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White River Valley Museum

Ordinary People, Extraordinary History

Located in Auburn’s Les Gove Park, the White River Valley Museum tells the story of South King County from the Native People, through the Settlers, and into the 20th Century.

Explanation of Mission The White River Valley Museum is administered as a partnership between the City of Auburn and the White River Valley Historical Society. It combines history and culture to create an exciting and educational experience for visitors. The museum’s collections focus on local Puget Sound history, Northwest Indian culture, Japanese-Americans, and the Northern Pacific Railroad. "The mixing of diverse cultures is presented in a lively, evocative way. People of the past come to life with diary excerpts, artifacts and photographs. Modern visitors get a taste of the past as they walk through a pioneer cabin, sit in a one-room schoolhouse, stroll along a 1920s street and climb aboard a caboose."

Exhibitions Permanent exhibitions at the museum invite you to explore the area early pioneers called the White River Valley. Today, this section of Washington is known as Auburn, Kent, Algona, and Pacific. Through the use of oral history quotes, artifacts, photographs, and crafted displays, the history of the White River Valley region is brought to life for visitors. Permanent exhibits include: Auburn Depot,1924, Japanese American Farmhouse, c. 1915, Auburn Downtown, 1920s, Muckleshoot Indian Canoe Scene, Northern Clay Company/Gladding McBean, and Tourist Hotel. Recent temporary exhibits have included On Track: The Railroad Photographs of Warren McGee and Suffer for Beauty.

The Mary Olson Farm The City of Auburn purchased this farm from the descendants of Alfred Olson in 1994, and it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This 19th century farm, one the best preserved in King County, is being developed by the White River Valley Museum as a living history and environmental education site.

Public Programs The museum offers workshops in historic conservation, lectures relating to current exhibits, as well as various family events. School programs are targeted to K-12 students and involve interactive tours designed to build connections between the young students and the people who created the White River Valley’s unique history. Additional educational programming includes “Curious Careers,” which is a hands-on explorations of the many jobs people have had, “History’s Mysteries,” a tour that allows students to become junior detectives to interpret artifacts and documents from the region, and “Of Cedar and Salmon,” a hands-on tour that explores historical and contemporary lifeways of the Northwest Coast Salish Native Americans. In addition to youth programming, the museum offers adult learning opportunities in the form of lectures, discussions, and tours.

The Education Department also offers Heritage Outreach Kits that engage students with stories of Japanese immigration, Coast Salish culture, and Japanese American internment.

Collections The museum’s collections focus on local Puget Sound history, Northwest Indian culture, Japanese-Americans, and the Northern Pacific Railroad. There are also photograph collections on the museum’s website: www.wrvmuseum.org

External links

• Washington State Historical Society
• City of Auburn Tourism Board
• Facebook Page for the White River Valley Museum & Mary Olson Farm