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Exhibitions

The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum offers both permanent museum exhibits as well as short-term special exhibits. Our permanent museum exhibits parallel our mission of inspiring appreciation and stewardship of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and Wasco County through collection, preservation and interpretation of cultural and natural history resources. Cultivated from the input of our community, supporters, staff, and visitors, the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum offers a variety of exhibits throughout the year.

The wheelchair-accessible Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum offers both permanent and temporary special exhibitions that reflect our mission to inspire stewardship of the Columbia River Gorge and Wasco County and to encourage active, life-long learning about our shared environment and the preservation, collection and interpretation of cultural and natural history of the region. 

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The Museum is made up of two main parts—the Wasco County Historical Museum and the Discovery Center. Both wings offer fascinating, multisensory exhibits about the dramatic ecology and geology of the gorge and the amazing stories of perseverance, innovation and stewardship of the people who have made the region what it is today—the Native American communities that have resided here for over 11,000 years, explorers like Lewis and Clark, Oregon Trail pioneers in search of a better life, the Chinese immigrant laborers who toiled in the salmon canneries and the entrepreneurs who played a key role in developing the burgeoning economy of the gorge. Come walk through the past from the Ice Age to the present day. 

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The Wilcox Wing is home to our newest exhibition, A Sense of Place, which explores the vivid history of the Imperial Stock Ranch in Oregon’s High Desert and its journey toward sustainable farming and ranching, creating the highest quality merino wool and successfully competing for global market share in the world of high fashion and being chosen by Ralph Lauren for the Team USA uniforms for four Olympics. Experience the journey toward sustainability, feel the wool and see the beautiful garments, textiles and Olympic uniforms. 

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The Ernie Kuck Wing houses our ever-popular Cargo of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Learn about the supplies that helped the “Corp of Discovery” cross the continent twice and survive to share the fascinating journals they kept along the way. 

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The Museum’s wheel-chair accessible outdoor nature trails and Gene Adkisson Pond Loop Trail feature carefully curated native plants and stunning scenic vistas of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. 

 

Grab a map and begin your journey through the history, culture and science of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area by following the shining Columbia River, in polished black granite embedded on the floor of the River Gallery…What will you discover? 

Wasco County Historical Museum Journey Begins:​

  • Celilo Falls, Salmon and Native American Stories 

  • Missionaries 

  • Oregon Trail and the Barlow Road 

  • Fort Dalles 

  • The Wharf and the Oneonta Side Wheeler 

  • The Dalles City–a walk along main street 

  • Ranching history 

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Discovery Center Path of Exploration:​

  • Ice Age in the Gorge—Meet the Columbian Mammoth and Other Enormous Creatures that Once Roamed the Gorge 

  • Gorge Geology and Ecology 

  • Native American Life and Art—Basketry, Beadwork and More 

  • Early Explorers & the Hudson’s Bay Fur Trade 

  • Oregon Trail 

  • Early Transportation—Building the Old Columbia River Highway 

  • The Gorge Today—Renewable Energy 

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The Raptor Program

During your visit you may be able to meet the four birds of prey in our care, Liberty and Ferguson, Bald Eagles, Killer the Red-tailed Hawk and Hank, an American Kestrel. These feathered residents of the Museum are unable to survive in the wild due to permanent injury. Check the current schedule for Raptor Programming and learn more about these incredible birds and their crucial role in the Gorge ecosystem. 

The Kid’s Explorer Room 

For our youngest visitors, the Explorer Room offers fun hands-on experiences from climbing into the dugout canoe for an imaginary ride down the Columbia River while finding the native animals along its banks, to balancing the cargo on Lewis and Clark’s keel boat. Young pioneers can climb into the kid-friendly “covered wagon” to read a book or talk to a friendly beaver. They can keep an eye on Liberty and Ferguson on the live Eagle Cam and learn about the other raptors that fly over the Gorge. There are lots of creative opportunities from quietly drawing and coloring favorite gorge animals and plants to building structures with blocks. It is a great place to explore on a rainy, cold winter day or to cool off from the summer heat. 

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