It's amazing and the history is awe inspiring. We met Leslie and she is so knowledgeable about The Dalles and the historical relevance of Fort Dalles. Thank you so much for explaining everything to us. The carriages were amazing. See you again, soon. read more

Came here on a sunny Sunday to learn some history and it was a great experience. The docent in the main building was really friendly and gave us some history about the property and The Dalles. We walked around the house and enjoyed the architecture and the collections. Then we went across the yard and saw a bunch of old wagons and cars from the time period - the horse-drawn hearses were quite interesting, as was the electric car from 1902! Outside the building, my kids enjoyed petting the resident cat Midnight, who was mostly friendly. We then proceeded up the hill to see the Anderson homestead, which was also really cool to see. We probably spent just over an hour here and it was worth it. read more

Fort Dalles Museum - 1902 electric studebaker - Museums Near Me - The Dalles, Oregon

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Visiting Fort Dalles Museum was one of the sites we wanted to visit. We had started in the morning at another museum where one of the exhibits had quoted a member of the U.S. Army, who had been stationed at the fort, to effect that it was one of the worst places to be stationed. The GPS in our car took us on a scenic tour of that side of town to get to the fort. There is not much of the fort remaining. Only the surgeon's house is left. The volunteers were entertaining and very good at educating us about the fort. We were told that we were there on a good day and did not get to experience why it was such a miserable place to be stationed. After touring the surgeon's residence, we walked down to the vehicle displays. This was the second place where I had seen an electric Studebaker on display. It is well worth your time to see all these vehicles. We walked up to the Anderson house which was also well presented. Maybe next time we will spend more time here; but, we were tired and headed home. read more

Great place to get an idea about why this place is here. The museum guides were very pleasant and knowledgeable. The only remaining building from the fort is this structure- the surgeons house. It's full of odds and ends rescued from other historic places but well organized and well presented. We hit it on a good day, we were the only people there and I understand that they are part of a "jump on, jump off" tour and that it can get pretty crowded. A second house on the property is a old log farm house , also interesting. And the toilets are super clean, so what else do you want, really. And another interesting tidbit- The Dalles was the original end of the Oregon trail- take that- Oregon City. Won't take a whole lot of you day and a great over-view of why this place is here. Do it. read more

This is the sort of history that's awesome to experience. The docents and volunteer were super attentive and knowledgeable. We got lucky that they were open for an incoming cruise ship and so we were able to go and be the only people there. There was so much to absorb and it was all very well done. It's quite the collection of special things, to be sure. Definitely worth visiting if you appreciate history and antiques. read more

My interest on the Oregon Trail seemed to date back to my academic beginnings in the 1990's while in middle school and subsequently in high school - reading about historic milestones entrenched in the annals of mankind. It was very interesting and inspiring to be entranced at those Oregon Trail pioneer settlers who braved everything and journeyed to the Pacific Northwest to start new lives there in the mid 1850's. Many have died during this odyssey and that's just true true grit right there to those who endured the American Dream way back then. With that said, being in The Dalles, my friend and I drove here in search of Oregon Trail stuff and came across the Fort Dalles museum. It was kind of interesting to be here, but that just was the outside. The actual museum is a residential home that was converted to a museum and we got to meet up with the caretaker that afternoon we have visited. The entire experience have given me some enlightenment on how they had lived once they were super close to their destination in the Willamette Valley and they had to cross the Columbia Gorge River. The Fort Dalles Museum is located at W 15th Street and Garrison Street. The property itself was kind of large, complete with a pole with bells and a separate shed with antique cars and Oregon Trail related memoribilia. The most interesting thing - and creepy thing - that I saw in the antique car shed was that they had 2 hearses in there. And of course, the most eerie of them all were 2 coffins with Windows for the face, so I guess you can see the dead before they go into the ground. It was quite eerie & emotional to see the small one that was for a child / baby. It was basically a self guided tour for me and my friend, although there were volunteers who were very friendly who knew a lot about the history of The Dalles and of the people's who ventured to Oregon from areas back east. For what it was worth, it was about 45 minutes to an hour's visit here, since we had to rumble back to Hood River that day. There is an admission fee of $5 for adults. Cash only! For what it was worth, it was cool to see the relics of the past here at the Fort Dalles museum. There were several rooms in the main museum house, but we were instructed to tell them if we wanted to tour the Anderson home across the street, which was said was the home of a doctor and a prominent historical figure. The house museum itself was modern enough, but you can tell it was getting old. They have public restrooms there, so that's always a good thing, especially traveling all this way from Portland. It was nice to see all the period relics from the past, but still remember the child coffin there. It almost should not be there, since it can offend a lot of people, but that's how it was like back then. The time here at the Fort Dalles museum was brief, but I had a good time remembering and rediscovering a period of American history, where bravery meets ambition to seek new lives for all Americans, not just themselves. Definitely well worth the trip, if you can make it. It probably may be boring to some, but I found great value in what the museum had to offer. There was a gun volt upstairs and a secret compartment in between floor one and two, small enough to hide bodies. Just saying. Support local! A+ read more

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I took my support client to this museum on his birthday and the staff were so attentive and friendly and knowledgeable. We got the special tour with lynn which had us going to the barn that is presently being renovated and closed to the rest of the public and she offered to take our photo and shared so many interesting stories on the history of this amazing place read more

We visited the Fort Dalles Museum. It has an old home, a dusty garage with cars, and a two story museum which used to the surgeon's quarters. There are a variety of exhibits throughout the museum. Staff is there and is most willing to help with any questions. read more

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Absolutely amazing definitely worth the time the staff are very caring I want to make sure you enjoy and understand the era. read more

Fort Dalles Museum - Museums Near Me - The Dalles, Oregon

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" History, Education, and Friendly Guides " My wife and I visited the Fort Dalles Museum in The Dalles, Oregon last week and really enjoyed our visit. Fort Dalles was a United States Army output that was involved primarily with wars, and relations with the local Native Americans. The Fort Dalles Museum is housed in the surgeon's quarters, which is the remaining building at Fort Dalles. The Surgeons Quarters were built prior to the US Civil War. If you are a Teacher, you will enjoy the quality of the children's homework papers that are on display in the Museum. The Homework school papers show how children used to do their homework in classrooms, over 100 years ago. We also viewed the history of the Anderson Homestead log buildings, which are now located just south of Fort Dalles. The antique motor vehicles and horse drawn-wagons are an added bonus to visiting the museum, and are located in separate buildings on the Fort Dalles site. We also enjoyed seeing the unique collection of pioneer and military artifacts. We enjoyed meeting the enthusiastic group of volunteers here, who were more than willing to let me explore the museum, and answer any and all of the questions we had. A great place to visit, and to find out about the history of The Dalles area. read more

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The trip to the museum is worth it. Cal was quite knowledgeable about the history of the surgeons quarters and the Anderson house. His stories made the experience more interesting. read more

Pretty interesting old piece of history. Definitely take the tour- it's quite cool. The old barn at the end is worth the visit.

Fort Dalles Museum is a great place to visit. Lots of history with the Fort and Anderson Homestead. The antique vehicles and horse drawn-wagons are an added bonus to visiting the museum. Fun for kids of all ages. read more