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Thursday's Internet Edition, August 28, 2008.
Town of Merced offers historic sights, children’s zoo
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Photo by Mary Hanley
The Merced County Courthouse Museum was built in 1875 and is part of historic Merced.
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Out & About
By Mary Hanley
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The town of Merced is known as the “Gateway to Yosemite,” but I found enough attractions there to make it a destination all its own. The town was named after the Merced River, which flows nearby.
As I drove through town, I forgot about its close proximity to Yosemite and just enjoyed the town for itself. The streets of the downtown area seemed wide and very inviting. I noticed four large circles done in diverse mosaic patterns on the wall of one building in honor of the multicultural aspect of the area.
Another eye-catching building was the Merced Theatre. The marquee on it read “Grease” and advertised other older, classic movies. The building’s tall, square tower with a bright orange pointed roof distinguishes the theater from other surrounding buildings.
This is a town where you can enjoy walking downtown or driving the side streets. Merced is proud of its many museums; I counted about 11. The one I visited on this excursion was the Merced County Courthouse Museum located at 21st and N streets.
What I discovered was an absolutely beautiful old building! It was built in 1875 as the county courthouse and is now the county museum.
It is painted white, and four columns in front of the door and four on the second floor porch give it both a Victorian and Southern colonial look. The first floor is about six or eight feet from the ground so when you go to the basement from the first floor you are actually going to ground level.
The roof above the second floor door is curved, and atop of that is another tower with a statue on top. Inside, each room is used to show pictures, documents, clothes, equipment, store merchandise, Native American pottery and other exhibits showing the history of Merced and the surrounding area.
The early Spanish explorers settled along the coastline but did not bother to come very far inland to explore. Several raids by the Indians to steal horses resulted in a military expedition to recover the horses and explore the valley.
In 1806, Lieutenant Gabriel Moraga and a troop of 30 men left San Francisco and entered the valley over the Pacheco Pass. They crossed the San Joaquin River and found a creek swarming with butterflies. Moraga named the area The Mariposa (the butterflies).
After a hot and tiring journey across an almost treeless plain, they came to another stream of water. It was such a welcoming site that Moraga named the stream “El RIO de Nuestra Senora de la Mercedes (River of Our Lady of Mercy).” After some searching, he declared the area unfit for farming.
It was some time later after Kit Carson and John Freemont came to the area that the agricultural era began.
After touring the museum, I drove to the Applegate Park to visit the Applegate Zoo for children. I watched as several young children laughed at the young goats as they frolicked in their pens.
The zoo contains a cougar, bobcat, black bear, some monkeys and different species of birds, goats, pigs and several beautiful black swans. The gift shop carries books on animals and has games for children. There is also a rose garden and fountain in the zoo’s park plus picnic tables.
Take a trip south to Merced or stop on your way to Yosemite. Take a tour through the courthouse museum, see a classic show or two at the old Merced Theater and visit the Applegate Zoo.
Enjoy!
Finding Your Way
From Sacramento take Highway 99 south to Merced.
The Applegate Zoo is located at 1045 West 25th Street. For hours call 209-385-6840.
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Online publication, Copyright 2005, The River Valley Times.
Web page design,
Copyright 2005, EZ Edit Web Publishing.
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