STOCKTON – Every day, folks are hard at work on farms, in factories, hospitals, schools, fire stations, offices, squad cars, and homes, all helping our communities thrive. In tribute to workers, the San Joaquin County Historical Museum will host the California premiere of “The Way We Worked,” a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. “The Way We Worked” will be at the Museum in Micke Grove Regional Park from October 6 through November 16. The Museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 “The Way We Worked” is adapted from an original exhibition developed by the National Archives and Records Administration. It explores how work has become a central element in American culture, impacting our individual lives and the historical and cultural fabric of our communities. It traces changes that have affected the workforce and work environments over the past 150 years, including the growth of manufacturing and the increasing use of technology. The exhibition draws from the Archives’ rich collections, including historical photographs, archival accounts of workers, film, and audio, as well as local materials.

“We are very pleased to be able to bring ‘The Way We Worked’ to San Joaquin County and to kick off the California tour,” said David Stuart, executive director of the Historical Society and a Ripon native. “It gives us an opportunity to explore this aspect of our own region’s history. We hope that it will inspire many to visit the Museum and to preserve and document the work history of their families and communities.”

“We hope folks will join us at the museum on November 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. for a reception with Exhibit Envoy to launch the California tour,” Stuart added.

 The San Joaquin County Historical Museum was chosen to be the opening California venue for the Museum on Main Street project—a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations. The exhibition will tour six communities in California through July 2014. The California tour is managed by the non-profit Exhibit Envoy.

The non-profit San Joaquin County Historical Society has operated the 18-acre museum in Micke Grove Regional Park, between Stockton and Lodi, since 1966. See www.SanJoaquinHistory.org.

To learn more about the Smithsonian’s “The Way We Worked” and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.

Exhibit Envoy is a non-profit organization that has developed and managed traveling exhibitions for small and medium-sized California museums since 1988. See www.exhibitenvoy.org.