High Desert Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
High Desert Museum

Museum front entrance
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Established	1982
Location	Bend, Oregon, U.S.A.
Type	Natural history
Collection size	Approximately 30,000 artifacts
Visitors	170,000 per year
Founder	Donald M. Kerr

The High Desert Museum is a cool place near Bend, Oregon, in the United States. It opened in 1982. This museum helps people understand the amazing nature and history of the high desert region in North America.

You can see both indoor and outdoor exhibits here. There are live animals in special habitats that look like their natural homes. The museum also has traveling exhibits and shows that bring history to life. It's even connected to the famous Smithsonian museums!

History of the Museum

The High Desert Museum was started by a man named Donald M. Kerr. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, and loved nature and history. His passion led him to create this special museum.

In 1974, Mr. Kerr started the Western Natural History Institute. The High Desert Museum grew out of this institute and opened its doors in 1982. At first, it was called the Oregon High Desert Museum. But its name was changed to show that it covers the whole high desert area, not just Oregon.

The museum sits on a big piece of land, about 135 acres. When it first opened, it had mostly outdoor exhibits and a small building.

Growing Bigger

In 1989, the main building got much bigger. An extra 28,000 square feet were added. This helped the museum welcome more visitors, reaching 100,000 people each year! This expansion was a gift from the Chiles Foundation. It added the Earle A. Chiles Center on the Spirit of the West.

By 2016, the museum was attracting 170,000 visitors every year. In 2017, it became a Smithsonian Affiliate. This means the museum can borrow cool items from the Smithsonian's huge collection. It also gets special traveling exhibits and learning programs. Only three places in Oregon have this special connection to the Smithsonian.

In 2021, the museum received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. This is a big award for museums and libraries that do great things for their communities.

Exploring the Museum

High Desert Museum lobby and gift shop

The High Desert Museum is located on 135 acres of pine forest in Central Oregon. It's just south of Bend, right off U.S. Route 97. The museum has many indoor and outdoor exhibits, a library, a special "desertarium," and a cafe.

The main entrance area is called Schnitzer Hall. From here, you can go straight into the Collins Gallery and the museum gift shop. Or, you can explore exhibits down hallways to your right or left.

To the right, you'll find the Earle A. Chiles Center on the Spirit of the West. This area also has special galleries for traveling exhibits. To the left of the entrance is the Henry J. Casey Hall of Plateau Indians. The cafe is near the gift shop, and there's also a classroom in this part of the building.

If you walk through the Collins Gallery, you'll find an indoor desertarium. This is where you can see live desert animals! The exit from the desertarium leads to the Donald M Kerr Birds of Prey Center and the museum's outdoor exhibits.

What You Can See

The museum has more than 18,500 historical items and artworks. These include pieces by famous artists like Edward Curtis and Charles Marion Russell. Many items are from Native American cultures. There are also things from when Europeans first settled in the region.

Awesome Exhibits

Vintage U.S. Forest Service fire truck

The exhibits at the museum focus on local culture, nature, wildlife, and art. You can explore huge indoor and outdoor displays about Native American life, pioneers, and animals.

You can even walk through a town from the 1860s! It has a blacksmith shop, a Chinese store, and a stagecoach stop. The Native American exhibit shows what life was like before settlers arrived. It also covers life on reservations and modern topics like Indian Casinos. You'll see amazing Native American horse gear used for the Pendleton Round-Up. It's known for its beautiful designs.

The main museum building is 53,000 square feet. Inside, you might see a vintage Forest Service fire truck or a stagecoach. There are also many displays about Native American history. The Hall of Exploration and Settlement shows 100 years of high desert history. You can see scenes like a trapper's camp, a pioneer wagon train, and an old western boomtown.

Outdoor Adventures

Outside the museum, a quarter-mile path follows a forest stream. It's lined with aspens and ponderosa pines. Along the path, you can stop at different exhibits and animal homes. There are 32,000 square feet of outdoor exhibits and animal habitats.

You can see popular wildlife like three river otters, desert tortoises, a porcupine, and amazing birds of prey. There's also a Native American camp, an old sawmill from the early 1900s, logging equipment, and a homesteader's cabin.

Astronaut Training in Oregon

From July to November 2019, the museum had a special exhibit. It showed how the United States trained astronauts for moon missions. They practiced in central Oregon, near Bend, because the landscape looked like the moon!

Images for kids

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  Bronze elk sculpture

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  Native American exhibit

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  Early explorer diorama

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  Fur trading post diorama

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  Oregon Trail diorama

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  Stagecoach display

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  Old logging equipment

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  Museum sawmill

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  Restored guard station

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  Live hawk exhibit