Submitted by Rene Carroll for Two Rivers Heritage Museum
The Two Rivers Heritage Museum reopened their doors March 5, to welcome visitors after their annual four-month closure for maintenance and display enhancements.
“Winter closure was busy for the Display Committee, with significant changes in both the Museum main building and the Carriage House,” said Karen Johnson, display committee member.
The museum’s reception area and is now home to the “Gorge” display, created in 2019 by Discovery High School students. This 9×4 foot scale model presenting 90 miles of the Columbia River Gorge with landmarks that light up, is now more accessible with better viewing opportunities. The room also received a new coat of paint and the museum gift store has been reorganized and has a fresh new look.
Museum interior work was made possible by volunteer Walt Eby, who worked out a plan for rearranging the spaces and made sure all the pieces would come together in a cohesive design. “There was a lot of measuring, right down to tape strips on the floor where cabinets would be placed,” said Johnson. Big Al’s Movers was hired to help move the large display pieces into place.
The four-year-old “School Days” exhibit in the rotating display room was taken apart with some artifacts sent back to storage while others were moved to displays in other parts of the museum. “That room has now been turned into an impressive Native American exhibit with woven baskets and stone bowls and tools,” Johnson said.
The Carriage House, built in 2009, is also being transformed with new displays to make the area more interesting for visitors. A vintage buggy was moved from the floor to a high ledge which provides much better viewing of buggy details and make room for more items.
A new display in the Carriage House, “All Boxed Up,” is located on the corner ledge over the doorway. It features vintage folding wooden grocery boxes branded with names of local stores. The addition of large banner pictures of local markets from the past adds a special touch and informative signage helps to tell the story.
A collection of surveying and mineral artifacts can be found in another new Carriage House display, “From Here to There.” “It describes how the survey tools and the Donation Land Act of 1851 are related to the history of our community,” Johnson said. Another display still in the works will tell the story of mining in this area.
Display Committee volunteer members are Johnson, Eby. Godtlibsen, Richard Johnson and Ivar Godtlibsen.
The Two Rivers Heritage Museum is located at 1 Durgan Street in Washougal and open March through October. Regular hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission costs are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for students and free for children under 5 and all CWHS members. Group tours are available any day of the week (by appointment only). Call 360-835-8742 for scheduling.
Once again, to celebrate spring break, students may visit the museum for free April 2-4. They must be accompanied by an adult.
CWHS representatives will be at the April First Friday, on April 3, in downtown Camas as a part of the Downtown Camas Association Spring into History event. They will be in the lobby of Journey Church with interesting local artifacts and information about the work progressing on the Gathering Place at Washuxwal project, the Native American plank-house inspired pavilion.
“Our community has so much to be proud of in this museum,” said Camas-Washougal Historical Society President, Jim Cobb said. “We hope local folks who have not had a chance to see the museum will stop in and look around at all we have to offer.”
CWHS is always looking for volunteers and new members to join and help support the preservation of local history. More information about the CWHS and the Two Rivers Heritage Museum can be found on their website at www.2rhm.com.
