Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village — Attraction in Cashmere

When I read another review that stated that this museum was “World-class”, I thought it was hyperbole. I am here to attest that this statement is a solid FACT, y’all! There are SO many great and important things about this museum that make it a must-see for any traveler-especially families-but there is something here for everyone!

I have truly not seen a collection of Pacific NW Native American artifacts as vast as this (ESPECIALLY textiles! The beaded leathers and basketry quality & quantity is stunning) outside of Canada, and even then only at much, much larger institutions. Having said this, everything at this museum is impeccably preserved and beautifully displayed. Those who gathered (apparently some artifacts are literally scavenged from muddy local riverbanks?!), organized, prepared and ultimately displayed these incredibly important and vital historical items and symbols of local Native talent, religious import, work/industry (i.e., there are extensive fishing, trapping, & even weaponry artifacts) & ingenuity have succeeded in preserving an exquisite and unique record of some of the still extant local Nations’ vibrant history. It is obvious that this museum has been the result of a tremendous labor of love on someone’s-or several someones’ part; while at the same time one is struck with how it has been possible to even obtain this extensive collection & what it must be like for someone of Native ancestry to view it behind glass…it is a LOT to take in and I suggest visitors give themselves ample time to browse, read & review the exhibits in order to give it the respect it is due. There is a LOT to see & learn here & a cursory glance just isn’t enough.

The museum is easy to walk but is larger than it appears: there are two floors so there are a flight of stairs and there is also an outdoor section that is fascinating as well. The indoor sections deal with: a vast array of beaded leather textiles & baskets, photos, pioneer dioramas, local flora/taxidermied fauna/geology, all other artifacts mentioned above & other various sundry Native & colonial historical artifacts; as well as much more historical information, including photographs & timetables. The outdoor section is huge & is composed of a complete pioneer town-having several open air cabins including a church, jail, post office, dentist/barber, doctor’s office, hotel, milliner, train station, typical home-style cabin, etc.

Again, give yourself time to see and enjoy everything and BRING WATER to drink (& for your dog, too!) and a hat/sunscreen/parasol-umbrella as there is NO SHADE outside and Cashmere is typically around ten degrees hotter than lower altitudes in Washington (i.e., Seattle).

The docents at the museum are simply LOVELY as well; the restrooms and gift shop are well appointed and the parking is easy and plentiful. Support animals are welcome and kids will love this museum for the animal &, pioneer home dioramas downstairs and the outdoor town (there’s even piped music and sound effects in the saloon, rail station and jail!).

There’s something here for everyone to learn and this museum ranks as one of the best out there for completeness of their collection, ease of use, overall fun and superb helpfulness of their staff. It’s a MUST-see in...

If they had involved tribes or had any Tribal member's products for sale, I'd recommend this museum. As is, it is a horrific and inexcusable exploitation of the Native Peoples of this area. It should be shut down and donated back to tribes in the area. Or at the very least, it should be free for tribal members to enter, including to see the items not on display from these collections. The only discount they offer is for aaa members.

Before entering we asked if they supported tribal small businesses and arts, but they only had white authors and products for sale. They had the lobby decorated with dream catchers, playing native music, these are purely discretion. The worker then told us about a local artist who liked to paint "cowboy and indian" and western iconography for Hollywood, and recommended we buy that. The artist was white and depictions were fairly stereotypical if not offensive given the context.

Far worse, the worker there claimed the items were acquired from private collections, and then explained how it was mostly one collector's, who had traded with native people for goods. This is a lie. She seemed to think they had been good to the local natives. There were many sacred items they would never have traded, such as a stone thrown, that the museum claims was probably was for religious ceremonies. It was here due to the flooding of its original site for the local dam. There is zero interest in returning these items to the original tribes, despite them having cultural centers as well.

The one good thing was they had done a decent job of attributing some of the original basket weavers. The geologic museum and pioneer village were well done, and similiar to other ones I've been to. It was insightful.

If you want to honor native Americans, dont go here. If you want an insight into the communities of Eastern Otegon and their distortion of reality, then this is the perfect...

We greatly enjoyed both the outdoor Pioneer Village and the inside Cashmere Museum. The Pioneer Village has several individual buildings spread out over well-kept grounds. Each building is furnished with authentic items and can be viewed looking into them.Some of the buildings can be walked into, including a detailed railroad station and train car. The separate Cashmere Museum has many displays, including Native artifacts, Pioneer artifacts, and some great wildlife displays, and is much bigger than it appears. The staff is very helpful and friendly. We really had a great afternoon exploring it all. We went on a Sunday and there was a fun Farmer's Market in the park...