High Desert Museum
Encyclopedia
The High Desert Museum is located near Bend
, Oregon
, United States
. Opened in 1982, it brings regional wildlife, culture, art and natural resources together to promote an understanding of natural and cultural heritage of North America
’s high desert country. The museum uses indoor and outdoor exhibits, wildlife in natural-like habitats, and living history demonstrations to help people discover and appreciate the high desert environment. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums
.
. Kerr had a passion for natural history that inspired a lifelong interest in environmental issues especially the protection of native animals. In 1974, Kerr established the Western Natural History Institute, and the High Desert Museum was an outgrowth of the institute opening in 1982. The museum was originally called the Oregon High Desert Museum; however, the name was later changed to recognize the regional nature of the high desert environment it highlights.
In 1989, the main building was expanded with a 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) addition, with the museum's attendance reaching 100,000 per year. The $5 million expansion added the Earle A. Chiles Center on the Spirit of the West. In 1994, a five year expansion campaign began to increase the size of the museum. By 2002, the non-profit museum drew 155,000 visitors per year. In 2008, Janeanne A. Upp became the president of the museum.
. South of Bend on U.S. Route 97
, the museum includes various indoor and outdoor exhibits, a library, a desertarium, and a cafe. Portland’s GHA Architects designed the original museum building. That structure contains walls built from volcanic rocks and slate flooring. The outdoor exhibits and various buildings are connected by a half-mile long paved path.
in its collections. Artwork includes works from Edward Curtis, Edward Borein, Charles Marion Russell
, Philip Hyde (photographer)
and Alfred Jacob Miller among others. Historical artifacts include those of Native American origin and post Euro-American settlement of the region. Many of the Native American items are from the Doris Swayze Bounds Collection of American Indian Art and Artifacts, and the Doris Bounds Swayze collection.
, pioneer, and animal life are presented on a massive scale. A visitor can actually walk through an early 1860s town complete with blacksmith shop, Chinese mercantile, and stage coach stop. The Native American exhibit covers life on the land before the white man, life on a reservation, and the present day hot topic of Indian Casinos. There is also an impressive exhibit of Native American horse tack used for the Pendleton Round-Up
that is unmatched for its craftsmanship, beauty, and individuality of design.
The High Desert Museum has a 53000 square feet (4,923.9 m²) main building. Exhibits include a Forest Service fire truck, a stage coach, and a number of Native American history displays. The museum’s Hall of Exploration and Settlement has displays highlighting a hundred years of high desert history. Scenes include a trapper's camp, survey party's camp, pioneer wagon train, a mining claim, an early western boomtown, and a high desert buckaroo camp.
Outside the museum building a quarter-mile trail follows a forest stream lines with aspen
s and ponderosa pines. Along the way visitor can stop at a number of exhibits and animal habitats. There is a total of 32000 square feet (2,972.9 m²) of outdoor exhibits and animal habitats. The popular outdoor exhibits feature a river otter
, a porcupine
, sheep
, grey fox
, and birds of prey. There is also a Native American encampment, a turn-of-the-century sawmill, logging equipment, homesteaders cabin, and a forestry pavilion.
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Opened in 1982, it brings regional wildlife, culture, art and natural resources together to promote an understanding of natural and cultural heritage of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
’s high desert country. The museum uses indoor and outdoor exhibits, wildlife in natural-like habitats, and living history demonstrations to help people discover and appreciate the high desert environment. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
.
History
The museum was founded by Donald M. Kerr, a native of Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Kerr had a passion for natural history that inspired a lifelong interest in environmental issues especially the protection of native animals. In 1974, Kerr established the Western Natural History Institute, and the High Desert Museum was an outgrowth of the institute opening in 1982. The museum was originally called the Oregon High Desert Museum; however, the name was later changed to recognize the regional nature of the high desert environment it highlights.
In 1989, the main building was expanded with a 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) addition, with the museum's attendance reaching 100,000 per year. The $5 million expansion added the Earle A. Chiles Center on the Spirit of the West. In 1994, a five year expansion campaign began to increase the size of the museum. By 2002, the non-profit museum drew 155,000 visitors per year. In 2008, Janeanne A. Upp became the president of the museum.
Facilities
The High Desert Museum sits on 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) of pine covered forest land in Central OregonCentral Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south...
. South of Bend on U.S. Route 97
U.S. Route 97 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 97 is a major north–south United States highway which runs through the state of Oregon . In Oregon, it runs from the Oregon-California border, south of Klamath Falls, to the Oregon-Washington border on the Columbia River, between Biggs Junction, Oregon and...
, the museum includes various indoor and outdoor exhibits, a library, a desertarium, and a cafe. Portland’s GHA Architects designed the original museum building. That structure contains walls built from volcanic rocks and slate flooring. The outdoor exhibits and various buildings are connected by a half-mile long paved path.
Collections
The museum has in excess of 18,500 artifactsArtifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
in its collections. Artwork includes works from Edward Curtis, Edward Borein, Charles Marion Russell
Charles Marion Russell
Charles Marion Russell , also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and "Kid" Russell, was an artist of the Old American West. Russell created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Indians, and landscapes set in the Western United States, in addition to bronze sculptures...
, Philip Hyde (photographer)
Philip Hyde (photographer)
Philip Hyde was a pioneer landscape photographer and conservationist. He attended Ansel Adams' photography program at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, beginning with the Summer Session in 1946 and enrolling in the full-time professional photography training,...
and Alfred Jacob Miller among others. Historical artifacts include those of Native American origin and post Euro-American settlement of the region. Many of the Native American items are from the Doris Swayze Bounds Collection of American Indian Art and Artifacts, and the Doris Bounds Swayze collection.
Exhibits
Exhibits focus on local culture, natural resources, wildlife, and art. The museum's indoor and outdoor exhibits of Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, pioneer, and animal life are presented on a massive scale. A visitor can actually walk through an early 1860s town complete with blacksmith shop, Chinese mercantile, and stage coach stop. The Native American exhibit covers life on the land before the white man, life on a reservation, and the present day hot topic of Indian Casinos. There is also an impressive exhibit of Native American horse tack used for the Pendleton Round-Up
Pendleton Round-Up
The Pendleton Round-Up is a rodeo held in Pendleton, Oregon, United States, during the second full week of September each year, since 1910. The rodeo brings roughly 50,000 people every year to the city of Pendleton...
that is unmatched for its craftsmanship, beauty, and individuality of design.
The High Desert Museum has a 53000 square feet (4,923.9 m²) main building. Exhibits include a Forest Service fire truck, a stage coach, and a number of Native American history displays. The museum’s Hall of Exploration and Settlement has displays highlighting a hundred years of high desert history. Scenes include a trapper's camp, survey party's camp, pioneer wagon train, a mining claim, an early western boomtown, and a high desert buckaroo camp.
Outside the museum building a quarter-mile trail follows a forest stream lines with aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
s and ponderosa pines. Along the way visitor can stop at a number of exhibits and animal habitats. There is a total of 32000 square feet (2,972.9 m²) of outdoor exhibits and animal habitats. The popular outdoor exhibits feature a river otter
Northern River Otter
The North American river otter , also known as the northern river otter or the common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent, found in and along its waterways and coasts. An adult river otter can weigh between 5 and 14 kg...
, a porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
, sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
, grey fox
Gray Fox
The gray fox is a mammal of the order Carnivora ranging throughout most of the southern half of North America from southern Canada to the northern part of South America...
, and birds of prey. There is also a Native American encampment, a turn-of-the-century sawmill, logging equipment, homesteaders cabin, and a forestry pavilion.