Oregon Historical Society

The Oregon Historical Society museum was great! It's a fun and educational experience about Oregon's history and many different events. There are tons of exhibits and lots of artwork. The museum staff are helpful, knowledgeable, and kind. The museum has four levels, with elevators and stairs. Would recommend checking it out. It's a great place to hang out with your family or visit by yourself.

I am so glad I came! I learned a lot about the history of the city and of the state. I was unaware of a lot of the history, and what I did learn was mainly whitewashed. Not to say this was completely comprehensive, but this went into more depth than I realized. It should not have been any surprise that the natives were not treated well at all. I could seriously have spent way more time here than what I did. Reasonable admission prices, there is a lot of information presented here. I highly recommend this museum to anyone wanting to learn more about the state of Oregon.

What a lovely museum! We spent hours here… the exhibits just kept going and going. I highly recommend it for any history lovers visiting Portland.

Excellent exhibit on trans identity in the wild west. Also a good job handling the racist and colonial roots behind the foundation of the state of OR as well as indigenous voices. I had never seen a KKK hood in real life before this day. It's important to acknowledge these realities.

If you want to learn more about Oregon, this museum is worth a visit. Really large exhibit with lots of historical details

It is very educational museum. As a Multnomah resident, I entered without paying and learned much more than I read any history books. They have so many great historical sections. Please take your time to enjoy. Would love to be back in the future

Loved the museum on our trip to Portland. There was so much to see and while we didn’t bring kids to the exhibits, it’s very kid-friendly! I loved the flow of the museum and had a great time learning about Oregon and how Portland came to be.

Came for a celebration event they had on Saturday such a beautiful place, my daughter 12 years old loved it and can’t wait to Come back again

I finally made my first visit to the Oregon Historical Society and what a very surprising space. It seems so small on its exterior but, even just the lobby is a pretty grand presentation. I was very anxious since an exhibition they were featuring was on its last two days and I wanted to check out the Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West exhibit which was in its last two days. A very telling section stated that yes, the exhibit is small which says so much. Their permanent exhibit on Portland's Past and Present feels like it has a lot of space to expand. I was very exited for their 'A Fountain of Creativity: Oregon's 20th Century Artists and the Legacy of Arlene Schnitzer' exhibit and I was swooning at the collection. The guide pamphlet for the exhibit is so well written that it brought me to tears. Since I was pretty young and first got into art and the art scene in and around Portland I have treasured the Schnitzer name as I was lucky that my experience in the arts involved getting back stage tours of the Arlene Schnitzer concert hall and learning how everything was funded and brought to Portland. She and her family are why we have such an amazing and thriving art scene here. The Oregon Historical Society space that this is in really displays the art so beautifully. Another great thing about the Oregon Historical Society is that it is always free to residents of Multnomah County and SNAP benefit recipients but they have many free or discount days as well. As they are conveniently right by the art museum, maybe make a museums wander day and grab some lunch at something nearby.

Free for Multnomah County residents! That's all I needed to hear, so when I was downtown with some time to kill, off I went. The building itself is a fairly large concrete and glass deal, but in a cold, commercial way. Did this used to be a bank? I don't know but that's the vibe you get, even as you walk into the huge lobby with soaring ceilings. After that the layout gets a bit choppy, with various exhibits scattered in separate rooms off to the side or upstairs or in the back, each closed off by a door. Not much of flow, if you know what i mean, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I mainly wanted to see the 'Rivers Roses to Rip City' exhibit which turned out to be somewhat disappointing. It consisted of a lot of small scale stuff from the past, like past maps, old-timey ads, photos of a younger Portland, and the like, set up by decade. The whole collection of paraphernalia was too crammed together for my liking though, and the room was on the small side, making for a somewhat claustrophobic viewing experience. It would have benefited greatly IMO with more spread out displays, space in between and more interactive stuff. But what do I know?!! Not like I'm a historian or a docent or anything. Still, I want this place to succeed and I will be back ....it's overall a pleasant enough way to spend an hour.

