing but there are still lots of things happening at the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum. Although usually open every Saturday and Sunday, the museum will be closed the weekend of October 22 and 23. Ely has been chosen as the venue for a Boy Scout weekend campout. This is an annual event for the Boy Scouts allowing them to perform community service projects while honing their camping skills. This year they will camp out for two nights on the Ely property, clearing the hillside below Ely’s main house during the day.
That particular weekend would also have been Ely’s Living History Day. That activity is being pushed to the next Saturday, October 29. Historian Ruby Glebe will return to the Stage Stop that day to share more stories from the past. Glebe preserves and promotes Lake County’s historical resources. Fifteen years ago, the Lake County Board of Supervisors appointed Glebe to the position of Lake County Historian. She is only the third person to hold this distinction, preceded by Henry Mauldin and Marion Goebel.
Glebe will be talking about the Pine Flat Community of 1870, once a quicksilver mining boomtown in the rugged Mayacamas Mountains that straddle Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties. Nothing remains of the community that was killed by the plummeting price of quicksilver and periodic wildfires that plague the area. Her presentation will begin at noon. Admission is free with donations accepted. Through these Living History Days at Ely, the stories of Lake County’s history are being preserved for future generations.
Finally, save the date of November 6 when Ely again hosts the California Old Time Fiddlers Association for a jam session in the Ely barn from noon till 2 p.m. Musicians will follow the usual round-robin format with donations benefitting both the Ely Stage Stop, helping to fund the construction of the blacksmith shop, and the Old Time Fiddlers Association District 10, using it to partially fund their scholarship programs.
The Lake County Historical Society’s Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum is located at 9921 State Hwy 281 (Soda Bay Road) in Kelseyville, near Clearlake Riviera, just north of Hwy 29-Kit’s Corner. Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday. Private tours can be arranged by appointment. Facilities are available to support events, conferences, or family gatherings. Celebrate a wedding, reception, special anniversary, or family reunion.
Visit www.elystagestop.org or www.lakecountyhistory.org, check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop, or call the museum at 707-533-9990.
The Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum welcomes more docents to greet visitors and share information on our history, our current displays, and our planned events. Volunteers for maintenance and construction projects are also needed. Come join the Lake County Historical Society and become a volunteer at Ely or our sister museum, the Gibson Museum & Cultural Center in Middletown. Applications are always available.
Weather permitting, many Ely events include opportunities for old time hay rides between the main house and the barn. Photo by Greg Blinn.
Pictured is the main house at the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum. Photo by Greg Blinn.