The High Desert Museum is located near Bend,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. 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 is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

's high desert country. The museum includes indoor and outdoor exhibits of wildlife in natural-like habitats along with traveling exhibits and living history demonstrations. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is also a

Smithsonian Affiliate Smithsonian Affiliations is a division of the Smithsonian Institution that establishes long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian museums and educational and cultural organizations in order to share collections, exhibitions and educational stra ...

institution.

History

The museum was founded by Donald M. Kerr, a native of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

."About the Museum: Mission, Purpose, History"
High Desert Museum, www.highdesertmuseum.org, Bend, Oregon, 2008.Waterston, Ellen, ''Sagebrush Legacy'', Western Communication, Bend, Oregon, 2002, p. 9. Kerr had a passion for natural history that inspired the creation of the museum. 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. Seated on a site, the museum was at first made up mainly of outdoor exhibits and a small building. In 1989, the main building was expanded with a addition, with the museum's attendance reaching 100,000 per year. The $5 million expansion, a gift from the Chiles Foundation, 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. In 1999, the museum was accredited by the American Association of Museums (now the American Alliance of Museums). By 2016, the non-profit museum drew 170,000 visitors per year. In 2017, the High Desert Museum was selected as Smithsonian Affiliate institution. That designation gives the museum access to artifacts from the Smithsonian collection along with Smithsonian sponsored traveling exhibits and education programs. In Oregon there are only three Smithsonian Affiliate institutions. The other two are the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville and the

Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is a non-profit museum in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Located just north of the Sunset Highway on the northern edge of Hillsboro, the earth science museum is in the Portland metropolitan area ...

in Hillsboro. In 2021, the museum was named as a recipient for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.

Facilities

The High Desert Museum sits on of pine covered forest land in Central Oregon."The High Desert Museum"
Oregon Blue Book, Oregon Secretary of State, Salem, Oregon, 13 October 2008. South of Bend on

U.S. Route 97 U.S. Route 97 (US 97) is a major north–south route of the United States Numbered Highway System in the Pacific Northwest region. It runs for approximately through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, primarily serving in ...

, 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 slate flooring and walls built from volcanic rocks. The outdoor exhibits and various buildings are connected by a half-mile long paved path. The entrance lobby is known as ''Schnitzer Hall''. Visitors passing through the lobby can walk straight ahead into the ''Collins Gallery'' and museum gift shop or proceed to exhibits down corridors to the right or left. To the right of the main lobby is the ''Earle A. Chiles Center on the Spirit of the West'' and separate galleries for special traveling exhibits. To the left of the entrance is the ''Henry J. Casey Hall of Plateau Indians''. The cafeteria is located beyond the Collins Gallery next to the gift shop. There is also a classroom located in this area of the building. Through the Collins Gallery to the left is an indoor desertarium with living desert animals on display. The exit at the far end of the desertarium leads to the ''Donald M Kerr Birds of Prey Center'' and the museum's outdoor exhibits.

Collections

The museum has in excess of 18,500 artifacts in its collections. Artwork includes works from Edward Curtis, Edward Borein, Charles Marion Russell,

Philip Hyde (photographer) Philip Hyde (1921–2006) was a pioneer landscape photographer and conservationist. His photographs of the American West were used in more environmental campaigns than those of any other photographer. Education Hyde first attended Ansel Adam ...

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.

Exhibits

Exhibits focus on local culture, natural resources, wildlife, and art. The museum's indoor and outdoor exhibits of Native American, 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 main building. Exhibits include a Forest Service
fire truck

stage coach
and a number o
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."Exhibits"
High Desert Museum, www.highdesertmuseum.org, Bend, Oregon, 2008. Outside the museum building a quarter-mile trail follows a forest stream lined with

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China ...

s and

ponderosa pines ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is th ...

. Along the way visitors can stop at a number of exhibits and animal habitats. There is a total of of outdoor exhibits and animal habitats. The popular wildlife exhibits feature three river otters, desert tortoises, a

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

, and birds of prey. There is also a Native American encampment, a start-of-the-20th-century sawmill, logging equipment, homesteaders cabin, and a forestry pavilion.

Apollo astronaut training

Between July 6 and November 10, 2019, the museum held an exhibit about how the United States prepared astronauts for lunar landscapes by training in central Oregon, near Bend.

Gallery

File:Elk Statue (Deschutes County, Oregon scenic images) (desDA0020).jpg, Bronze elk sculpture File:High Desert Museum, Oregon (2013) - 02.JPG, Native American exhibit File:High Desert Museum, Oregon (2013) - 13.JPG, Early explorer diorama File:High Desert Museum, Oregon (2013) - 15.JPG, Fur trading post diorama File:High Desert Museum, Oregon (2013) - 16.JPG, Oregon Trail dioama File:High Desert Museum, Oregon (2013) - 07.JPG, Stagecoach display File:High Desert Museum, Oregon (2013) - 27.JPG, Old logging equipment File:Museum Sawmill (Deschutes County, Oregon scenic images) (desDA0018a).jpg, Museum sawmill File:High Desert Museum (Forest Service Guard Station).JPG, Restored guard station File:High Desert Museum (Hawk).JPG, Live hawk exhibit

References

External links

*
High Desert Museum
{{authority control 1982 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Bend, Oregon Culture of Bend, Oregon History museums in Oregon Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Living museums in Oregon Museums in Deschutes County, Oregon Natural history museums in Oregon Tourist attractions in Bend, Oregon Museums established in 1982