History museum seeking financial support

For ten years, the museum had off-site storage for a large portion of the collection. But the space was not climate-controlled and became cramped. In March 2024, the collection migrated to a large but spendy climate-controlled complex owned by the Port of Hood River, where it currently resides. Now facing unanticipated budgetary impacts, the county cannot sustain costs and will have to move once again.

The museum is presently negotiating with a local fruit company for a potential space, but will have to come up with the necessary funds to make it viable.

“We need to be a little more transparent with the community,” Hood River County Heritage Council Chair Erica Roulier told Columbia Gorge News. “This is your museum, and it needs your support.”

The Hood River County Heritage Council, a nonprofit board formed in 2014 to raise additional funds, covers museum costs separate from the county budget or ticket sales.

One way the museum can ensure a vibrant future is by reinvigorating volunteership. In the past, a strong and well-established group provided reliable support for museum operations, many of whom were retired teachers. But with age, many felt ready to pass the baton, leading to current challenges with recruiting and retaining new volunteers.

“We’re seeing a dearth of volunteers because the economy has changed,” said Executive Director Lisa Commander. “Fewer people have time to give because they’re working later or they have two jobs.”

The focus moves to outreach efforts, ensuring community members identify that their local cultural institution needs them to survive. While museums across the Gorge share resources and promote each other as best they can, they are all struggling with the same thing. It will always trickle down to the people, the beneficiaries of institutional knowledge, to prop them up.

“People want access to libraries and museums; they want to be able to enjoy those things in their spare time,” Commander said. “We don’t want to disappear into the woodwork because that means Hood River is no longer thriving as a community.”  

The museum and council are currently implementing several outreach initiatives, all with the same general objective: reaching new and underrepresented segments of the population.

Their “Nuestras Raíces” exhibit shares the history and culture of Mexican immigrants who have settled, and continue to migrate to the Hood River Valley. The display is entirely in Spanish, with English translation available via QR code. “From now on, we will always have an exhibit that is completely in Spanish to represent our Latino community,” Commander said. “They make us who we are. We hope it can be a space for folks to come and tell their stories.”

To educate and spark interest among youth, the museum will begin providing “teaching trunks” to classrooms up and down the Gorge, containing a week’s worth of curriculum and artifacts related to different exhibits. Teachers will have the option to request trunks from the museum’s website and return them a month later. 

The museum also hopes to continue its speaker series. Last summer’s “Embrace the Wild Wind: a history of water sports in Hood River” was a huge hit with locals, highlighting a slice of the area’s modern history rooted in outdoor recreation.

“We want people to become members and regular donors,” Roulier said. “We want more businesses to become sponsors to show that the history of this place matters and that they support it.”

Business sponsorships are $200 a year. For more information, to become a member or to donate, visit www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org.