At the end of March, the California Agriculture Museum closed.

I’m old enough that I still refer to the Museum as the “Heidrick Ag History Center,” a title that found its way into a story I wrote last month about a Yolo County League of Women Voters meeting in the banquet/conference room.

I’m also old enough to remember when the Museum also displayed a collection of “vintage” cars. There weren’t many but they were interesting.

“The Museum will be vacating the building at 1958 Hays Lane prior to the ending lease end date to find a new home and save on expenses,” the Museum’s website stated. “During this hiatus, the Museum team and board of directors will work on funding, revamping the Museum, and finding our forever home. It’s thanks to our community and support that we’ve been able to stay around. That same community gives us inspiration for our future and this next chapter of the Museum. Stay tuned to see where we land and make roots.”

The Museum opened in 1997, but its foundation started in the 1930s when Fred Heidrick Sr. and his brother Joe began restoring and inventing tractors and farm machinery. By the 1990s, Fred decided his collection should be displayed to the public. He established the Fred C. Heidrick Foundation and donated the collection to it.

Fred died May 15, 2015. It was shortly after his death the Museum officially became the California Agriculture Museum.

Over the years, the Museum hosted numerous meetings, retirement parties, political events, wine tastings and fundraisers for groups like the Yolo County Farm Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Woodland Rotary and others. It also featured plenty of antique shows and even a gathering of the British Motorcar Society.

But while the Museum itself was fascinating, I don’t think staff had much of a long-range financial plan.

In my mind, the Museum and its dedicated workers were much like those retired firefighters and collectors of classic cars, who will spend hours and lots of money restoring antique pieces of equipment that are put on display during downtown events, car shows, or at the Yolo County Fair. The machines are marvelous to look at, but the upkeep and restoration are expensive.

Nonetheless, the Museum was a local masterpiece of presentation, offering not just collections of antique tractors, but interactive exhibits and events on the history of farming in the Central Valley and California.

I believe it was the early 2000s, when my father and brother paid a visit from my home state of Idaho. We were looking for something to do so I took them to the Ag Museum. My dad grew up on a farm (or at least was involved in farming during his youth) and my brother was in the process of restoring an old car.

Both were fascinated. I think we spent an entire afternoon going from one piece of equipment to another.

Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the Museum and its collection. I’m not mechanically inclined, but I am interested in history so to see the development of farming equipment through the decades had a certain fascination.

Like others I’m sure, I had also come to accept the Museum was in Woodland and didn’t recognize the treasure it offered. Now, those historic artifacts are gone, to resurface who knows when or where.

Jim Smith is the former editor of The Daily Democrat, retiring in 2021 after a 27-year career at the paper.