Mobile Museum in the Community
Mobile Museum brings the Washington County Museum right to your club or association, retirement or community center, library or neighborhood group. Choose from six informative, educational and entertaining presentations on major topics of local history, all taught by experienced professional educators. Bringing a kit of artifacts from the Museum’s collection, presenters demonstrate how the objects were used and explain them in the context of the lives of the people who used them.
Choose one or more from the following presentations:
Atfalati-Kalapuya: First People of Washington County
Contact the Museum (503) 645-5353The lives of the indigenous people of the Tualatin Valley, the Atfalati branch of the Kalapuya tribe, are explored in this presentation. How did they dress? What did they eat? What was their housing like? Through pictures, stories and discussion, we will discover some of the resourceful and early technologies that the Atfalati developed from stone, bone and local plants. A collection of furs, stone tools and other artifacts is used to illustrate their skills and habits.
Chinook: Master Traders of the Northwest
Contact the Museum (503) 645-5353The “Wapato Lowlands” – the region on the lower Columbia River with Sauvie Island at its heart – was once one of the richest and most densely settled areas north of Mexico. It was a hub of trade and a crossroads where diverse cultures from the region intersected. Families journeyed annually to the lower Columbia to gather wapato, fish for salmon, trade, and find marriage partners. The audience will learn about everyday life in the Chinook culture.
Mountain Men, Trappers, & Traders
Mike Janik (503-472-7646, mjanik@verizon.net)In full mountain man regalia, our presenter describes the earliest days of the Oregon Territory and how men and women survived using their wits and weapons. Dozens of objects for close examination include clothing, furs, trade goods and tools, as well as trapping, hunting and camping accessories. No actual weapons are used.
On the Oregon Trail & Pioneer Life
Rachel Foxman (503-240-1780, foxling@teleport.com)Using excerpts from a fictional pioneer woman’s diary, we journey with a family as they prepare to leave Indiana, headed for the Oregon Territory. We discuss what items people took with them and what may have been left behind. A collection of artifacts and replicas helps to illustrate life on the trail and the daily perils that pioneers faced. Women, especially, were the journalists of pioneer travels, and their unique perspective is heard in this retelling. The degree of skill and perseverance needed to thrive in a new land and the toils of daily life are vividly illustrated as we examine common, everyday tools of pioneer life.
School Days
Rachel Foxman (503-240-1780, foxling@teleport.com)Become immersed in a typical day at a pioneer one-room school house. What was the school building like? Who were the teachers in these schools? How did students learn, how were they disciplined and rewarded? School rules from an 1872 classroom are shared along with a variety of interesting stories. A collection of artifacts and replicas, including dip pens and ink, slates, a school bell, McGuffy readers, and handmade toys help us explore and answer these questions.
Lewis and Clark: The Science of Discovery
Rachel Foxman (503-240-1780, foxling@teleport.com)When Lewis and Clark pushed their boats into the Missouri River in May of 1804, they changed history forever. The Corps of Discovery was assembled to mount an expedition for science but there were no scientists on the roster! We will discuss the reasons for this and the contributions made to science by this unlikely but innovative group. An examination of methods and tools of discovery then and now will bring home the phenomenal nature of their achievements. We will also become acquainted with some of the Native American tribes who helped the expedition, and the landscapes in which they lived. Artifacts, specimens, and activities provide a wonderful hands-on experience.
*******
Each presentation takes one hour. Presentation cost is $75 per session. Discuss specific requirements for individual programs and book your presentation(s) directly with the educators.
Click here to download a brochure. (Download Adobe PDF Reader)
Mobile Museum is generously funded by:
Merrill Family Foundation
Braemar Charitable Trust
Juan Young Charitable Trust
Henningsen Cold Storage Foundation
Herbert A. Templeton Foundation
Cultural Coalition of Washington County
U.S. Bancorp Foundation
Members of the Washington County Museum