If you want to learn more about Portland's interesting history and Oregon as a whole- where it offers an insight into what the state was like in the early days, then plan a trip here. Coming to Oregon Historical S. on SW Park Ave during my '24 Spring Break while I visited my daughter was one of the best things I did before coming to NY. You'll notice that Oregon Historical S. doesn't have a soaring 'museum' staircase out front but you won't miss the entrance if you're walking by. And the space inside stretches far and wide with 2 (3 floors?). Greeting was exceptionally warm from the hostess and mentioned that teachers pay $8 to enjoy. Thank you! Not sure if fee has increased now. Oregon Historical S. covered textiles, miniature train exhibit, botany, etc. You'll be given verbal directions to better navigate the space here. From short films, some immersive exhibits, artifacts, etc, I was impressed.

I am so glad I came! I learned a lot about the history of the city and of the state. I was unaware of a lot of the history, and what I did learn was mainly whitewashed. Not to say this was completely comprehensive, but this went into more depth than I realized. It should not have been any surprise that the natives were not treated well at all. I could seriously have spent way more time here than what I did. Reasonable admission prices, there is a lot of information presented here. I highly recommend this museum to anyone wanting to learn more about the state of Oregon.

I was impressed by the Oregon historical Society sign and building from the road and I wanted to check it out and I was really thrilled at all you can learn about Oregon's history. It was fascinating. They offer student discounts & it wasn't much just a few dollars to get in with three floors. They also have a locker for your backpack if you need it. I highly recommend this place for families to learn all about Oregon's history!

I came here when I was looking for something to do in the area and this was well worth my time. They have an exhibit with an overview of the history of Oregon. It's well done and shows the good stuff and the other problems over the years. As a fan of studying history, I highly recommend this museum. The staff at the front were very friendly and helpful. There are discounts available just ask. You can go through in about an hour. It's always worth going to places like this to learn something new.

Everything you wanted to know about Oregon is here at the Oregon Historical Society. Really amazing place to learn about the past and present of Oregon. This museum has a lot of exhibits and reading material but is not overwhelming. Even kids will find it interesting. It's clean, organized, and spacious. Plan on spending several hours here. But that's ok, you'll leave here with precious knowledge of Oregon.

Great place to visit for residents and visitors alike. Didn't know it's free to Multnomah County residents. Good to know that part of our art tax is going somewhere useful. The exhibits are well curated and offer different experiences. I encountered the Motown exhibit and it was great! The costumes from top stars were there for us to see pretty up close along with some other items. The Oregon history exhibit is also well done. Actually saw a physical book "in a nutshell". And, the conscious display of Native American items was appreciated.

We visited this establishment 4 hours before our flight hime and were treated to great exhibits . I truly enjoyed it and have a better understanding of Oregon. This is a must when visiting Oregon.

Nice museum for local history. It's great how they acknowledge the wrongdoings made towards ingenious and poc communities in the area as part of the history

"We are not the makers of history. We are made by history." Martin Luther King Jr. reminding us that we are shaped by the world around us, and that to get an idea of where we want to be, we need to know where we've been. History - get some. The Oregon Historical Society is one of the best places to dig into history. The museum is smallish and you won't spend much time cruising around. Those exhibits are just the tip of the iceberg. Dig into it, because there is more here. Check out the calendar of events. They have an amazing speaker series. The topics cover every subject - music, natural history, immigration, photography. I mean, just next week there is this: "Join Oregon History Maker and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Hume Kennerly on a magical mystery tour through some of the major events of the past fifty-plus years as seen through his eyes and camera." You bet I'll be there. There is also an entire library and research center. You might never need this, or notice it, but you can! Here is a description from thier website: "The library preserves the world's largest collection of Oregon-related materials, documenting the people, places, and events that have shaped Oregon's history. Visitors can enjoy broad access to these materials, both in the library's newly renovated reading room and online through OHS's digital collections and digital history resources." The OHS is not one of those places where you passively drift through and see shiny stuff. It's history and it challenges you to engage. Think of something you want to know more about and then head to the library. Ask for help. You will be there for hours! Hours! And you'll stumble out, full of new knowledge, head spinning because you had no idea about so many things. We are so lucky to have this amazing resource available to us. I hope you get a chance to take advantage of all of it.

