For Educators:

Ely Stage Stop Brings History to Life with Hand-on Educational Stations

We are available for visits from local schools. Contact us to inquire about bringing your class or make a whole day of experiences for up to 120 students.

How it works:

The students arrive by bus or cars, accompanied by teachers and supportive parents. At the Museum, the students are divided into groups of 8 or 10. Trained docents run several educational stations on the museum grounds. Each student group spends 15 to 20 minutes at each station and, at the sound of the ranch bell, rotate to the next station. By the end of the day, all students have experienced all stations.

Kelseyville Elementary School:

On Friday, 86 Kelseyville 4th graders spent the day at the Ely Stage Stop Museum learning how to pan for gold, wash clothes with a washboard, how Lake County's tribal people chipped obsidian and made shell beads, and watched a blacksmith at work. They learned the history of a 1906 cable-car, and life on the road with a chuckwagon and stagecoach. All with the help of volunteer docents at the Ely Stage Stop Museum.

Upper Lake Elementary School
Facebook comment:

Ask a fourth grader about the convenience in their life they most appreciate. Blacksmith, leatherworking, panning for gold and stagecoach travel, oh my! These students learned about lots of changes over time in modern convenience.

Some of the Educational Stations:

Life on the Trail: learn chuck wagon, stage coach knowledge.

Blacksmithing: watch a blacksmith working at the forge.

Laundry: use a washboard and wringer to clean clothes.

Pan for Gold: look for precious stones as you pan through local gravels.

Saddles and Leatherwork: learn what made the horse and buggy work.

Stone Tool Making: learn about local tribal cultures while watching stone tool making.

Shell Bead and Ornament Making: learn traditional Native customs.