DIXON, CA (MPG) - For the first time, local 3rd graders got their history lesson about their own hometown thanks to utilizing our own Dixon Historical Museum just down the street from their school.

As part of their 3rd-grade curriculum, three groups of excited students from Anderson Elementary were organized by their teacher Judy McDonald and met outside at the now downtown iconic red and green prairie wagon.  

Retired Dixon Unified School District principal Dan Rott served as museum docent talking about how wagons were pulled over the Sierras filled with hopeful families who wanted to settle in California.

The children learned that the first group of people to live in the Dixon area was the Patwin/Wintun Indians. The second group was the Spanish/Californios of Spain and México beginning in the 18th century followed by the third group which was the Northern European Americans in the 19th century. 

Once inside, the children saw photos and a movie poster while Rott shared about Dixon´s movie star Border collie sheepdog, King, who once jumped into the car of Frank Sinatra, a famous movie star from the past.

In front of an old phone switchboard that might have seemed ancient to the children, he demonstrated how the red and black cords connected most local businesses and residents to others by Lois Fanning, Dixon’s lone switchboard operator, adding that this was prior to private phone lines. Students also got to see an ice box used prior to the invention of the refrigerator. 

Retired teacher Melissa Glide used a replica of the Dixon Methodist Church to teach the students the way in which the church was, "rolled into town" on logs from Silveyville to Dixon, when the Dixon railroad was established in 1868. 

Outside, the children happily participated in a bucket brigade overseen by museum volunteer Fred Vanderwold who explained the way in which the local citizens used to extinguish fires prior to there being a fire department.  

Students were asked various questions at all the stations and eagerly raised their hands to give the answers they had learned from their teachers prior to arriving at the museum.  They each received a Milk Farm magnet and a Historical Society t-shirt and were encouraged to bring their parents back to visit the museum. 

The Dixon Historical Society encourages all of the local schools to arrange times to bring their students to the Museum for a visit and ‘live’ lessons.  They can be reached at any time at [email protected]. The Dixon History Museum is located at 125 West A Street in downtown Dixon.  Phone is (707) 693-3044.