This place is lovely. I had a very wonderful opportunity to get a VIP tour from Peter Marbach. His exhibit in the Oregon's historical society was breathtaking. I had no idea how beautiful Portland was until I came into visit. From the Bridges to the parks to Mount Hood it's very laid back beautiful scenic city. There were several other exhibits here but Peter's exhibit touched my heart because it showed the passion that he has for photography and the incredible sights of nature he allows you to see through his lens. You know when you see a certain image in print that he had such patience to wait for the right moment for it to capture its true beauty. I can't wait to revisit Oregon so I can see an experience the beauty that was in Peter Marbach's work.

It was a terrific visit- so interesting. Id recommend it for locals as well as visitors.

The Oregon Historical Society is a small museum that focuses on the history of Oregon. Admission is a reasonable $11, but when we were there, one of the exhibits was under renovation, so they had reduced the price to $5. Sweet! During our visit, there was an exhibit about Oregon State University, which was pretty neat -- OSU has accomplished a lot in so many different areas! A small museum, but a definite must for history buffs. [Yelp collections: West Coast 2018; Museums and Art Galleries; Cheap Thrills]

Loved stopping by- for a free museum for residents, this was one of the best I've checked out. They tell the story of Oregon in a fantastic way, through several different lenses. I'll definitely be back! Thank you, Kay, for your direction and help, being new to the area and all.

Stopped by here with my children on our visit to Portland for cheer competition this past weekend. We were looking for things to do and I found this place on yelp. It was interesting to read the history and see artifacts and the kids and I really enjoyed the Motown section! A lot of care and thought was put into this place and it shows. We loved our visit to this museum and would recommend for anyone wanting to learn more about Oregon history.

It pains me to share that a non-profit earns a "meh" rating, but, honestly, there just wasn't a lot of history on display at the museum of the Oregon Historical Society. I think I like history more historical ... or just more. We were in and out of the building in less than an hour .. including me playing a downhill rock-dodgin' covered wagon video game for 10 minutes. The one-room exhibit on pop culture from the 60s (called Portland Psychedelic) had a couple local artifacts while another room had a hodge-podge of Oregon-related items from the last 30 years on display like a 1994 casino slot machine. The most educational exhibition was a room dedicated to the Oregon Humane Society while the most moving was a narrow hallway with photography depicting parts of the African-American experience in Portland. Even at just $5 admission (or free to local residents and anyone under 18), the Oregon Historical Society just didn't really seem worth the time or effort to go because there just weren't a lot of stories, artifacts, or exhibits to appreciate the history of Oregon. My understanding is that the OHS is working on a permanent exhibit that will open in 2019. Until then, the Oregon Historical Society is just 2 stars compared to other museums or opportunities to experience history.

This was not a very large museum, but a very educational and interesting place to visit to learn about Oregon and it's history from various times. There were a good number of well displayed exhibits with lots of great facts and information to immerse yourself in this great State's history. We were lucky and arrived on a Saturday Family day, so the entry was free. It is always nice to visit someplace for free, but if you don't make it on such a day, they do offer a number of discounts including a AAA discount if you have your card. Start from the 3rd floor and work your way down. The 3rd. floor is where you will find most of the historical stuff. Lots of well preserved artifacts from time past and great information behind them to really educate yourself with. The second floor which is their main entrance area contains special exhibits. At the time we visited, there was a beer, Beatles, and a historical exhibit from a local high school I think. The Beatles exhibit was fun with lots of memorabilia from the bands heydays. The beer exhibit had a few interesting things, but was in such a large space seemed to make it look very small and lacking something. The first floor or what seemed like a basement depending on the side of the building it was on, contained art and photos as well as an interactive area for children. This was nice visit and was glad we went.

