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All the United States Nevada Winnemucca Humboldt Museum

Humboldt Museum

Local history museum with mammoth bones and an old myth about local giants

Winnemucca, Nevada

Added By
cromag
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  Humboldt Museum
  Humboldt Museum
These remains have been repatriated to the Lovelock Colony via Fallon Paiute Cultural Committee.  
Displays on the Second Floor  
Displays on the Second Floor  
This sign was from the Railroad Station  
On the Main Floor is the Automobile collection  
  dana / Atlas Obscura User
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church - just after this picture, the old church was moved to the museum property and opened as Humboldt Museum in May 1977. It is still a part of Humboldt Museum today.   unknown - local Winnemucca, NV newspaper article from 1976.
Richardson House at Humboldt Museum   dana / Atlas Obscura User
California Trail Relics   dana / Atlas Obscura User
An exhibit on what a school room would look like.  
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About

The majority of materials contained in the Humboldt Museum pertain to local Winnemucca history and include: antique cars, period clothing, furniture, and valuables. Most prominently displayed is the skeletal remains of a Colombian Mammoth found nearby.  In addition to the two-story main building housing the bulk of the collection and exhibits, the museum property also includes the 1907 St. Mary's Episcopal Church, the 1880s Greinstein Building, and the 1899 Richardson-Saunders House.  

Many people are interested in the lore of Lovelock Cave, a cave 22 miles SE of Lovelock, NV containing nearly 4,000 years of human history.  It was said the Si-Te-Kah, (also referred to by laypersons as "Red Head Giants"), were found to already be inhabiting northern Nevada when the Paiute and Shoshone arrived some 800 years ago.  They utilized the cave as a cache site for tools and even burials.  The discovery of cultural materials inside the cave was made in 1911 during a guano mining operation.  When properly articulated, the human remains illustrated the height of the tallest individuals buried in the cave were just under 6'.  

In 1956, the Stoker Family of Lovelock, Nevada, found several sets of human remains in the vicinity of the Humboldt Sink, just below Lovelock Cave, along the California Trail. These remains were once housed and even shown upon request at Humboldt Museum in Winnemucca, Nevada.  However, in November 2014, the remains were repatriated to Lovelock Colony via Fallon Paiute Cultural Committee.  The remains were well within normal human size parameters and have been re-interred in an undisclosed location.

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Museums Lost Tribes Collections

Know Before You Go

After passing over the highway, look for a small road on your left and an old white church (the museum itself is the brick building in back). Open to the public Wednesday - Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Community Contributors

Added By

cromag

Edited By

dana, ashree106

  • dana
  • ashree106

Published

June 17, 2009

Updated

December 16, 2016

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Sources
  • http://www.winnemucca.com/attractions_humboldt_county_museum.html
  • http://hubpages.com/hub/Human-Giants
  • http://humboldtmuseum.org/mini-tour/6-american-indians/28-lovelock-cave-artifacts
Humboldt Museum
175 Museum Ave
Winnemucca, Nevada, 89445
United States
40.977248, -117.74458
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

Winnemucca to the Sea Highway Marker

Winnemucca, Nevada

miles away

The Martin Hotel

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Winnemucca

Winnemucca

Nevada

Places 5

Nearby Places

Winnemucca to the Sea Highway Marker

Winnemucca, Nevada

miles away

The Martin Hotel

Winnemucca, Nevada

miles away

Thunder Mountain Monument

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Winnemucca

Winnemucca

Nevada

Places 5

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