CAMPO, California — Four museums in Campo are open to the public for free this coming weekend for the annual Campo Days celebration.
Trucks, trains, horses, and the history of Campo will be on display Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7.
“We’re going to have fun out here in Campo. We're going to have old trucks here that you haven't seen in years,” said Brian Elmore, the nonprofit Motor Transport Museum president.
It’s hard to miss the MTM in Campo. Just look for the nine-story metal tower that used to be the site of a feldspar mill. The mill is now home to hundreds of trucks and engines from days gone by.
“We're going to have a bunch of different vehicles running. We might even fire up this Model T truck and give somebody a ride in it. It will be a lot of fun,” said Elmore.
Janette Mills volunteers at the Gaskill Brothers Stone Store Museum, the site of a deadly gun battle in 1875 between border bandits and the owners of the general store, Silas and Lumen Gaskill.
“The walls, as seen here, are four feet thick. So they maintain a pretty equal temperature here year-round,” said Mills.
On the second floor, a museum display explains the history of Campo’s Camp Lockett, where several cavalries were garrisoned in World War II, including the Buffalo Soldiers.
“There was up to about 5,000 horses here at one time, and maybe about 3,000 men,” said Larry Johnson, president of the Mountain Empire Historical Society.
Johnson showed off a horse saddle used to transport heavy artillery.
“Mounted right up here would have been a 50-caliber machine gun. They would wait and dismount, get on the ground, and fire it,” Johnson explained.
The horses are the main attraction at the Camp Lockett Event & Equestrian Facility (CLEEF), where they'll feature mutton busting and barrel racing this coming weekend.
“Barrel racing is a clover leaf pattern the cowgirls race upon. They have to make one turn to the right and two turns to the left around the barrels or visa versa,” said Ray Fleury with CLEEF.
Lunch and dinner will be served at CLEEF, with music and dancing into the evening.
Down on the train tracks is the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, with free admission and train rides for a nominal fee. Kids of all ages love old trains.
“If you haven't been to Campo, you wouldn't understand that this is paradise. It might not be the end of the world, but we can see it from here,” said Elmore with Motor Transport Museum.
The museums open at 9 a.m. and will be open until 4 or 5 p.m. both days.
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