Churchill County Museum

A picture of people touring hidden cave with the same text in a green textbox

Sadly, we are unable to give our usual Hidden Cave tours at this time due to the Federal Government shutdown. We anticipate resuming our typical tour schedule when the government reopens. Please visit bit.ly/4nBdSPS for our list of anticipated dates. No other museum functions will be impacted.

An early front page of the Churchill County Eagle. VOl. 6 No. 2, Saturday, October 7th, 1911.

On this day in 1906, the Churchill County Eagle was founded by A.P. Bettersworth and C.J. Leonesio. This is one of our town’s earliest newspapers, and we have all of it! If there’s a story you’re looking for, contact archivist Scott at scott.gambino@churchillcountynv.gov to make an appointment.

A flier repeating that information and showing three pictures of dollhouse rooms

We’re hosting another miniatures-making class! Join us on Sunday October 12th from 1-3 for this free class where you’ll learn how to make miniature dollhouses!

a colorful flier featuring graphics of various agricultural activities. Text reads “Free at the Churchill County Museum, 1050 S. Maine Street, Fallon, NV. 2025 Fall Lecture Series. AGRICULTURE “rooted with tradition, growing with a purpose.” De Braga Ranch: Saturday, September 27th, Bureau of Reclamation: Saturday October 4th, Stony Bee’s Honey: Saturday, October 11th, and 4H Youth: Saturday, October 18th. All lectures at 12pm.

Today is our second lecture! Erin Hess from the Bureau of Reclamation is stopping by to talk about the Newlands Project. As always, there will be refreshments afterwards. Be sure to drop by!

photo of fort Churchill, showing adobe ruins with an informational sign beside them

If you’ve been to Fort Churchill State Park in the last few months, you know their museum/visitor center has been closed. That changes this weekend. They’re holding a grand reopening from 1-4, so head over and take a look!

A historic photo of Derby Dam under construction.

On this day in 1903, Construction on Derby dam began. Learn more about it by visiting our exhibit “DAM! Technology and the Newlands Project,” and stop by at noon on Saturday to hear a lecture about it!

A Graphic of snowy mountains with trees at the bottom. Text reads "The Western Museums Association's Annual Meeting: Elevate"

Starting today, several of our staff members are off to the Western Museums Association annual meeting in Reno. They’re excited to exchange ideas with other members of the field and to apply what they learn when they get back.

Adult Chautauqua Theater Program – Churchill County Museum Churchill County Museum

It’s almost time for our Fall Chautauqua! Join us on Saturday, October 25th at 3pm at the Fallon Theatre to watch our performers bring the past to life. This is a paid ticketed event, and seats are limited. Click here for more information!

September is National Honey Month, and we’re just about at the end of it. But if you want to get in that last bit of celebration, check out our agriculture exhibit to learn about beekeeping!

Part of the museum's discovery room, with fall leaves and pumpkin decals, along with a trick-or-treat plastic pumpkin.

Today is the start of Fall Foliage Week. Hopefully the trees in your own neighborhood are starting to show their seasonal colors, but if they’re not you can stop by the museum and see the autumnal decorations we’ve put up around our space!

A photo of boulders with petroglyphs

It’s National Public Lands Day! Sadly, there are no organized events near us this year, but you can still get out and enjoy the many public lands in Churchill County, such as Grimes Point. (And then be sure to stop by for our lecture at noon!)

A photo of a narrow case featuring a comic book, along with other toys, books, and pieces of American pop culture.]

It’s National Comic Book Day! Comic books have been a major medium of pop culture for nearly a century, and you can see one example of it by checking out our Americana exhibit at the Admin Building!

Flier reading "Help Your Churchill County Museum! Spagetti Feed Fund-Raiser. Saturday October 11th, 1050 S. Maine Street, Noon until 5pm. $10 per adult, $7 for children under 11 years of age, sodas $1. To-Go orders available for $1 extra. Meal includes Salad, garlic bread, and pepperoncini. Sponsored by Copper Queen 1915, E Clampus Vitus (ECV).

Do you like food and supporting the museum? Well come by on Saturday, October 11th to do both! Our friends the Clampers will be hosting a spaghetti feed in our Multipurpose room from 12 to 5 pm. (This does overlap with our lecture, so you can enjoy your spaghetti while you listen) Hope to see you!

Breaking normal posting habits to say that yesterday we put up Halloween decorations for fun, including adding some spooky pictures to a couple exhibits.

On the one hand: I am sorry to the guest who was confused.
On the other hand: man, I love my job.

