High Desert Museum This Place Is Alive - And Not With Old Furniture

The traffic along central Oregon’s U.S. Highway 97 flows like the constant waters of the nearby Deschutes River.

Motorists caught in the current can’t be expected to explore every eddy of interest, with so much to choose from. To the west, there’s Mount Bachelor Ski Area, to the east, Newberry Crater National Monument. Almost every side road promises opportunities for whitewater rafting, mountain biking and another round of golf.

Yet one of the area’s most rewarding detours is only a few hundred yards off Highway 97, six miles south of Bend. There, tucked away among the Ponderosa pines and sagebrush, sits the 24-acre High Desert Museum.

Don’t let the word “museum” scare you off! This place is not just another warehouse of bones, baubles and tourist-dollar booby traps.

That’s obvious even before you reach the front door. Skirting the path from the parking lot to the main entrance trickles a charming, natural-looking water feature populated with curious rainbow trout and other riparian residents. They only hint at the live wildlife exhibits waiting inside: birds of prey, river otters, porcupines, lizards, snakes, bats - a whole menagerie of creatures found in the eight-state “high desert” region bordered by the Rockies and the Cascades.

Besides animals, there’s a fascinating Spirit of the West diorama, which permits visitors to stroll through different eras of western discovery, starting with a native American encampment circa 8,000 B.C. and progressing through various stages of frontier exploration and development. As you enter each artifact-rich tableau, you hear authentic sounds of the period, from desert songbirds to squeaky ore carts to blacksmith hammering. A Chinese store is painstakingly rendered, right down to the aroma of teas and spices.

The main building - designed by Portland architect Thom Hacker, whose other credits include Spokane’s downtown library - also houses art galleries and an intriguing “Desertarium” that recreates five high-desert ecosystems, complete with kangaroo rats, burrowing owls and other live critters, plus hands-on craft demonstrations.

A special exhibit currently on display tells the story of the region’s Basque population through photographs, personal objects and interviews. The building also houses a gift shop and cafe.

Outside, a network of nature trails lead visitors to a settler’s cabin and homestead, a sheepherder’s wagon, forestry exhibit and a functioning frontier sawmill.

It’s hard to believe that when the museum was proposed in the late ‘70s, it received less-than-enthusiastic local support. “The business community and chamber said good luck,” recalls museum president Jerry Moore, “but most people thought it was a harebrained scheme.”

But maybe the founders’ non-commercial approach worked in their favor. Instead of conceiving of the museum simply as a way to promote economic development, they were guided by their love for the desert and a desire to help others understand the region’s natural and cultural history, so they would take better care of it.

Newsweek magazine described it as “a museum of ideas.” Author Jean Auel (“Clan of the Cave Bear”) said the facility “helps us understand the past and prepare for the future.”

Since its doors opened in 1982, more than a million visitors have been exposed to High Desert’s message. During summer months, 85 percent of those who stop are from outside the area.

Moore believes attendance numbers might be higher if it weren’t for that one pesky word: “museum.”

“The museum label is definitely a handicap,” he says. “It conjures up that dusty, musty image of traditional museums.”

Words can’t do justice to so unique a facility, Moore says. “That’s why we work so hard to get pictures incorporated into our communications - to convey that there are a lot of different things going on here.”

Even so, many of those motorists out on Highway 97 still haven’t gotten the message.

“It’s a constant challenge,” admits Moore. “I’ve talked to visitors who drove by the museum a half dozen times over the years before they finally stopped. Yet once inside, they’re amazed.

“But based on our name and their perception of museums, they had no idea we have so much to offer.” , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos

MEMO: The High Desert Museum is six miles south of Bend, between Lava Lands Visitor Center and Sunriver Nature Center. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6.25 for adults; $5.75 for seniors and teens; and $3 for children over 4. For more information, contact the museum at (503) 382-4754.

This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Whether Bend is your destination, or just a convenient layover on your way to Crater Lake Lodge, Ashland’s Shakespeare Festival or Northern California, the town and surrounding countryside offer plenty of tempting diversions. About 450 miles southwest of Spokane, Bend is the hub of central Oregon’s recreational playground. Sport climbers flock to nearby Smith Rock State Park, while golfers have 21 courses among which to choose. Fly fishing and whitewater rafting are readily accessible along the region’s 500 miles of rivers and streams. Mount Bachelor, 9,000 feet high, boasts 60 trails for skiers and snowboarders. The hill’s cross-country groomers maintain almost 10 miles of tracks, and nearby national forests provide unlimited backcountry opportunities. The town of Bend, with a population of 30,000, offers a surprisingly wide range of accommodations. Besides familiar chain motels - Red Lion, Shilo Inn, Hampton Inn, etc. - there’s also an assortment of specialty lodging. Lara House Bed & Breakfast (503-388-4064), Bend’s first B&B, is located directly across from the town’s showcase Drake Park. Its six rooms with private baths range from $75 to $95. Other, smaller B&B’s include historic Sather House (503-388-1065) and Farewell Bend (503-382-4374). All are within easy walking distance of downtown restaurants. The Riverhouse, Bend’s only AAA Four Diamond facility, has 220 rooms, some with kitchens and fireplaces. It also offers three restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools and an 18-hole golf course. Rates range from $51 to $99. (800) 547-3928. The Inn of the Seventh Mountain seven miles southwest of town has swimming, tennis, golf, rafting, canoeing, fishing and horseback riding. Rates range from $60 double occupancy to $385 for a three-bedroom condo. (800) 452-6810. Rafting and fishing guides abound in this semi-arid desert country. Other ways to get off the beaten track include: Wanderlust Tours (800-661-5878), which offers ecotouring, snowshoeing and wilderness camping in nearby national forests and state parks; and Oregon Trail of Dreams sled dog rides (800-829-2442), ranging from 90-minute introductions ($60 per adult) to a 65-mile trek through the Cascades ($700 per 350 pounds). For more information, contact the Bend Chamber of Commerce at 63085 N Highway 97, Bend, OR 97701, or telephone (503) 382-3221. Another resource is the Central Oregon Recreation Association, at (800) 800-8334.