Exhibit tells stories behind vintage clothing at Dangberg Historic Park

A public exhibit, Clothing with a History, will tell the stories behind selections drawn from the collection at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park.

The exhibit will take place the afternoons of Oct. 4-7.

Items to be shown range from the 1890s through the 1960s. Highlights include the 1898 wedding gown worn by Gertrude Dangberg, a 1903 ball gown, and Fred Dangberg Jr.’s tuxedos from the first decades of the 20th century.

Children’s clothing from the early 1900s will be displayed, particularly clothing that belonged to Dwight Dangberg, Fred and Gertrude’s son, who died young. These include several pairs of bib overalls that are considered the oldest Levi’s known to exist in Nevada.

Beaded dresses from the 1920s, evening gowns from the 1930s, and casual dresses in a variety of styles from the 1930s through the 1950s will also be shown.

Selections from the park’s collection of jewelry, shoes, hats, gloves, and purses will round out the exhibit.

The self-guided exhibit will be open from noon to 4 p.m. each day from Oct. 4 through 7, and reservations aren’t required.

General public admission to the exhibit is $5 for adults and free for children 16 and younger.

Members of the nonprofit Friends of Dangberg Home Ranch, the exhibit’s organizer, can enter for free. The park’s regular tours won’t be offered during the exhibit.

The Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, located at 1450 Highway 88, just north of the Carson Valley Veterinary Hospital, is the 2012 and 2013 Reno-Tahoe Territory winner of the Nevada Commission on Tourism’s “Discover Your Nevada” contest. The site preserves the home of Heinrich F. Dangberg and his descendants, a prominent ranching family in Carson Valley history that founded Minden in 1905. The site includes eight historic structures built between 1857 and 1917, along with a collection of 39,000 artifacts, documents and photographs acquired and used by the Dangberg family. Programs include tours, exhibits, wedding rentals, and other public events.

For information, go to dangberghomeranch.org.