Columbia Gorge Discovery Center &
Wasco County Historical Museum
 
The splendor of the Columbia River Gorge comes to life in the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County Historical Museum.
   
Your visit will take you back 40 million years. Learn about 10,000 years of Native American life and meet the explorers who opened the way to settlement.

  
The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center is the official interpretive center for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. This 26,100 square foot exhibit wing holds interactive displays which bring to life the tremendous volcanic upheavals and raging floods that created the Gorge, describe the mighty River which sculpted patterns for a unique and spectacular diversity of vegetation, wildlife, and ancient life ways, and follow the currents that shape our futures in the Gorge.
   
The Wasco County Historical Museum is a 17,200 square foot exhibit wing which tells the stories of the people of Wasco County past and present. Once the largest county in the nation, Wasco County is home, place of work, and gateway to the interior of western North America.
  

Discovery Gallery
Cargo: Equipment and Supplies of the Lewis and Clark Expedition commemorates the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial through an examination of the objects of the expedition. "Indian Presents" was one of the seven categories on Meriwether Lewis' supply list. More time, energy, and money went into planning for meetings with the Indian people, and presenting the right kind of gifts, than any other part of the expedition. Moreover, the procurement of food, horses, and guides through trade was essential to the success of the expedition. This portion of the Cargo exhibit explores the significant role that gift giving and trade with American Indians played in the survival of the expedition members.
 
 
Cultural History of Wasco County
Walk through life-size models of important buildings and businesses in early The Dalles, and learn about the cultural changes that local Native Americans experienced with the coming of white settlers.


A Kids Explorer Room offers hands-on fun learning opportunities for children of all ages featuring an archaeological dig for making discoveries, a keelboat model that must be carefully loaded to prevent capsizing, and trunks of Lewis and Clark era clothing for kids to try on.
  
Learn about the skills employed by the expedition to succeed in their mission, the problems they faced, and the skills they honed as mapmakers, scientists, naturalists, writers, and members of a team.

Native Plant Restorations
The 50 acres surrounding the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and the banks of the Columbia are habitat supportive of many life forms. An interpretive trail winds through this setting of cottonwoods, willows, cattails and sedges which give shelter and food to turtles, ducks, geese, eagles, raccoon, and songbirds. The trail also cuts through restored eastern Gorge vegetation featuring abundant wildflowers April through June, and golden hills and grasses in late summer. At any time of the year, visitors will be treated to our seasonal display of wildlife, signs interpreting flowers in bloom, and stunning vistas of the Columbia River Gorge and Klickitat hills.
  
Also on the premises:
Café, Store, Conference Facilities, Picnic Area, Hiking Trails
  
Hours:
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Seven days a week
Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
  
Contact Us For Info & Small Admission Fee
  
Columbia Gorge Discovery Center
Wasco County Historical Museum
5000 Discovery Drive
The Dalles, OR 97058
  
Tel: (541) 296-8600
Fax: (541) 298-8660
E-mail: magaly@gorgediscovery.org