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.
DCHS Museum Sep 1984 Photo taken by Jim Gill of the Waterville Empire Press
Additions done in recent times include
The large gallery added in 1990
The double entry added in 1996
The rear addition for display and for storage added in 2004
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.
"Man Riding Cow" is one of many Photos at DCM!
Douglas County Museum is
Fun!
Adventure!
For EVERYONE!
Waterville Roller Mills - 1890
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 seasonand 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!
Mansfield Grain Elevator circa 1910
We will open ANYTIME during the year for groups or special events.
Schedule your next company meeting here, we have the space!
Douglas County TRAMWAY
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.
Close-up of mural on museum building outside wall.
Waterville Aerial Tramway
The aerial tram was operated from late 1902 until 1910.
The Columbia Tram Company let the contract for building the double cable 9200 foot tram to R.C. Riblett from Spokane.
Built three miles north of Orondo on a bluff west of Waterville.
Elevation at the top was 2400 feet down to 700 feet at river level.
It extended two miles from the top to bottom across two deep canyons.
A moving cable supported on wooden towers carried large steel buckets.
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.
It is unclear when open carriers were added.
The original idea was that the weight of the downward bound loads would operate the tram.
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.
Douglas County Museum DOWSER STATUE
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.
Douglas County PIONEERS
PIONEERS
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.
Pictures are the pathway to our past. In some cases, photographic evidence is the only proof of existence left! Douglas County Museum has thousand’s of photos either on display, or as a scanned digital image on a publicly accessible desktop computer. If you desire a digital copy, bring your flash drive.
Stop by in-person to see the large photo display in our climate-controlled museum building!