I loved the Beer Barley, Barrels, Bottles, & Brews: 200 Years of Oregon Beer exhibit! It was so fun to see the background behind the Oregon and Portland beer scene and to learn about beer in general. The exhibit was beautiful, interactive and a lot of fun. I hope to see more awesome exhibits the next time I visit!

As we visited during their renovation, we only paid $5 so for the price it was a decent. The museum chronicles the history of Oregon and has a cool area for OSU facts, famous people, and what has been accomplished. The OSU exhibit was probably my favorite. Although I would not go out of my way to visit this place, it was easy to get to and even at the normal price of $11, it's reasonable.

This review is predominantly regarding the Permanent "Experience Oregon" exhibit, as we spent 3 hours touring this exhibit alone. So impressed with this museum. This exhibit is new, opening in February 2019. This exhibit covers Oregon country dating back to Native times leading up to modern day. There is so much well thought out information that is easy to read and understand. You can follow a timeline that takes you through the last couple hundred years while reading stories, listening to quotes, and playing fun digital games that are presented to tell a story. Beautiful color and a great assortment of artifacts. After walking through the entrance to the exhibit, you are presented with a video. You then begin to learn about the Natives that call Oregon home, their beliefs, culture, and tales that represented their local landscape. You move on to learn how the first immigrants interacted with them, then on to the Oregon trail and life on the trail. Statehood follows shortly after, and learn more about Oregon's immigrants from Asian communities. Early 1900s was much about expanding infrastructure, then we see artifacts from the Second World War including several war uniforms. Present day is much about what important pieces of legislature has been passed. The exhibit was extremely well thought out, colorful, had a great mix of interactive tech, along with large artifacts like a canoe, wagon, and car that was neat to see. Beautiful photos spanned the large dividers separating the time frames. Without a doubt I would recommend this as a must on your next trip and encourage all locals to visit to learn more about our beautiful state!

Quaint little museum chronicling Oregon's history in 4 stories. The 3rd floor is a permanent exhibit and the 4th is a Library and micro film collection of Oregon news and heritage. The second floor was dedicated to Black History month since it's February and the first floor has some hands on activities for kids and a black and white picture gallery from the 1900's the whole museum can be viewed in an hour or so. They have two history movie viewing areas that can add to your time if you sit and view them. The staff was helpful and informative. Not a place I'd take anyone younger than 6 tho. Great place for learning oregon culture and heritages. Had some neat artifacts.

I wanted to love this place, being a historian and history lover, but it was just ok. The exhibit about the rosey branding of Portland was really small, and I'd have thought with this being the city's whole brand, they would've had a more ample display. It seems like this probably caters a lot to school kids, so that may be where they really shine, but as a tourist, I was left wanting so much more.

This is why I love Oregon Historical Societyn. I'm pretty sure you can find anything here , including that Abraham Lincoln was very nearly Oregon's Territorial Governor some time during the 1850 s I believe (statehood was attained on February 14, 1859 (a sweetheart of a deal if you ask me). Ron was blown away by their online picture archive. I believe he will be ordering some prints. I'm so glad my parents introduced me to OHS early, and I was paticulalarly pleased to pass the favor along to Ron, my kindred spirit in loving history!

A great way to learn about the history of Oregon. If you've been to the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, it's kind of similar to that. The third floor has the main permanent exhibit on Oregon history and goes in-depth starting from the geological aspects of the land to the Native Americans and the first European settlers, and finally the diverse society that Oregon has become in the last few decades. They also had a Beatles exhibit on the 2nd floor with memorabilia and various interactive booths like one where you could learn to play the drums from Ringo.

