Modoc County Historical Museum
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  Location within California  Modoc County Historical Museum (the United States) | |
| Location | Alturas, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°28′46″N 120°32′31″W / 41.4795°N 120.542°W |
| Type | History museum |
| Collections | Modoc County history Native American United States military |
| Founder | Marc and Myrtle Bellis |
The Modoc County Historical Museum is a history museum located in Alturas, California, in the United States. The museum's exhibitions focus on the history of Modoc County beginning with Native American history and objects. The museum also has a collection of firearms from 15th century up to World War II. Outside the museum is Southern Pacific 2718, a steam locomotive that was used in the area.[1]
The main collection base for the museum was started in 1926 by Marc and Myrtle Bellis from Alturas. They first started collecting Native American and pioneer objects, and photographs and papers. They bought the gun collection of Nathan Rogers in 1932, a collection which stems back to 1870. The couple had a private museum in their attic. In 1966 the collection was purchased by a group of businessmen from Alturas. They hoped to open a museum, and in 1967 Modoc County bought the collection. The collection was located at the Veterans Memorial Building at Rachael Dorris Park. In 1968 it opened to the public. An expansion took place in 1984.[2]