When I travel along the Columbia River, I usually drive on the Oregon side because it’s faster. Last spring I drove on the Washington side and made a stop at the Columbia Gorge Museum near the small town of Stevenson, Washington. This hidden gem of a museum opened in 1995 and it houses a wide variety of art, historical artifacts, and immersive exhibitions.
Collections at the museum include artifacts from centuries ago to the present. The displays include traditional Indigenous tools, pioneer-era artifacts, and contemporary works of art.
Native American artifacts at the Columbia Gorge Museum
Several styles of baskets used for different purposes are featured in the displays.
The design of this part of the museum really impressed me. Big pieces of columnar basalt framed the display cases.
Nearby, a sculpture of a Native American fishing from a platform towers over visitors. This traditional fishing method is still in use today at places like Cascade Locks, Oregon.
The museum houses several examples of petroglyphs.
One display case shows examples of everyday tools like a mortar and pestle, net sinker, and baskets. The colorful bag on the right is a parfleche or shuptaki crafted from rawhide.
Jewelry created from shells, glass beads and copper is shown in another case.
The village of Clahclehlah
Several of the displays feature the village of Clahclehlah in an area known as the Corridor of Commerce. Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery visited this village in 1805 and 1806.
Archaeologists excavating artifacts have been able to compare their findings with notes in the Corps’ journals.
Displays of early settlers and trappers
Another display shows a heavy fur coat and rifle. It refers to fur as the “soft gold” of trappers and traders in the late 1700s to early 1800s.
Steamboats on the river transported merchandise to buyers such as the Hudson’s Bay Company. In the 1820s, this company tried to discourage settlers from moving here by exterminating fur-bearing animals in vast areas.
A 1917 Curtiss JN-4 (Jenny) bi-plane hangs from the ceiling. These planes were the first to deliver air mail in the Gorge.
Japanese artifacts
Upstairs, a pair of Japanese straw boots are on display. These boots were once a common type of footwear, especially in the winter.
Nearby, smaller Japanese artifacts flank a colorful kimono. This was one of my favorite pieces in the Columbia Gorge Museum. I especially liked the cranes in flight on this kimono.
Read more about the Columbia Gorge Museum current exhibitions, hours, and admission fees on their website.