El Dorado County museum reports surge in fair visitors; railroad presentation pushed back

Bridal Laville, library director, told the El Dorado County Historical Museum Commission on July 10 that the museum saw “nearly 1,800” visitors listed in initial counts and that the final tally was likely closer to 2,000 during the recent county fair.

The announcement came as staff updated the commission on several program areas: a postponed Colorado Western Railroad presentation (previously set for July 21), a planned memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Railway Foundation, renewal of several leases and a license agreement with PSVR (Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad). “The Colorado Western Railroad presentation is actually postponed,” Laville said, and staff will bring the expanded packet back at a later date.

Why it matters: Museum leaders said the turnout and new outreach items — bookmarks, business cards with QR codes and consolidated social‑media access — are boosting awareness and volunteer interest, and that better outreach will help support ongoing exhibit loans and programs.

Staff said train rides associated with the Eldorado Western Railroad (EWRR) are selling out regularly. Laville directed people to the railroad page on the library site and to edwr.org for ticket purchases, and she said staff will tidy up copy on the ticketing page and volunteer schedules to reflect demand. “The big train, every week it runs, it’s full,” the chair noted during the discussion.

Museum stewardship and loans also drew formal discussion. Staff reviewed a deed‑of‑gift for a Georgetown Gazette stained‑glass window that includes language requiring that if the donor (identified in the deed as the Mountain Democrat newspaper) ever disposed of the window, it would be returned to the county historical museum. Laville said counsel reviewed the language and described it as standard legal language designed to protect the collection.

On collections management and digital access, staff described progress and remaining needs in the Research Room. Commissioners were told there are roughly 786 individual catalog items in the backlog and about 250 records already published. Staff asked IT to help secure a dedicated workstation to speed scanning and digitization. Laville said the catalog product is an annual subscription and acknowledged a roughly $1,000 initial donation from the Friends of the Library to start the catalog.

Commissioners and volunteers also previewed several late‑summer and fall programs: a sold‑out hike and a field presentation on a historic local figure known as the “goat doctor” that organizers said will require shuttle logistics and limited seating because the site is on private land. Staff noted artifacts loaned to a film production (the Golden Mountain movie set) were returned this week with some repairs completed.

Procedural notes: The meeting opened just before 3 p.m., the consent calendar (minutes item 26‑1165) was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote, and the meeting adjourned after a public‑forum period that produced no additional speakers.

Next steps: Staff will return with the expanded railroad presentation and MOU materials at a later meeting, pursue a dedicated computer for Research Room digitization, and finalize loan wording and promotion opportunities tied to future artifact loans.