Former longtime Sacramento Valley Museum Trustee Marilyn Ornbaun walked into the Alumni Room of the museum on Friday – her 90th birthday – to a gathering of family and friends calling out “surprise.”
Ornbaun’s granddaughter Ashley had gotten her there on a ruse to see Museum Director Elijah Rodriguez and the recently completed Colusa Bridge House exhibit before they enjoyed lunch elsewhere.
“It was such a surprise,” Ornbaun said. “I thought I was going to Granzella’s but we stopped by the museum first because I heard the new fella (Rodriguez) wanted to see me.”
The intimate affair included an elegant luncheon prepared by daughter Carolee Ornbaun, owner of Rocco’s Bar and Grill, and a brief tour of the Colusa Bridge House exhibit, something Ornbaun had long awaited before her retirement from the Board of Trustees last July.
The Colusa Bridge House was located atop of the steel trellis of what was the old swing bridge over the Sacramento River (1901-1979), before it was demolished and replaced with the current structure on Bridge Street.
The small wooden structure has been located at the Sacramento Valley Museum for many years and was once vandalized, resulting in the loss of some original brass fixtures.
“They had broken the windows to come in,” Ornbaun said. “Thank God I never caught any of them. You know where I would have been for the next 100 years.”
The Bridge House, located behind the Glen School House west of the museum, is now an exhibit with artifacts of the era and display cases that contain information about the bridge’s history.
Colusa in its heyday had been a year-round shipping center for the North State, Ornbaun said.
“Freight was shipped to Colusa by steamer and then unloaded into wagons or packed on mules for destinations north,” Ornbaun said. “It was reported that as many as 50 large loaded wagons left Colusa in a single day.”
Prior to Ornbaun’s retirement from the Sacramento Valley Museum Board of Trustees, she served 37 years.
“She was the longest serving board member in the history of the museum,” said Trustee Cindy Gobel.
Ornbaun was recruited to be a board member in 1985, and she organized the annual quilt show for the museum for more than 30 years.
“The first meeting I went to, I was appointed to create something that would produce income for the next year,” Ornbaun said.
Ornbaun said she had never been to a quilt show in her life, but she worked with a good friend, who had also never been to a quilt show, to put together a meaningful fundraising event centered around the historic art of quilt making.
“We did it and it was wonderful,” Ornbaun said. “And we continued the quilt show for a number of years.”
A great archivist, Ornbaun continues to work on the military room, despite her official retirement.
“I want to preserve as much as we can,” she said. “That is so important…so important”
Ornbaun said volunteering at the museum has been a joy but she hopes a new generation of volunteers will share her passion and come forward to preserve the history of this region.
“I loved working here and meeting all the people,” Ornbaun said. “It’s been fun.”
The Sacramento Valley Museum opens today for the 2023 season. The museum is open from 10 AM to 4 PM, Thursday-Saturday. There is no admission charge, but donations are greatly appreciated. ■