Valley Center Museum was open this time

The museum we tried to see last visit was open!  There is a wood carving of the bear outside that we saw last time.

Found a picture of the artist!

All we saw last visit because the museum was closed.

  The real bear is inside.  The story again: Bear charged a settler (woman with baby and 2 kids), she climbed to the loft, scared it away with her husband's gun, asked an Indian nearby to take her husband's gun and shoot it, he shot it but it ran off, he asked for help from 2 farmers (all the farmers had offered a $3000 bounty on the bear as it was killing all their cattle), they tracked it down to find it wounded so finished it off, husband of the lady gets back from San Diego and drags bear to cattle scales where it was weighed (2200 pounds), and the Indian got the reward. (But only $500 because he was an Indian.) They named the settlement Bear Valley.  California already had a Bear Valley so they had to change the name to Valley.  Center was added later so it is now Valley Center.  They still call the area Bear Valley though.

The real bear (Stuffed of course)

Valley Center was huge in the Hollywood hey day of the 40's and 50's.  Many stars bought homes here to get away from the crowds and to be left alone. (Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper, June Allyson, Dick Powell, and John Wayne.)  The museum shared photos of them.  What I loved were the stories of the other people.

The real Betty Crocker!

Agnes White Tizard
The cookbook I got for my birthday when I was just 7 you can see in the back!  My little book is a museum piece!!

The Bear Valley stagecoach had been restored because they used it in all the Hollywood B westerns.  The trunk on the back is the original from the 1800's.  They asked us not to touch it.

I want to watch some westerns now.

Don't Touch

The museum also honored the war veterans.

World War II

WW I - A local lady made this banner for all who served from Valley Center.  When one was killed she would applique a gold star over the blue one.

WW II pilot!!! Dad's flight suit, boots, helmet, kneeboard, navigation circle, and the green flashlight I remember playing with in his desk!!  There he is!! My DAD! (Okay, not really but so fun!)