Artifacts
The collection of the Sutter County Museum contains over 20,000 artifacts and over 8,000 photographs, all of which help us tell the story of the Yuba-Sutter community. Artifacts range from Native American material to clothing and household goods, from County records to agricultural equipment, from gold mining tools to postcards and souvenirs.
Research
Research services are provided at the Sutter County Museum during specific hours when staff and volunteers are available to assist. Please visit the Calendar on our website to view upcoming research dates.
Research requests may be submitted online using the Research Request Form. You may also email info@suttercountymuseum.org for a PDF version or visit the Museum front desk for a hard copy.
Requests will be reviewed and responded to by staff and/or volunteers as time allows during upcoming research hours. Please be aware that we receive a high volume of research requests, and someone will be in touch once we have had time to review your request and respond. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
You are welcome to use the many free, online resources available on the Resources page of the Museum website.
If you need assistance with birth, death, or marriage records; old deeds; or court records, please contact the Clerk Recorder of Sutter County. Many local newspapers can be found through the Yuba County Library. The Sutter County Library in Yuba City offers resources on local history and free computers to conduct your own online research.
Other online resources include:
- African American Genealogy Resources (Library of Congress)
- Ancestry
- BlackPast
- California Digital Newspaper Collection
- Census
- Connected My Town
- Connected Yuba Sutter
- Find A Grave
- Family History & Genealogy
- Family Search
- Immigrant Records at the National Archives
- Interment.net
- Sutter County Genealogy
- Yuba County Library
Propose an Artifact Donation
Thank you for thinking of the Sutter County Museum for your donation offer. Due to current staffing levels and storage space, the Museum reviews potential artifact donation forms quarterly and is mainly considering donations to the collection of:
- Objects and photographs of historical topics and from time periods currently underrepresented in the Museum collection
Thank you for your understanding. If you are interested in donating an artifact or photograph to the Museum, here are a few things to consider:
- What condition is the item in? Please do not paint or restore items before offering them to the Museum. Items in original condition are preferable. If the item is badly damaged, so rusted that you can't tell what it is, or would pose a safety hazard to staff or visitors, we will probably decline.
- How large is the item? Unfortunately, we do not have the storage capacity for many large items.
- Does the item relate to one of our collecting priorities (below)?
- Artifacts having a documented history of creation or use within the geographical boundaries of Sutter County, California.
- Artifacts having a documented history of creation or use within the geographical boundaries of Yuba County, California. The history of Sutter County is closely connected to the history of Yuba County.
- Artifacts with a regional connection that help to tell the history of Sutter County, especially those not already represented in the permanent collection.
To propose an artifact for inclusion in the Sutter County Museum collection, please fill out the Potential Collection Donation Form below. You may also email info@suttercountymuseum.org for a PDF version of the form or visit the Museum front desk for a hard copy. Please note that the Museum cannot review potential donations without a photograph, as images and dimensions will help us determine if we can properly care for historic material. Contact info@suttercountymuseum.org if you have questions or need more assistance.
Please also note:
- The Museum does not purchase items for our collection.
- We cannot accept drop-off donations at our building or materials in the mail without prior approval from Museum staff.
- The Museum cannot help you to determine the monetary value of your items.