Cesar Chavez, leader of the United Farm Workers, AFL-CIO National Union, speaks to demonstrating field workers at the Gallo vineyards on River Road west of Livingston back in the summer of 1973.
Mannequins on display reflect the fashion of the early 1970s.
Movers and shakers, and everyday residents who made a difference, are reflected in the images taken a half century ago.
A group of local housewives protest rising meat prices in 1973.
A picture of the newly completed plaza expansion next to the historic Tioga Hotel building.
Summer Bartholomew, crowned Miss Merced in 1973, rests upon her throne after capturing Maid of Merced County honors the previous night. She went on to win the Miss California and Miss U.S.A. contests in 1975.
A view of the newly completed M Street bridge reconstruction / widening project over Bear Creek back in 1973.
The heaviest storm of the 1973 season flooded Merced’s Bear Creek Beautification Project just west of the G Street bridge. This photo, taken facing the northeast, shows the bank-to-bank flow which roared down Bear Creek.
Do you remember 1973?
For those who do or don’t, there is a new exhibit of some fascinating local photos that will take you back 50 years.
With its newest exhibit, “Remember 1973?: A Look At Merced Sun-Star’s Photos,” the Merced County Courthouse Museum reviews the various happenings of the time in and surrounding Merced County.
The show was put together by Courthouse Museum Director Sarah Lim alongside dedicated researcher Tom Gaffery who went through countless newspapers and photographs in the museum’s archives.
The display will be formally opened to the public with a gathering this Thursday, March 9, where there will be presentations from Jim Cunningham, Greg Olzack, and Tim McNally, starting at 5 p.m.
The Courthouse Museum is open and free to the public Wednesday through Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and the exhibit will be running until May 21.
The exhibit consists of a huge selection of photos and information organized into a beautiful timeline display across the walls of several rooms of the museum. There is also a nice selection of fun era-appropriate décor and two fashionable mannequins designed by Avis Gaffery.
When asked about her inspiration for the exhibit during a sit down with the Times, Lim spoke about her desire “to present fresh and new content to the general public,” and continued to talk about how she came up with the idea after the museum came into possession of a large amount of photos and newspaper archives from the 1970s through a donation by the Merced Sun Star.
Lim talked about the many great investments made into public infrastructure that were documented in 1973, as well as the valley’s cultural boom in that year.
The exhibit provides an interesting perspective on decades-old developments that residents are still benefitting from to this day — from the M Street bridge expansion to the efforts by union leader Cesar Chavez. Additionally, there were events that mirror what local residents are experiencing today, including rising food costs, fuel price surges, and even flooding along Bear Creek in Merced.
“Come see the exhibit, and support the local history,” Lim said.