A walking tour of downtown Ukiah will be offered to the public on Sunday, May 23, as part of the inland celebration of this year’s Heritage Days of Mendocino County.

 

The approximately 90 minute tour will begin at 4 p.m. at City Hall, and will be led by city historian Judy Pruden, who is also a planning commissioner as well as being chairwoman of the board of directors of Mendocino County Museum and president of the Ukiah Main Street Program. 

 

The walking tour will include historical information about various downtown buildings, political history of the community and anecdotal materials, or stories, concerning some of the downtown area.

 

For instance, Pruden said that in 1929 when downtown Ukiah was paved, many of the gutters and sidewalks collapsed because the downtown was “riddled with rat holes.”

 

She said root cellars of some downtown buildings are still lined with asphalt, a material that was intended to “keep rats from chewing through” into the structure.

 

Pruden has led many tours of downtown Ukiah over the years, although in recent years most of them have been for school groups and organizations. The upcoming downtown walking tour is the first in some time that is open to the public.

 

“They’re very popular,” Pruden said of the tours on Friday. “I’m always surprised how many people there are,” she said adding that she has had groups of up to 40 people, and that she “has never turned anyone away.” She has led other historical tours of the area, but said the downtown walking tour and the cemetery tour are the most popular. 

 

The May 23 tour is a fundraiser for the Mendocino County Museum, and costs $5 for adults and children 10 and older; and children under 10 may take the tour at no charge.

Weather

Currently in Ukiah

Partly Sunny: 63F


9/8/2010 Forecast
High: 71 F Low: 48 F Clouds giving way to some sun

9/9/2010 Forecast
High: 77 F Low: 47 F Partly sunny