Oregon’s oldest history museum, Fort Dalles in The Dalles, Oregon, first opened its doors to the public in 1905. It is housed in the only remaining officer’s house, the Surgeon’s Quarters, of the Fort Dalles military complex, built in 1856. When established in 1850 as Camp
Drum, this was the only U.S. Army fort on the Oregon Trail between Fort Laramie and Fort Vancouver. During the Indian wars, which followed the Whitman massacre, the Fort Dalles Army patrolled the “Emigrant Road,” sending Oregon Trail pioneers on their way to the Willamette Valley as expeditiously as possible, down the Columbia River or south along the Barlow Road around Mt. Hood. Museum exhibits include a variety of pioneer tools and artifacts, antique wagons and vehicles, and historic photos. Learn more about the Fort Dalles Museum.