The closeness of the Thompson, Johnson and Spinas families through decades of productive Trinidad community and commercial life is brought to life in the Mary Spinas Kline Collection of photographs and documents exhibited in the Heritage Room of the Museum.

Sievert Theodore Johnson (1873-1933), who started Pacific Glow Fox Farm, came to America from Norway to work at his friend, Abe Larson’s, lumber mill in Trinidad. He married Mary Brooks Thompson (1880-1927) about the turn of the nineteenth century. They moved into the home Sievert built in 1910 on acreage which they purchased from Mary’s father, Charles Thompson, and raised their family there along with milk and beef cattle, turkeys, Easter lilies and foxes. Sievert was a creative, industrious man, filing for patents for the circular saw (1899) and an axe which he invented. He took a course in “Magnetic Healing” from a series of books written in 1901. For forty-five years he was a member of the International Order of Oddfellows. Mary was active in the Salvation Army and was a charter member (1913) of the Trinidad Civic Club.

When Charles Thompson’s wife, Joanna (1861-1909) died of tuberculosis, the Johnsons took care of Charles until his death in 1917. In turn, Sievert was cared for by his daughter, Alice Anita Johnson Spinas and her husband, John Spinas, until Sievert’s death in 1933.

Vintage furs are courtesy of Phyllis Dodge Nikkel of Rockport, Maine and Jackie Tidwell of Big Lagoon. HSU Intern Elise Kallweit assisted with curation.