This is the Oregon historical museum done up Portland style. Getting here is fairly easy. There are several parking garages within close by one directly across the street the others farther away (one to four blocks pretty much in every direction). Streetcar and MAX stations are also only a block away, and the park is one of the better places to stroll thru in the city. So lots and lots of ways to get here. Admission is a wallet friendly five bucks-and the Portland visitors center over by pioneer courthouse square has been known to reward your visit with two for one discount tickets. Well for visitors anyway. Folks what live in Multnomah county get in for free. As this gets you into three floors of exhibits (there are actually four floors but at any given time one is off limits due to construction, renovation, exhibits coming in, exhibits going out, and zombie infestations or something.) it's quite the value proposition. The exhibits cover a wide range. On my visit there were exhibits on early (1940's thru 1980's) Oregon radio, the contributions and general history of the University of Oregon, and the civil rights movement in Portland. While the university exhibit was heavy on the science, they did manage to work in bits a they did work in some sports, culture and supernatural stuff in. The only interactive stuff is in the kids center downstairs, so you are going to have to do your own interpretations and some stuff-particularly the university exhibited seemed somewhat skewed. The university stuff while very informative was also almost an admissions ad for the school. For the history obsessed this is will be about a four hour visit, unless you're here for some special exhibit, then all bets are off. About two ish for the casual visitor. Bonus points awarded for giving out super awesome free lockers to store your bags in, and for the decent loungy inside/outside patio which makes a delightful lunch pic nik spot. Not a must do perhaps, but a perfectly acceptable place to waste time in while perhaps learning something.

5-stars for the Fab Four The Beatles exhibit!! I've had the opportunity to go to The Beatles Museum in Liverpool and to have something come here and so different from what the Liverpool experience was truly is so great & appreciated! However, the staff is left to be desired! Front desk lady was quite rude. I looked in their website as well as different avenues for reviews. Saw nothing about food or drink. So I took the risk to bring a fresh coffee with me. I was told I could leave it in a locker but the signs outside every exhibit say no beverages. I said as a friendly suggestion, it would be worth putting information like that on their website. She said every sign clearly states that before entering exhibits--I get that, but one doesn't learn of that until already present in the building. Gift shop "manager" was on the phone & asked an older woman to come ring me. I had two questions the associate didn't know the answer to, so I had to wait to ask the "manager." No big deal. But wow, I've never felt like such a nuisance or inconvenience! Y'all lucky I needed to take a birthday Beatle souvenir home otherwise I would've told y'all to change your fucking attitudes & walked out. I'm glad I got in for free as a Multnomah County resident. Good to know my taxes are going towards something. I was going to leave a donation, but again, RUDE staff & my taxes pay for this. ****beatlemania for life*****

We were SO disappointed with this museum. There is very little Oregon history, which is the main reason we visited. There are plenty of interactive displays for children and adults, but they are pretty lame. Beer lovers may appreciate the large beer history exhibit at the beginning of the tour, but I couldn't give a crap about beer. I really love Oregon's western history, but this was not the museum to learn anything new.

Last year in the autumn season of 2019, my husband and I had planned a trip to Portland. OHS was definitely on our list of must-visit attractions based on the wonderful content they provided via Facebook, as well as exhibitions about topics we really like (e.g. The Beatles). Long story short, our trip fell through, and I felt disappointed that we missed out. Today, however, I feel disappointed in the Society for a different reason, one that's more insidious given our current climate of trying to pull our planet together, reserving and preserving ecological concerns, and just doing our part to pull together. The Society provided remastered and updated footage of a news story's 50th anniversary, which would be fine and dandy if it didn't glorify animal abuse. Yes, it's the story of the very poor decision to remove an animal carcass from the beach with explosives and allowing the public to witness it. It's bad enough that this disgusting and reprehensible event took place, worse yet that it was filmed for posterity, but this takes the cake. This is above and beyond to show it again, on social media this time, where it undoubtedly will go viral and provoke many reactions. We need to stop the exploitation of animals. We need to be better. In the future, I would hope the Society chooses to use its technological advances (4K) and skill of the employees to far better measures. If this is but one example of the offerings we missed out on, I'd say we didn't miss anything of note.

