The citizens of Trinity County have long recognized
the importance of perpetuating the rich history of our area. The
first organization to preserve that history was the Trinity County
Pioneer Association formed of men who had arrived before 1852. As
time passed and the membership aged, this organization dwindled.
In 1891 the Society of Old Settlers was formed to fill the breach,
comprised those pioneers who arrived in the county prior to 1860.
The primary objective of this organization was to develop a historical
record of Trinity County. Attrition also effected this group as
the membership grew older. In an effort to keep the organization
alive, the Society of Old Settlers was reorganized to include women
and anyone who had lived in the county 25 years or more. However,
by 1923, this society ceased to function.
It was this void that the Trinity County Historical
Society hoped to fill. The Trinity County Historical Society was
formed in 1953 when concerned citizens noted the absence of a concerted
effort to preserve the history of the area. The first meeting was
held January 28, 1954 with 43 charter members.
The mission of the Trinity County Historical Society
is to discover, collect, preserve and disseminate knowledge about
the history of Trinity County.
The J.J.Jackson Memorial Museum is the main project
of the Society. The collection of artifacts began in 1922 when the
Veteran’s Memorial Hall was constructed and space allocated
for a museum. When the hall caught fire in the early 1940s, artifacts
were rescued and stored by Jake Jackson, the current museum’s
namesake. With energetic local fund raising efforts and the assistance
of State of California grant funds, the museum was constructed and
opened in 1968. The museum’s collection provides the visitor
an intimate look at all phases of the county’s rich history.
The displays illuminate life, conditions, events and activities
covering the period prior to the arrival of the first settlers to
the present.
