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High Desert Museum

Introduction

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The High Desert Museum is dedicated to promoting the natural and cultural history of Oregon's High Desert region, an area that covers much of the southeastern part of the state. The museum features permanent indoor and outdoor exhibits, some of which include live animals, and changing exhibits. Inside, visitors will learn about the Native American peoples who have lived in the region, the pioneers who traveled west in the 1800s, and the ecosystems found within the High Desert. Outside, the museum features a recreated family ranch, an otter exhibit, an authentic 1904 sawmill, an authentic U.S. Forest Service ranger station, an exhibit describing how forests change, and a birds of prey exhibit with raptors, falcons and other birds. The museum also offers educational hands-on programming and living history demonstrations.

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The High Desert Museum explores the natural and cultural history of the High Desert region.

The High Desert Museum explores the natural and cultural history of the High Desert region.

Backstory and Context

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The High Desert Museum opened in 1982 and remains one of the state's most popular tourist destinations. Its collection contains around 29,000 items from a large area encompassing the Great Basin, Plateau, and Pacific Northwest regions. These items include art, Native American artifacts, western and contemporary art, photographs, rare books, clothing, paintings, sculptures, and drawings. The collection features many highlights. One is an authentic stagecoach used by several prominent historical figures including General Ulysses S. Grant, the Prince of Wales (who became King Edward VII), and Prince Alexander of Russia. Other highlights include prehistoric and historic Native American artifacts as well as contemporary works of art, objects and archives of the U.S. Forest Service, Chinese objects, frontier medicine artifacts, Edward Curtis photographs, Native American basketry, objects related to Basque culture and history, and period clothing, furniture and firearms.

Sources

"About Us." High Desert Museum. Accessed September 1, 2020. https://highdesertmuseum.org/about-2.

"The Museum Collection." Accessed September 1, 2020. https://highdesertmuseum.org/our-collections.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:High_Desert_Museum

Additional Information