Unfortunately they were doing a major modification so only a few exhibits were open to view. The ones on history of brewing and immigration were well organized. We did not stay very long but maybe if we come back to Portland we will try again. There is a small fee for entry.

What a fantastic place to spend a few hours! We originally walked over here to look at the Lewis and Clark mural, but then decided to give the museum a try as well. With a AAA membership, the adult admission fee is $10, which isn't bad at all. The museum had full exhibits on two floors and took us about three hours to get through. My favorite thing was a wall of a map of Oregon and little sticky notes that they wanted visitors to fill out with their favorite Oregon city and why. I couldn't get a picture of this though because they specifically indicated no photography on that floor. Having grown up in Portland, I'm surprised we never went to this museum on a field trip.

I had the good fortune to look around the Oregon Historical Society Museum yesterday. The highlight was the Peace Corps exhibit, which was full of interesting stories, fascinating volunteers, and over 40 years of personal history. It was well worth my time to wander around this fascinating portrayal of public service. Sometimes I think my Earthwatch activities is penance for no volunteering for the Peace Corps when I was younger. Of course, it's still not too late... I also enjoyed the rest of my time here. I wandered through "Oregon My Oregon" exhibit, enjoyed the retrospective history of the previous incarnation of the Portland Timbers Soccer Team, admired the baskets within the 1st Floor Gallery, and spend some time browsing in the Museum store. Then off I went across the street to the Portland Art Museum while I still had time.

Nice museum that's really discreet if you're walking by. The museum is substantial and pretty easy to digest. Still plan on spending a few hours here cause there's a lot of cool things to see. My favorite exhibits were the Oregon Wine and Lincoln exhibits. Both these exhibits do NOT allow photography. I was not notified about this and was even misinformed by some of the staff that almost got me into some deep trouble....=/ I've been watching Roots and live near Wine Country so both exhibits struck a chord with me. Just sad I couldn't photograph..=( My only complaint is that they don't sell food...I was SOO hungry halfway through the exhibits...=P

I've been a member for a number of years, buy season tickets for the Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series and provide onsite appraisal services for "What's It Worth" annual fund raiser. Family friendly with regular exhibit changes. It's well worth the trip downtown and joining!

Okay, I'll admit that when I visit museums, I don't thoroughly read many of the displays. However, this history museum was very attractive with wonderful and eye-catching displays which made it quite interesting. Most major cities that I have visited have a state history museum and this certainly ranks up there as one of the better ones. Unfortunately, the gift shop was closed for inventory.

This is a great Museum and Library to learn more about the place that you live. It is interesting how little people know about their cities. Having a strong interest in history and cities in particular, I love OHS. There are rotating exhibits on such topics as Pioneer, Native American, and WWII history. The gift shop is also very nice. Only con: The library has limited hours open to the public and there is usually a charge to use it. Check out their website if you are just curious, but visit yourself if you are doing research. Really a great resource.

So many great exhibits over the years. Once in a while there's a miss, but always an A for effort. The recent China-related exhibits and lectures were great. Free admission for Multnomah County residents, how cool. The bottom floor resembles a corporate office so some a slight refurbishment is welcome.

Located in the historic area of downtown Portland, this is a very worthwhile stop on your exploration of Oregon. There is a nice, though little gift shop, but the museum itself has many interesting exhibits about the history of Oregon. My favorite was a permanent exhibition that tells the story of Oregon's development from its earliest settlers through the Oregon trail. Many of the exhibits are interactive. I recommend this place and it is good for kids and adults.

They tried. I have to say, though there were a few interesting pieces (some of my favorites were the figurehead and artifacts from early native and colonial periods) the featured exhibit left much to be desired. Titled Barley, Barrels, Bottles, & Brew... I would add the word Bare. For a 200 year history of brewing beer in Oregon, I think it did Oregon brewers a disservice. I have seen better exhibits at a Hops Festivals or even an Oktoberfest. If you have an hour or so to fill, you might enjoy it. And hey, it's a museum and not terrible.

