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Wednesday, September 23, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
MUSEUM: Visitors
are asked to observe
health guidelines
Continued from page 1
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
and other days by appoint-
ment. Appointments can
be arranged by calling the
museum at 541-904-0585.
Admission is free with dona-
tions gladly accepted. Visitors
are asked to wear masks
and use hand sanitizer until
the coronavirus threat has
subsided.
The museum is appropri-
ately housed in the former
George Wakefield bungalow,
sporting a fresh coat of white
paint with black trim, making
it easy to spot right behind
the statue of the outlaw horse.
The owner of the house is
Chris Boxwell, a local con-
tractor, who offered the main
floor of the house to the Three
Sisters Historical Society to
lease for their first perma-
nent location. Boxwell made
improvements to the house at
his cost, which enhanced its
suitability as a museum, and
continues to be very support-
ive of their efforts.
The museum occupies two
main exhibit rooms, a gift
shop, an office, and probably
the most fun bathroom (ADA)
in Sisters, filled with antique
treasures, including the origi-
nal charter for the Sisters
chapter of the International
Order of Oddfellows. The
two large rooms, one com-
plete with a fireplace, will
house frequently rotating
displays.
The initial exhibit in the
fireplace room features Camp
Polk Meadow from the time
of the Native Americans who
passed through it on their
annual travels, to Civil War
soldiers who named it for
their home Oregon county,
and the homesteads of the
Hindman and Fryrear fami-
lies. In the corner of the room
is an old console radio with
a recording of Warm Springs
elder Wilson Wewa recount-
ing the story of the origin of
the local mountains.
The room across the hall
is devoted to the early set-
tlers of 1890-1920. Before it
was the Lazy Z Ranch, the
Cobb family built the Cobb
Wayside which provided ser-
vices for travelers over the
Santiam Wagon Road. Liquor
seemed to be ever present in
Sisters, as evidenced in pho-
tos of original taverns and old
bottles. A large photograph of
early Sisters is labeled with
the names of residents and
businesses. Around on the
walls are a collection of early
photographs from that era, as
well as old farm implements
PHOTO COURTESY THREE SISTERS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Museum board member, Jan Hodgers, stands among photographs of her Sisters ancestors, members of the
Hindman, Cobb, and Fryrear families. The photos were discovered in an old family trunk.
and branding irons from
Sisters farms and ranches.
Since the popular Fireside
Evenings have been post-
poned until large gather-
ings are again safe, a gift
shop has been established as
a fundraising effort for the
museum. Local artists9 work,
and vintage goods that have
been donated, are currently
available for purchase with
a percentage of the sale price
going to the museum. There
is a lovely old round oak
table and chairs in the shop
to allow for a friendly chat
with volunteers and visitors.
Occasionally there are home-
made muffins provided by
volunteers. Earrings for sale
feature vintage charms from
old Cracker Jacks boxes.
Bookshelves are loaded with
books for sale having to do
with Sisters and the greater
Central Oregon region.
Since the disbanding of the
Friends Book Corner at the
library, the museum is carry-
ing on the tradition of accept-
ing book donations and mak-
ing them available for sale,
with proceeds helping to fund
the operation of the museum.
When first established
in 2017, the Three Sisters
Historical Society stated as
their vision, <to establish
and develop a museum as a
vibrant community center
dedicated to the research,
the education, and the appre-
ciation of the history of the
Three Sisters area.=
<Amazingly enough, and
with the generous lease of
the Wakefield House owned
by Chris Boxwell, and dona-
tions and grants given by our
supporters and community,
our vision has been realized
far sooner than expected and
we hope it is received as a gift
back to all of Sisters,= Swank
told The Nugget.
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PHOTO COURTESY THREE SISTERS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
This 1930s Terraplane hubcap was recently unearthed on the Wakefield
property. The first Terraplane was christened by Amelia Earhart.
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THREE SISTERS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
A working console radio restored
and donated by David Banks,
allows visitors to listen to the
Indian legend of how the local
mountains came to be, with
accompanying drumming. Wilson
Wewe, Warm Springs elder, made
the recording specially for the
museum on a recent visit.
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