White River Valley Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1996 |
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| Location | 918 H St SE, Auburn, Washington |
| Type | History museum |
The White River Valley Museum is a cool place to learn about history in Auburn, Washington. It shows you what life was like in the past in the White River Valley.
History
The White River Valley Museum opened its doors in January 1996. It was created by the City of Auburn and the White River Valley Historical Society working together. Since then, the museum has worked hard to save old items and places from the area. They even publish a monthly newsletter called "White River Journal."
One important place they helped save is the Mary Olsen Farm. In 2001, the museum helped get the Mary Olson Farm listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special place recognized for its history.
What the Museum Does
The White River Valley Museum has a special goal, which they call their "mission." Their mission is to team up with the city of Auburn. They want to mix history and culture to give visitors a fun and educational experience. It's all about learning in an exciting way!
Awesome Exhibits
The White River Valley Museum has exhibits that are always there, called "permanent exhibits." They also have four new exhibits each year, which are called "temporary exhibits." These exhibits teach you about the history of the local Puget Sound area. You can also learn about Native American culture from the Northwest. There are displays about Japanese-Americans and the Northern Pacific Railroad too.
Here are some cool things you can see:
- 1924 Auburn Depot: You can see and explore a real train station from 1924. There's even a caboose, which is the last car on a freight train.
- 1915 Japanese Farmhouse: This exhibit teaches you about the Iseri Family who lived in Thomas, Washington. You'll learn about "picture brides," who were women who came to America to marry someone they only knew from a photo. You'll also see Buddhist home altars and learn about life on "truck farms," which grew vegetables for sale.
- Downtown Auburn in the 1920s: Imagine what Auburn looked like almost 100 years ago! This exhibit includes a replica of the Auburn Public Market. There's also an Auburn Hat Shop where you can even try on replica hats!
- Muckleshoot Indian Tribe: The Muckleshoot people were the first settlers of this region. This exhibit shows a river canoe from around 1890. You can also see a small model of a traditional winter house.
- Northern Clay Company: This part of the museum shows how clay was used to make beautiful decorations for buildings in Seattle and Tacoma. It also tells the story of the clay industry in the Green River Valley. You'll learn about the workers from Auburn and the designers from Vienna.
- Tourist Hotel of 1924: This exhibit shows how Auburn grew very quickly in the 1920s. This was a "boom town" because many people moved there for work. You can see old photos, including the mayor from 1924, Otto Bersch.
The museum also has special temporary exhibits. For example, "On Track" showed amazing railroad photos taken by Warren McGee. They also have "Auburn 'Our Story' Videos" that share different local history topics.
Museum Collections
The White River Valley Museum has many important items in its collections. They own the historic Mary Olsen Farm. They also keep an archive of their monthly newsletter, the "White River Journal."
Their photo collection has thousands of old pictures from the region. These photos show life between 1894 and 1982. The museum also has a small research library. Here you can find books, diaries, and old newspapers from the same time period.
The museum also has a huge collection of items from historic Auburn and its people. They also have many objects from local Native American tribes. These include items from the Salish and Muckleshoot tribes.
