Oregon City: Museum of the Oregon Territory

 We really enjoyed our visit to the Museum of the Oregon Territory in Oregon City.

There were a lot of wonderful artifacts, but I was especially moved by the film, Willamette Falls: Where the Future Began. Not only is there a broad view of the importance of the Willamette River in the region's history, and some fascinating footage, but also there was a lot of human feeling. Being able to talk to people who have generations of history here is a great part of that.

I also appreciated the salmon carvings on the benches in the PGE Theater, created by members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

There was a definite effort to move past only looking at the contributions of white men -- though Oregon City's history has its share, and they are featured -- and to remember that there are other people.

It is hard to resist a doll house, and they have a furnished one of the McLoughlin House that is fun to look at.

There is also a furnished miniature of a plank house.

There are colorful accounts of early crimes and industry history. It turns out that getting into sheep was especially fraught.

One of my favorite things was the Kaegi Pharmacy exhibit. Though the collection focuses on products of the 1930s, the actual pharmacy was a part of Wilsonville until 1989, so included the time when I lived there. Also, I was not previously aware of pharmacy "show globes", but they are right up my alley.

Many of these photos are from permanent exhibits. The current rotating exhibit is "Lines On The Land", focusing on surveying and the establishment of boundaries.

That can include setting up the original territory and land plots, but also things like railroads and power lines.

The exhibit organization and signage was good, but the staff was also helpful and knowledgeable. I was pleased to get some answers about other attractions in the area.

The museum only reopened about a month ago, with a maximum occupancy of 10 and masks required. I thought it worked well.

http://clackamashistory.org/museumoftheoregonterritory

https://www.facebook.com/MOOTCCHS/