Museums are like people

Yesterday was another scenic, if short drive with our rigs up 84 into Oregon. Baker City, OR is a small (10,000) town with a substantial historical narrative. At one time the 3^rd largest city in Oregon because of gold in the nearby mountains, it has kept itself alive by maintaining its connection to this history, preservation of structures of architectural significance, and highlighting its connections to the Oregon trail. It is also the location for filming one of my all-time favorite movies, Paint Your Wagon. After checking into our RV park and fixing lunch, we did a tour of town. Later that evening we went to the historical Geisner Hotel for dinner; great architecture but disappointing food.

Baker has converted a natatorium into an exceptional local museum; the Oregon Trail Regional Museum. We expect these local museums to be underwhelming, and are seldom surprised. This was one of those real exceptions that we hope for. Well stocked with highly interesting artifacts, it is logically arranged and educational as well as interesting. The local court record book (which one could peruse if wearing white gloves) from the gold days showed many arrest for drunk and disorderly. Offenders were listed as "Irish, German, Chinaman, Jap, negro, and American." One series of 9 women arrested in a “disorderly house” were all classified by occupation as “sporting” and had all been fined from 10 to 20 dollars.

The X-Ray machine pictured here is mounted on a wood case with wheels. It was apparently the most powerful machine in the region at the time, but was in the local clinic rather than the hospital. By the way, if you notice, I could handle the exhibits here without being arrested.

We visit a lot of places that ultimately range from nice, to so-so, to truly awful. However, with some frequency, we find a hidden jewel like this museum. If you want a guarantee that you will be excited and happy every time you try something new, you will miss a great many worthwhile experiences. I think this goes for people as well. One of the great aspects of RV travel is there are so many new people to meet and, as with small museums, appearances can be deceiving, and if you don’t take the time to explore, you will miss great opportunities.