The museum will be closed until further notice due to air quality concerns. We are evaluating the situation daily. Please stay safe!
Columbia Gorge Museums Pass
Value-Priced Columbia Gorge Museums Pass Offers Free Admission at Nine Regional Museums
The $99 pass is available online at www.gorgeculture.org/museumspass
Local residents and visitors to the Columbia River Gorge can now take advantage of a low-cost museum pass that gives free admission for up to four (4) people at nine (9) regional museums. The $99 pass has a combined value of more than $275 and is valid through September 2021.
“This is a really convenient and economical way to explore cultural sites of interest along both the Washington and Oregon sides of the Columbia River Gorge,” says Janice Crane, executive director of Cascade Locks Historical Museum and one of the programs organizers. “It’s also a great way to support local museums rebounding from the recent pandemic closures. Proceeds from the pass will be split evenly between the nine participating museums as a way to make up some of the revenue lost during the shutdown.”
Participating museums are located from Cascade Locks to Pendleton, and include: Cascade Locks Historical Museum (Cascade Locks, OR); Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum (The Dalles, OR); Columbia Gorge Interpretative Center Museum (Stevenson, WA); History Museum of Hood River County (Hood River, OR); Maryhill Museum of Art (Goldendale, WA); Tamástslikt Cultural Institute (Pendleton, OR); Two Rivers Heritage Museum (Washougal, WA); Original Wasco County Courthouse (The Dalles); and Western Antique Areoplane & Automobile Museum (Hood River, OR).
The pass can only be purchased online at www.gorgeculture.org/museumspass
Postponed- Annual Membership Meeting
Our annual membership meeting was originally scheduled for July 29. This meeting has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
However, you can still renew or purchase a new membership! Memberships are available online or for purchase at the museum between 11am and 4pm daily. Purchase or renew your membership between July 26 and August 1 and qualify for our annual meeting membership perk of two free tickets to ride Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge.
Now Hiring: Visitor Services Representative
Friends of the Cascade Locks Historical Museum are hiring! We have one opening for a seasonal Visitor Services Representative. To apply, please send an email of interest with either your resume or an employment application to director@cascadelocksmuseum.org.
Job Title: Visitor Services Representative
Position Type: Part-Time, Temporary, Non-Exempt
Wage: $13.00/hour
Reports To: Executive Director
Travel Required: None
Location: Cascade Locks Historical Museum, 417 SW Portage Rd, Cascade Locks, OR 97014
Schedule: 10:45 AM- 4:15 PM, 2-3 days per week. Weekend availability required.
Season: Summer 2020. Museum is open daily through September 30, and closed Tuesday and Wednesday in October.
Description: Cascade Locks Historical Museum employs public-facing customer service staff to take admission, answer visitor questions, and perform light janitorial duties on museum exhibits.
Responsibilities:
Customer Service
Welcome visitors to the museum
Provide information to visitors, such as admission rates, restroom location, suggestions for things to do in the area.
Record COVID-19 contact tracing information from visitors
Cashiering
Process cash and credit card transactions using a tablet interfacing point of sale system
Accurately count change for cash transactions
Light Janitorial Duties
Use disinfectants to follow COVID-19 sanitation procedures
Use glass cleaner to remove fingerprints from cases
Sweep as needed
Vacuum carpet as needed
Other duties
Other duties may be assigned for completion during down-time between visitor groups based on employee ability and interest.
Requirements:
A positive attitude, friendly demeanor, and willingness to learn
Working proficiency in English language
General knowledge of local area helpful but not required
General knowledge of local history helpful but not required
Must be 18 or older
Work Environment:
Cascade Locks Historical Museum is located in a 1905 historic house in Cascade Locks Marine Park. Due to the historic nature of the building, accessing the facility requires ascending and descending stairs. The building has original windows and is frequently warm in the summer and cool in the winter.
Reopening June 29
After a successful soft-opening week, the museum is fully reopened as of June 29, 2020. We are open 11:00 AM- 4:00 PM Daily.
Please be prepared to follow these new museum rules:
Cloth face coverings are required inside public buildings in Hood River County. No mask, no entry.
Groups must have less than 10 people.
Please follow one-way directions and respect room occupancy limits. Be mindful of maintaining social distance of 6 feet inside the museum.
Walk-ups must provide guestbook information for contact tracing.
We are still monitoring the rapidly changing coronavirus situation. Hours may be subject to change without notice.
Soft Re-opening June 23
Cascade Locks Historical Museum is soft re-opening to the public on June 23, 2020.
At the recommendation of the Oregon Health Authority guidelines for museums, we are reopening primarily by appointment. This gives us time to sanitize between groups of visitors. We have many historic surfaces to sanitize and limited physical capacity. This is crucial to the health and safety of our visitors and staff. You can schedule your visit online, or call us at 541-374-8535.
We are accepting same-day appointments and walk-ups by availability. Staff will be in the museum between 11 and 4, 7 days per week, to accommodate those visitors as best we can. If you are reading this on your phone while standing outside the museum, please knock on the front door to check availability.
Please be prepared to follow these new museum rules:
Cloth face coverings are required inside public buildings in Hood River County. No mask, no entry.
Groups must have less than 10 people.
Please follow one-way directions and respect room occupancy limits. Be mindful of maintaining social distance of 6 feet inside the museum.
Walk-ups must provide guestbook information for contact tracing.
We hope to transition to maintaining regular open hours in a few weeks if we find that we are able to safely accommodate walk-up visitors. Thanks for your patience while we experiment with these new operating procedures.
Hood River County Approved for Phase I Re-Opening
Businesses in the communities in Hood River County are permitted to begin re-opening while complying with the state guidelines for Phase I.
We at Cascade Locks Historical Museum are working diligently on our reopening plan and hope to announce what we can do within our capacity to allow folks to come see us safely soon. Please check back for updates!
Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 Closure
Under Executive Order 20-12 from Governor Kate Brown, the museum is closed until further notice beginning March 23, 2020. We are doing our part to mitigate the community spread of Novel Coronavirus COVID-19. We are monitoring the rapidly changing situation and hope to announce a new opening date soon. We hope you and your families stay safe at home and stay well.
New! Museum open for Spring Break
Cascade Locks Historical Museum will be open special hours for Spring Break. The museum will be open every day the week of March 23, 2020- March 29, 2020 and April 6, 2020- April 11, 2020 from 11:00 am- 4:00 pm.
The museum will stay open for the year after Spring Break and will have regular hours available through October 31, 2020.
New! Winter Break Hours
Looking for something fun to do while school’s out? Cascade Locks Museum will be open for special holiday hours during winter break.
We will be open Saturday, December 21, 2019 through Sunday, January 5, 2020 from 10:00 AM-3:00 PM. We will be closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the holidays.
Missed us during the winter? We’re opening for the season early this year- come see us for spring break starting March 23, 2020.