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.
A New Exhibition about Caring for the Land that Sustains Us
An Exploration of the History and Evolution of the Imperial Stock Ranch
Where sustainable sheep ranching from the high desert of Central Oregon meets the world of high fashion and the Olympics
The exhibition tells the remarkable story of the Imperial Stock Ranch located near Shaniko, Oregon and the journey from its founding in 1871 by Oregon trail pioneers to the current day. Beginning in the late 1980s, Jeanne Carver, along with her late husband Dan Carver, transformed Imperial Stock Ranch into a modern leader in regenerative ranching and farming. Faced with devastation in America's wool market in the late 1990s, Jeanne and Dan successfully transitioned from selling commodity wool to providing traceable wool products to the eco-chic fashion and retail markets. The Carvers' focus on caring for the land is what set their wool apart from the global competition.
​
When a new international third-party certification program called the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) launched in 2016, Imperial Stock Ranch became the first sheep operation in the world to be certified. With interest from fashion brands growing, they founded Shaniko Wool Company two years later to scale up the supply of U.S. grown certified wool, forming a consortium of American wool producers committed to sustainable ranching.
​
Imperial Stock Ranch and now Shaniko Wool Company wool has become sought-after by global high-fashion and textile markets. Notably, their wool has been featured four times in the official Olympic Team USA uniforms designed and produced by Ralph Lauren—most recently in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
​
Come and discover A Sense of Place for yourself.
​
Experience an extraordinary collection of ranching and textile artifacts—including the Olympic uniforms.