Trees, trees everywhere! Not a palm tree in sight!
I was wondering if anyone else would be there...
we would soon find out...
By the looks of the nearly empty parking lot, it appeared it would be just us and the greeter and/or gift shop clerk.
This was in the parking lot...a giant pulley?
The museum was completed in 1995 and its mission is to share the story of Skamania County and the Columbia River Gorge.
There were exhibits on the First Peoples, the Cascade Chinooks, the Lewis & Clark Expedition from the perspective of Clahclehlah, a village they visited and traded with, the Natural History of the Gorge (we watched a nature film in one of the rooms), the Bonneville Dam and the usage of hydro-electric power and its ecological impact, and an exhibit about the community many years ago featuring antique tools and photos.
The museum was quite impressive in its scope of the larger than life size exhibits, giving the visitor a mere taste of how implements, such as this fish wheel were used.
This was a replica of the McCord Fishwheel (the original was built in the late 1880's). These devices were used as a method to catch harvest salmon along the Gorge, as fishing was one of the main industries of this town (along with lumber).
The wire mesh wheels used water power to scoop up salmon and deposit them into large boxes.
Through the mesh wiring, you can see the 1921 Mack log truck which is loaded with 3 huge cedar logs.
At one point in the lae 1880's, there were more than 70 of these wheels along the Gorge.
The Mack log truck...
Another farming tool, the caterpillar.
I almost forgot to mention that there is also a waterfall in the main gallery!
Below, a placard explaining the "Iron Chink" fish cleaning machine.
A depitction of a "dipnetter" awaiting the arrival of the first sacred salmon of the season.
Their outdoor exhibit featuring early logging and road-building equipment. Not seen is a diesel locomotive...
Another view of the Mack truck, used to haul lumber.
Above is (a part of) a historic bi-plane, the 1917 Curtiss JN-4, called a "Jenny" which was used to deliver mail to the area in the old days.
The second floor of the center also had a "spiritual" section. In this case, it was dedicated to Donald Brown's extensive Rosary Collection, which is the largest collection of rosaries in the world. I didn't even know this was here and I normally seek out stuff like this for our trips! Donald Brown was a former Dominican and was a founder of the Skamania County Historical Society.
For non-Catholics, a rosary is a string of beads divided into sections (a set of ten is a 'decade'). You are supposed to say specific prayers for each decade with other prayers in between. It's meant to be a time to meditate and reflect. Really religious Catholics will pray this every day. If you're Madonna circa mid-80's, you would have worn one as a fashion statement. All kidding aside, it was actually quite awe inspiring to see so many rosaries in one spot.
There are rows and rows of specially built cabinets to hold the rosaries, many made of various materials such as precious stone, clay, wood, plastic, and so on.
The ends of each cabinet have a pillar which joins at the top a gothic arch...
The rosaries are not numbered in any particular order. There are nearly four thousand on display.
It was strange to have the museum practically to ourselves. But it was kind of quiet, almost too quiet. I'm sure they have more visitors during better weather, such a school kids' field trips and all. It was a nice way to spend a few hours away from the rain, although we could hear and see it all around us (since there were floor to ceiling glass windows everywhere).
The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center
990 SW Rock Creek Drive
Stevenson, WA 98648
(509) 427-8211
www.columbiargorge.org
More info on the Donald Brown Rosary Collection here
It had been awhile since we last had what Thor would call, "sustenance", and we were eager to have a bite to eat before heading back to Portland...
Up next, a visit to a local classic...
2 comments:
This is such an interesting post! Not only an original Mack truck, but the Rosary display cases as well as the actual rosaries. It so pays off to just stop and look around wherever you are.
Cathy,
Thanks for reading and commenting. I spent a bit of time on this post too. It's always fun learning about local history whenever we travel.
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