The Merced County Courthouse Museum will open the “Land and Water: The Building of an Ag Empire” exhibit on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 5PM.
As a culmination of the exhibits of the last three years, this show provides a contemporary look at Merced County as an agricultural empire through the lens of Merced Camera Club, focusing on the interconnection of land, people, and water.
In 2019, we explored the development of our current irrigation systems in the “MID Centennial Celebration” exhibit. We then studied the settlement patterns of people in “Settlement of Merced County” in 2021 and the evolution of tractor and farm equipment in “Tractor Dealerships in Merced County” early this year.
All these key “ingredients” have made Merced County a breadbasket of the world. However, forces such as climate change, legislation, and population growth have impacted farming practices and methods.
In the exhibit, in addition to the Camera Club photos, you will be able to read about some of these changes in the excerpts from The Wisdom of Merced County Farmers and other literary works.
At the opening reception, Merced Camera Club members Jim Cunningham and Doug Torres will participate in a PowerPoint presentation about Merced County farm scenes.
For more information about the exhibit, please contact the Museum office at (209) 723-2401.
The Merced County Courthouse Museum is located at 21st and N streets in downtown Merced.
Normal museum hours are: Wednesday – Sunday, 1PM – 4PM