fort dalles museum

Fort Dalles was a United States Army output that was involved primarily with wars and relations with local Native Americans. The Fort Dalles Museum is housed in the surgeon's quarters, which is the remaining building of he Fort. The Surgeons Quarters were built prior to the US Civil War.I enjoyed meeting the enthusiastic group of volunteers here who were more than willing to let me explore the museum and answer any and all questions I had. I enjoyed seeing the unique collection of pioneer and military artifacts and antique cars and wagons. There is also the Anderson homestead here also.The price when I visited was $5 for adults, $4 dollars for seniors.Note: There is a steep stair case in the Surgeons Quarters so to fully see the museum one must be able to manage stairs. This was OK for me, but did want to mention in case its a concern to others. There are several areas one can still be able to see.

Several buildings and a nice variety of antique items, good informative history write-up. Informative docents. There were a few errors in their tool labels/descriptions, but overall very well done.

There is lots of "stuff" in this museum, but it is essentially a lot of donated items from estates that are put into display cases with little or no interpretation. No dates, no context... just old stuff - recalls a rummage sale. It does have clean restrooms. If you want to pay by credit card, they will charge you an additional $2.

I love learning about local history. This had that and more. The Anderson Homestead was really interesting to me and the museum guide was knowledgeable as she guided us through the homestead.

I love museums. I seldom tour a museum I don't like. Today was the exception. This "museum" is nothing more than an amalgamation of donated items. There is no rhyme or reason to the displays. When someone donates something, docents stick it somewhere. Lots of artifacts with no captions, interpretation or dates. No flow or continuity. No overall theme or message other than "Here is some old stuff to look at."

The Dalles has a lot of history with Oregon Trail, Lewis & Clark, and even a gold rush passing through here. Several buildings on site brought in to accompany the Surgeon's Quarters building which is in its original location. Displays are well labeled and packed into the small rooms. All but one historic clock are donations to the museum and in "authentic" (as opposed to "restored") condition. This is especially true of the vehicles building. We had an excellent tour of the Anderson Homestead buildings just south of the main museum by Sam Anderson, great grandson of the original owner. This building gave you a genuine peek into the struggles of early settlers in this area.

A beautiful green oasis on a 100+ degree day. The docent was very knowledgeable. We toured the surgeon's house on the site of the original Fort Dalles. Lots of great vehicles in a side structure and Swedish hand-hewn constructed house and barn also.

This unique museum set high on the hills of The Dalles after being moved to it's present location really takes you back in time, their authentic time period antiques are well preserved and the cover wagon used long ago by America's first pioneer’s gives the visitors a genuine fell of how the west once was. The Anderson's log cabin, all hand cut and it's contents are the best preserved I've seen in this area of old western America, while you are there don't miss on their excellent collection of cars and wagon or stagecoaches. Behind the Anderson house in their large and practical barn all in traditional wooden hay racks and stalls, above in the hayloft with slots directly above each stall below making feeding the livestock simple, practical and fact for those early settlers.

You'll get a lot of small town, late 1800 & early 1900 Oregon history in this wonderful museum, housed inside the 1856 Carpenter Gothic surgeon's quarters. There are endless artifacts that will keep you busy for quite a while. The fee of $5 seems minmal given the trove of treasures to be discovered.After you've investigated the dusty artifacts upstairs and down in this building, be sure to see the other buildings on the grounds, especially the Anderson homestead, a surprisingly grand Swedish log cabin that was relocated from elsewhere in the Dalles to a perch behind the surgeon's quarters. You'll also want to check out the antique cars and carriages in the barns, but if it's anywhere near as hot as the day we visited, you won't last long in the sweltering barn!

It might not be a HUGE museum, but in my humble opinion, things that comes in small packages are usually GREAT, well for the Fort Dalles Museum, visiting it is well worth the time spent there learning about the region.

I think this place is only open in the summer, but we drove up in November. The groundskeeper saw us outside the gate and gave us a personal tour of the outer buildings he had keys to. He was so knowlegeable and offered so many details that you wouldn't learn from just reading the signs. Thank you so much!

We toured the Ft Dalles Museum. Lots of historical relics inside the only surviving building built in 1856. Beautiful Gothic architecture. Low cost $5..Pretty cool if you like history

The Reenactors did a fine job of demonstrating their vintage rifles, cannon and Gatling gun. Lots of folks got to see a good show and learn something in the process.

Hit this gem on a day they were doing reenactments. Educational on the processes and reasons for how guns and cannon used. So delighted we stopped.

Quite the surprise. Only one square block or less, but this historic site and its buildings gives you more than any walk-in gallery of pics could ever offer. The old Surgeon's quarters has got to have its ghosts. Every room takes you back. Seems almost odd that such an historic place like this could still exist in the residential neighborhood that surrounds it, but the setting is surprisingly beautiful and stand-alone. Worth the visit IF you like history and its ghosts.