Swing by this fall for some creepy fun!

a photo of the Newlands exhibit as it was at opening, showing two working touch tables

As some of you know, several months ago one of the touchtables in our Newlands exhibit broke. We put in a projector, but it was never the same. Now thanks to a generous gift from Jane Ifland we’re getting a brand new replacement table! We’ll let you know when it arrives. (Photo from time of opening)

A photo of a river flanked by yellow-leafed trees

It’s the first day of autumn! Have you seen leaves beginning to change yet? This beautiful photograph comes to us from the Albert Alcorn collection, and was taken around 1980.

In case you didn’t hear, we’ve got a new traveling exhibit! Here, Scott gives you the buzz on “Bombus!”

Bombus! The Natural History of Bumble Bees is created by John Whittlesey and co-produced by Jennifer Jewell and Gateway Science Museum. The exhibition tours through Exhibit Envoy, a nonprofit.

a colorful flier featuring graphics of various agricultural activities. Text reads “Free at the Churchill County Museum, 1050 S. Maine Street, Fallon, NV. 2025 Fall Lecture Series. AGRICULTURE “rooted with tradition, growing with a purpose.” De Braga Ranch: Saturday, September 27th, Bureau of Reclamation: Saturday October 4th, Stony Bee’s Honey: Saturday, October 11th, and 4H Youth: Saturday, October 18th. All lectures at 12pm.

Our lecture series starts one week from today. Stop by next Saturday at Noon when the De Bragas come to kick off our series on Agriculture!

Craft station with bee coloring page and farm activity

Station with insect-theme rubbings and bee-related images on the wall

Hispanic Heritage Month Worry Doll craft

Station with rocks, bones, and pelts with sign reading "touch and feel"

We’ve got new stuff in the Discovery Room! Come by this weekend to make several new crafts as well as getting hands-on with some natural history specimens from our teaching collection!

Color photo of a drive-in restaurant called CJ’s advertising Cheeseburgers, Hotdogs, French fries, shakes, and frosties

Today is National Cheeseburger Day! What’s the best cheeseburger you’ve ever had in Fallon? Can you still get them today, or has the business closed down or person who made it passed on? Let us know in the comments! Photo: CJ’s drive in, 1981.

A photo of said shirt

We’ve restocked our shirts! In addition to replenishing some old favorite designs, we’ve added this cool tule duck, with our logo on the sleeve. Our new shirts are lightweight and 100% cotton

A photo of the exhibit, featuring large colorful text panels, canvas prints, and hanging banners featuring hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees.

Our new traveling exhibit “Bombus! The Natural History of Bumble Bees” is now open! Stop by to check it out and learn about some of our native pollinators.

Happy #hispanicamericanheritagemonth! For most heritage months, we like to show off pieces reflecting the celebrated aspects of our community, but this year we wanted to ask our community to help us. We'd love donations of any materials that help tell the story of Hispanic community members!

Are you interested in learning how to make miniature houses? Stop by the museum today! We have a free class from 1-3pm in our multipurpose room.

Spring 2025 Lecture Series: Wheels! A series all about the connections between people and transportation, from the covered wagon to modern motorcycles.

If you just can’t wait, our past Spring series, Wheels! Is now available on Youtube. Give it a watch: bit.ly/4pnB3yz

Lecture Series – Churchill County Museum Churchill County Museum

Our Lecture series is two weeks away! We’ve got a great lineup covering many aspects of Agriculture in Churchill County. Learn more here: bit.ly/4phX8OW

Labels, canvas prints, and a large cloth banner featuring a humming bird sitting on a white table.

Our traveling exhibit, “Bombus! The Natural History of Bumble Bees” is here! Not up yet, but we’ve started unpacking and preparing it. Here’s a sneak preview before it opens next week.

Do you have a burning question about Churchill County? Looking to know more about family, property, or business history? Looking for old photos or records? We can help! Give us a call at 775-423-3677 or email a curator to set up an appointment to check out our collections:

Several MuseNews newsletters fanned out, with the one in front being "Fall 2025" and showing a crocheted badger on a spinning wheel.

Do you want more behind the scenes info about the museum? How about a copy of our new InFocus journal when it comes out? Become a member, and you’ll get all that, plus 10% off our museum store. Hurry, our new quarterly newsletter will be coming out soon, so don’t miss your chance to get it!

A photo of a bee approaching a purple flower. Text reads “Bombus! The Natural History of Bumble Bees Temporary Exhibit Sept. 16- Dec 28. Below that is a logo for Exhibit Envoy and text Bombus! The Natural History of Bumble Bees is created by John Whittlesey and co-produced by Jennifer Jewell and Gateway Science Museum. The exhibition tours through Exhibit Envoy, a nonprofit.

We’re buzzing with excitement! Our new temporary exhibit, “Bombus! The Natural History of Bumble Bees.” Opens next week. With lots of gorgeous photos, scientific information, and hands on activities, we can’t wait for you to come check it out!