A History Field Trip...

A few weeks ago the girls and I took a little field trip to the Museum of the Oregon Territory. The view from the museum was fantastic. You could look out over the Willamette River and see the locks, the old paper mill and highway that runs along the river.

Supposedly this interesting looking basaltic rock formation can still be seen just a few miles south of our city along the Willamette River. We'll have to go and look for it someday!

I especially liked the old photographs. I love seeing what this area looked like a hundred + years ago. It gives you a glimpse of what the early settlers might have seen when they first arrived.

There was a pretty impressive old pharmacy set up that you could look at...lots and lots of bottles of elixirs, herbal remedies and such. It was fun to read the names and what they were supposed to cure.

We read about and saw many artifacts of the early settlers, and in general learned more about pioneer life in Oregon.

Bethany and Sarah learned a few things about education in a one room school house. They even tried out the old school desks.

We learned about the Indians that lived on the banks of the Willamette and Columbia rivers.

There was also a special exhibit called "What to Wear to the Opera." The girls enjoyed looking at the fancy gowns, opera glasses, fans, gloves etc. that fashionable ladies might have worn for a night out on the town.

We really had a grand time

and learned a few new things along the way!