Our history defines us as the unique
community we are.
The people who live here are shaped by the diverse
geography, and the rich, natural resources, now as always. Six museums
tell the story of how our community has evolved. First, the story of
the Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin peoples who lived off the abundance of the lakes, rivers and
marshes. Then, the stories of the first settlers, who endured great
hardships to establish timber and agriculture as the base of the
region’s economy. The largest museum, the Klamath County Museum, is
located in Klamath Falls, along with the carefully restored Baldwin Hotel Museum and
the extraordinary Favell Museum filled
with national class Western and Indian artifacts and art.
The history of Merrill and Malin, along with the
history of the entire Tulelake Basin and Butte Valley, is located just
minutes across the California border in the Tulelake
Museum of Local History. There you will
also learn of the history of the huge Tulelake Internment Camp where
thousands of Japanese-American citizens were housed against their will
during WW II. The Fort Klamath Museum tells
the infamous history of the Modoc War and the Collier
State Park Logging Museum, just above
Chiloquin, Oregon is one of the nation’s finest and most complete
logging museums.
Klamath County Museum
In the 1930s, the Klamath County Museum was
a National Guard Armory and hosted performances by many of
American’s jazz greats. Today, the Klamath County Museum houses a
splendid array of local birds in dioramas reflective of their natural
habitat, along with Native American artifacts and relics from pioneer
days.
Main Museum
1451 Main St.
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
(541) 883-4208
Baldwin Hotel Museum
Built in 1906 to lodge travelers arriving by train
from San Francisco, the Senator George Baldwin Hotel originally housed
a hardware store on its main floor. The growing demand for overnight
lodging, prompted the senator to remove the hardware and add additional
rooms. If history is your passion, the hotel is a “must
see.” Baldwin’s daughter, Maud, left the community a
phenomenal pictorial history of the city. Her work is on display at the
museum, along with thousands of artifacts from that era.
Baldwin Hotel Museum
31 Main St.
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
(541) 883-4207
Fort Klamath Museum & Park
Visit Fort Klamath on the way to Crater Lake.
Built in 1863, the fort was the first military outpost in the region.
All that is left of the settlement is the guardhouse, which exhibits
relics from the fort and pictures from that era. Learn about the
courageous Modoc Chief Captain Jack and the three warriors who were
hung at the fort for waging war against the U.S. Army. Their gravesites
are a short distance from the museum.
Fort Klamath Museum
51400 Highway 62
(541) 381-2230
Stunning displays and spectacular art make have
earned the Favell Museum worldwide acclaim. Museum founders, Gene and
Winifred Favell, wrote, “This museum is dedicated to the Indians
who roamed and loved this land before the coming of the white man and
to those artists who truly portray the inherited beauty which surrounds
us.”
Favell Museum
125 West Main
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97601
(541) 882-9996
Stunning displays and spectacular art make have
earned the Favell Museum worldwide acclaim. Museum founders, Gene and
Winifred Favell, wrote, “This museum is dedicated to the Indians
who roamed and loved this land before the coming of the white man and
to those artists who truly portray the inherited beauty which surrounds
us.”
Klamath County Library
The Klamath County Library is FILLED with
books, magazines, newspapers including and excellent reference
section on the history of the area.
Klamath County Library
Andy Swanson, Director
126 South 3rd Street
Klamath Falls, OR 07601
History of the Region
Klamath County
Warmed by the skins of the animals they hunted,
Hudson Bay Company trappers Peter Skeen Ogden, Thomas McKay and Finan
McDonald pushed their mounts through the snow and cold, breaching the
summit of the Cascade Range. Adventure and profit from the sale of
beaver pelts drove them into the homeland of the Klamath, Modoc and
Yahooskin Tribes. The three trappers were the first white men to set
foot in Klamath County in 1825.
From their vantage point near Crater Lake, the
grizzled mountain men surveyed the flat expanse of the Wood River
Valley. The Williamson, Sprague and Sycan Rivers spread out before
them. A vast body of water - Agency Lake and Upper Klamath Lake -
shimmered in the distance. Moving down from the highlands, the trappers
set in motion forces, which forever changed the lives of the native
people who already called the Klamath Basin home.
In 1848, gold was discovered in northern
California and southern Oregon. Thomas McKay once again returned to
Klamath County - this time as a prospector and guide for the growing
army of men infected with gold fever. For some, the allure of the land
was more compelling than the glint of gold in a prospector’s pan.
With little regard for the native population, settlers and homesteaders
began carving up and taking ownership of Klamath County’s 6,000
square miles.
Over the next 150 years, Klamath County grew
steadily on revenues from logging, ranching and agriculture. The
railroad replaced the prairie schooner. Loggers replaced miners.
Farmers replaced settlers. And ranchers replaced trappers. Cattle grew
fat on the abundant bluegrass, bunch and rye grasses flourishing in the
Wood River Valley.
Today, Klamath County is best known for its
wetlands, woodlands and wildlife. Biological and geological diversity
set it apart from any other place on earth. Klamath County is home to
Crater Lake National Park and sits directly under the Pacific Flyway.
Millions of migrating birds rest and refuel in the county’s six
wildlife refuges, all within a 50-mile radius of Klamath Falls. The
largest concentration of bald eagles in the lower 48 states winters in
Klamath County, feeding on rodents and waterfowl.
Klamath Falls
It took resolute men and women to settle the West.
Rugged individualism and self-reliance were essential to their
survival. Embracing those traditions, storekeeper George Nurse
established the community of Linkville in 1867. Renamed Klamath Falls
in 1893, the frontier ethics, which shaped Linkville, continue to mold
Klamath Falls today.
Like many rural communities at the turn of the
century, Klamath Falls dreamed of the railroad bringing goods, services
and the opportunity to travel to neighboring communities and states.
After many false starts, the railroad arrived in Klamath Falls in 1909.
Over 1,000 excited residents greeted the nine-car train pulled by steam
engine X2251. The old Southern Pacific station house, looking much like
it did in the early 1900s, is still in service today. Klamath Falls is
one of the few towns in Oregon served by Amtrak.
Ideally located halfway between San Francisco and
Portland, Klamath Falls began to realize its potential when E.H.
Harriman, president of the Southern Pacific Railroad, began
construction of a magnificent hotel, the White Pelican, on the corner
of Main Street and Esplanade. The city’s stately new landmark set
the stage for a building boom, which turned Klamath Falls into a
playground for wealthy San Franciscans.
At one time, the city boasted six magnificent
theaters, some for movies, others for live performances. Californians,
seeking relief from the economic woes of the 1930s, arrived by train,
anxious to indulge in a little revelry.
A thriving “entertainment industry”
had sprung to life in Klamath Falls. In the 30s, brothels and saloons
were packed on Friday nights with loggers and ranch hands. On more than
a few occasions, cowboys and woodsmen would toss back just enough beer
to wash away their inhibitions. Fistfights were as much a part of the
entertainment as the movies and live performances in the city’s
multiple theaters.
Local historians bemoan the loss of those
magnificent structures. One of the few to survive old age, earthquakes
and the bulldozer is the Ross Ragland Theater. It’s art deco
design and neon-lighted tower is an inviting beacon to weary travelers
anxious to settle in for the evening.
One final note:
There was a time when Klamath Falls actually had a
shallow, staircase-like waterfall on the Link River. Damming of the
river for power and irrigation submerged the falls.
