Director: Dr. E. F. Cater
info@douglascountymuseum.com
509 745 8435
Brought to you by:
Douglas County Historical Society
Open 11 to 5 – Thursday thru Sunday
124 West Walnut Street
PO Box 63
Waterville, WA 98858
Our good friend Willy-Nilly planned the early roads. Not just in Douglas County, but everywhere.
Sometimes the askew and swirling roads make sense because topography dictated the path.
To zoom in the map below, first select the map by clicking on it, then double-click to zoom in and out.
Many times, roads followed an ancient path which became a wagon road.
In not a few places, Uncle Joe cut a path to his cabin, and cousin Max dragged it out with a team.
These earthen scars became Joe’s Road and part of our current road system.
The Land Grant College Act signed into law by Abraham Lincoln required planned roads and schools in exchange for Federal dollars.
By extension our square mile grid of roads followed.
However, this bit of folk history did not become good roads without a lot of kicking and screaming.
The original Douglas County Museum Building was a gift of William and Etta Schluenz in order to house some 4,500 rocks and minerals that William had collected over decades.
Additions done in recent times include
Today,
Douglas County Museum is very proud of the facility including a fairly comprehensive rock and gem collection which contains gems, minerals, petrified wood, meteorites and thunder eggs (similar to geodes).
The highlight of our Rock Gallery is a 73.25-pound iron and nickel meteorite known as the Waterville Meteorite.
The Waterville Meteorite was discovered in 1917 and was the first to be recovered in the state.
The Douglas County Historical Museum, in Waterville, Washington, is an adventure worthy of your time!
We are here to help you enjoy a fantastic museum visit in a climate controlled environment!
Open starting May 25 for the 2023 season and
on National Holidays celebrated on Monday
like Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Wait! Here is a great deal for you!
IF you are looking for a family adventure, want to complete genealogical research, or have this aching desire to gather your scattered family to take a look at your heritage–we are here to assist you!
We will open ANYTIME during the year for groups or special events.
Schedule your next company meeting here, we have the space!
A mural is painted of the Tramway on the side of the museum building.
The Tramway ran with 32 buckets. Each bucket carried 5 sacks of wheat to the river dock.
The Tramway was originally planned to use gravity to carry wheat down and merchandise up, but a power drive was soon added.
The aerial tram was operated from late 1902 until 1910.
The buckets were shaped like a bread loaf pan, nearly four feet long, three feet wide and two feet deep.
Thirty-two buckets held five sacks of grain each for the trip down.
Coal, lumber, and merchandise were hauled up.
Apparently this was not satisfactory because an engine and drum were installed at the top of the terminus.
W.E. Stevens was the operator.
Mural painted by Ron McGaughy of Manson, Washington.
The “Dowser Statue” greets everyone entering the museum and is a recognized icon in Waterville along US Highway 2.
Designed and cast by Sculptor Richard Beyer of Pateros in 1996
Richard Viebrock is the “water-dowser” represented in the statue.
This Douglas County Museum Photograph pictures Richard with his Dowsing Rod in front of the Dowser Statue.
Learn how and why Pioneer Settlers came to Douglas County by the thousands in search of a new life, a new beginning and Free Land!
Learn about Douglas County History and important Events that solidified our presence here.
Most of all, you will have fun and enjoy the new Pioneers’ Page.
If you are from a Pioneer Family and do not see your Family Name in our 1915 Patron’s Spotlight List, then Contact Us and we’ll do research for you!
The Douglas County Historical Thrift Shop handles 2nd hand clothing, used and antique furniture, memorabilia and lots more!
Come visit us at 113 E. Locust Street in beautiful downtown Waterville.
The Douglas County Historical Society Thrift Shop is a proud sponsor of the Douglas County Museum.
