Washougal students dive into local history

Washougal School District fourth-graders are getting an up-close look at local history this year, thanks to a local couple’s donation.

Washougal High School alumni Bill and Becky Smead donated $15,000 to the Camas-Washougal Historical Society to provide three years’ worth of transportation, admission and activity costs for the Washougal elementary school students.

The historical society hopes the field trips will become an annual learning experience for fourth-graders studying state and local history.

“Washougal is full of hidden gems, and the Two Rivers Heritage Museum is one of them,” Gause Elementary fourth-grade teacher Colleen Davis said. “There is so much to explore, and it is wonderful that we have a museum that honors the settlers of Washougal as well as the native Americans who were here for generations before.”

Davis’ class was one of the first to take advantage of the new field trip opportunity. Chaperoned by school staff and guided by museum volunteers, the Gause fourth-graders visited the Washougal history museum on Jan. 28, where they explored 19th and 20th century mining and timber equipment displays and watched a weaving demonstration that used the museum’s 100-year-old traveling loom.

During the Gause students’ tour, members of the Columbia Play Project, a Vancouver nonprofit focused on exploratory play for children, led the fourth-graders in a hands-on wool weaving project. The students also viewed historical displays showcasing cookware, communication tools and toys, and discovered artifacts used by the region’s Indigenous people who hailed from the Cowlitz, Klickitat, Quinault, Salish, Chinook and Makah tribes.

“A parent chaperone I spoke with noted that she had been aware of the museum but had no idea how much it had to offer,” Davis said.

The teacher added that her students were fascinated by the museum’s replica Chinook plank house known as The Gathering Place at Washuxwal.

“The plank house was my favorite part of the museum visit,” Gause student Guinevere Walters said. “I liked the carved designs and the way they described how the house was used.”

Museum volunteer Lee Gilronan, a retired teacher, said that the museum “is a wonderful place for kids to connect with local history.”

Davis agreed.

“It’s my hope that these student tours raise awareness of this museum and encourage our students to learn more about the rich history of their hometown,” Davis said.

Washougal fourth-graders from Hathaway, Cape Horn-Skye and Columbia River Gorge elementary schools are set to tour the museum later this year.

Camas-Washougal Historical Society President Richard Lindstrom said in a news release that the historical society is grateful to the Smead family for the donation.

“We are … delighted to have this opportunity to share artifacts and stories of Washougal history with these young people,” Lindstrom said in the news release. “Our goal is for students to gain a better understanding of Washougal’s geographic, economic and cultural history, and that this will lead to pride in their community.”

The Two Rivers Heritage Museum is located at 1 Durgan St., across the parking lot from the Pendleton Woolen Mill in downtown Washougal. The museum is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, March through October. For more information, visit 2rhm.com.