Tuolumne County Museum - Sonora, California

debi hagemann

Lori is very knowledgeable and a great help in finding out info on our ancestors who had settled in the area. Seeing the hair wreath that was made by one of those ancestors was very humbling.

Town Traveller

Free museum that gives detailed information about Tuolumne County and the history of the area. From native americans, gold rush and movies filmed in the area.

Garren Hahn

This little museum packs a punch! So much to read about and many displays, large and small. The staff is wonderful and happy to dig into any topics you want to look into, answering any of your questions. There is also the Historical Research Center in the building just behind where there is an immense amount of local information from books, ledgers, maps, photos, various items, clothing, and digital records.

You could spend an afternoon in the museum if you wanted, or stop by to pass some time. It's free to explore, so there's no excuse not to go. 🙂

kimba bee

I have been to this museum several times. The exhibits are very high caliber-well researched, interesting and provoking. They are changed periodically so every time I have visited there is something new to see. The volunteers working here are friendly and knowledgeable. 3 days a week there are volunteers from the Genealogical society who can help with family research, and there is a large research center in the building behind the museum with additional resources and volunteers from the Tuolumne County Historical Society. The community is fortunate to have such a professionally run history museum.

Robert McNally (Falconire)

Great museum with lots of local history.

Caryn Machado

This is a small museum, but very interesting and the exhibits are well done. I particularly enjoyed learning a bit about the native peoples of the area, the Mi-Wuk, along with the African American, Chinese and Jewish families that settled there much later. (One of my favorite items displayed at the museum was an intricate crazy quilt, made by the women of the Sugg family.) Of course there's much more of note to see there, along with stories and anecdotes of happenings in and around Tuolumne county during the 19th century, so do work it into your itinerary. It's worth the visit! It's also only a few blocks from the main downtown area. Admittance is currently free, but I'd encourage everyone to support the museum with a donation to keep this special place preserved for future generations.

Ujjwal Rathore

A lovely small museum where you can spend a couple of hours and learn about California gold rush.

Susan Pesin

A rich collection, truly representative of the history of Tuolumne County and the part it played in California's history. I was fortunate to have had Dan Azevedo, with his wealth of knowledge, as my narrator and guide.