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.