What a well-kept secret Gem in downtown Portland! I only paid $8 as Senior. Then, in describing the exhibits, it naturally came up where the restroom was located. I was able to breeze through two exhibits in under an hour. The exhibits were multi-media, and so very inclusive! It's not "his-story" any longer!

A bit spoiled after living on the East coast, but this museum with its interesting Native American exhibits fell quite short versus our haunts last year in Boston (The Harvard Natural History Museum and the "free" MIT maritime museum). Given it only took us 35 minutes to get through the entire museum, the admission price of $10 per person felt unfortunately a little too pricy.

This museum shows you in very clear Nice way the historische of Portland in Oregon. IT was an Eye opening for me. You can do iT in 1-1,5 hour. Go and see.

The door was locked well before closing. An employee unlocked the door to tell me they were closed. I pointed to the hours on the sign and she responded that the time was after 5. I showed her my phone clearly displaying that it was before 5. She repeated that the time was after 5. In psychology, this behavior is called "gaslighting."?What universe is this?

Everyone there is really sweet and I loved their gift shop. The only issue I had was with their Lewis and Clark exhibit. They claim that it began in St Louis. I explained that this is wrong, and that the expedition actually began at the falls of the Ohio River at Louisville, KY.

Back in middle school in addition to the awkwardness of gym class, marching band, and figuring out the pythagorean theorem, part of our curriculum was to take classes on how to use the internet. It's an odd thought now (aren't babies born programmed with neonatal apps usable on a 3G network?) but at the time I recall being confused and worried that I'd never figure it out, moreover remember that "h-t-t-p colon slash... wait...another slash?" thing that had to go in that box at the top of the page. Even though now the world wide web is second nature, a part of me is still programmed to respond to physical information. There's something so satisfying about holding an old set of photos or an original manuscript in your hands. The OHS research library, located in the Historical Society's building on the South Park Blocks is definitely the most approachable of any research institution I've been to in this country. I dropped in to find a series of landscape shots of historic Columbia County, specifically the old growth forests of Rainier, Oregon. After checking in I had the file of photos I was looking for in my white gloved hands. They found a few more files of surrounding areas for me, ran copies, and had me in and out in less than 45 minutes. Can it get any better than that? Nope. Not really. Public can visit Wednesday - Saturday with an $8.00 admission fee. Probably not ideal for the casual browser, but if you're dead set on finding information on the people and places that have made Oregon and Southwest Washington what it is today, then this is a worthy library full of sources welcome on any Works Consulted page. Because you can't always cite wikipedia.... unless of course you back up your findings with a youtube video.

This is a very nice museum. I've never been there before and I was quite pleasantly surprised at the size of it and the number of exhibits it had. Although it was a bit confusing find them all since it's on 3 different floors and kinda two different buildings. Loved the 3rd floor about Oregon the best. It was very well done.

Do you know that we have an Oregon Historical Society here in Portland? Do you know that you can get in for FREE on the third Saturday of the month? Do you know that our official state animal is the beaver? Do you know that our official state drink is Milk? Not Pabst like what I thought before... Do you know that David Douglas was a botanist? I don't know answers to all those questions until I visited the Oregon Historical Society. I spent 2 hours there! I love history!

I was impressed with the large scale of this museum, however did not feel the content of the exhibitions was all that terrific. The one area I did feel was well represented was an exhibit I saw on Native Americans, and particularly an oral history/film segment that included tribes not recognized by the Fedral Government. That has really stuck with me and provoked thoughts for a long time after experiencing it. Overall, I will try to stop by when I'm in Portland, however it will never be my first priority of sights to see (despite being a museum nerd and employed in the profession.) If some trips do not include a visit to this museum, there will not be any tears.

Attended on a FREE DAY. So very glad we did too. The exhibit displayed was regarding Lincoln. Fascinating yes. Very informative however not overly entertaining. The museum is much smaller than it first appears. No docents and it seemed chopped up w/o flow. So much wasted space!