Experience Spirit of the West in the Virtual World, & More from the High Desert Museum

(Photo | Courtesy of the High Desert Museum)

ONE OBJECT OPENS AN ENTIRE WORLD

Dive into a deeply engaging scene of our permanent Spirit of the West exhibition through a new online experience! Learn more about the Hi Loy Mercantile, which depicts an early 20th century Chinese business and community hub, in Stories from the High Desert.

Using a golden lantern that’s part of the Museum’s collection, the virtual tour opens the world of Chinese immigrants in Silver City, Idaho in the late 1800s. The lantern lights the way into the story of Chinese miners who came to boomtowns across the High Desert.

We are excited to share this vibrant piece of our collection in the digital universe and offer a new experience engaging with a story of the past, informing our present and future.

Story from Spirit of the West

A STORY OF SOVEREIGNTY

Natural History Pub returns to the virtual world on Monday, October 4 with Homelands, Treaty and Culture.

We will have the honor of hearing from Bobby Brunoe, General Manager of Natural Resources and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. He’ll provide an overview of where the Tribes come from and the Treaty of 1855 as well as insight into the Tribes’ culture, sovereignty and management of lands on and off reservation.

NATURAL HISTORY PUB: HOMELANDS, TREATY AND CULTURE

Monday, October 4
7-8pm
FREE but registration is required
RSVP: Registration

SUN SETTING ON DAM IT!

The 1969 Oregon Legislature named the beaver the official state animal, and there’s good reason. In the dynamic Museum exhibit Dam It! Beavers and Us, discover why this rockstar engineer of riparian and aquatic habitats is important to not only this state but also to the greater High Desert landscape.

Dam It! closes Sunday, October 3. Don’t miss the chance to discover something amazing about the largest rodent in North America!

EXHIBITION CLOSING: DAM IT! BEAVERS AND US

Sunday, October 3
9am-5pm
FREE with Museum admission
Learn more

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES

Museum members get a special virtual experience on October 15 with our newest exhibit Rethinking Fire! Peek into a traveling exhibition by artist and photographer Bryan David Griffith. In 2014, a wildfire that threatened Griffith’s home and studio inspired explorations in fire and art. The work evolved into the exhibit now headed to the High Desert Museum.

On Friday, October 15, members will hear from Andrew Merschel, Ph.D., a forest ecologist will give a talk titled “It Didn’t Always Burn This Way: Lessons from Historical Fires in Central Oregon.”

VIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION PREVIEW: RETHINKING FIRE

Friday, October 15
6:30-8pm
Members FREE
RSVP: Registration

LOOK TO THE FUTURE

It’s never too soon to explore estate planning. Join us for the virtual program Tips and Strategies for Effective Charitable Giving on Tuesday, October 19.

Local experts Erin MacDonald, trusts and estates attorney for Karnopp Petersen LLP, and Julie Gregory, senior philanthropic advisor for Oregon Community Foundation, will meet us in the virtual world to share innovative ways to structure your philanthropic giving to support the High Desert Museum and other charities during your lifetime or in your estate plan.