About Us
The Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum is Operated by the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. The Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society is a local institution incorporated in the State of Washington to acquire, preserve, and interpret materials that illustrate the history of the upper Snoqualmie Valley and its relation to state, regional, national, and world issues.
History of the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum
The Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum is the oldest operating Museum in King County. The Museum grew out of commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Washington’s statehood in 1939. In that year, towns throughout the state were asked to celebrate their past, and Mrs. Ada Snyder Hill, a teacher at the North Bend Grade School, wrote and directed a pageant depicting the early years of European settlement of the Valley. Mrs. Hill also gathered a collection of early pioneer artifacts including, according to an article in the Snoqualmie Valley Record, “the rifle carried by Edgar Boalch when he arrived on the Snoqualmie Prairie in 1863; the register of the old Meadowbrook Hotel, containing many signatures of Seattle’s first families; Will Taylor’s candle mold; a gavel of cherry wood made from a tree Jeremiah Borst planted on his claim in 1858” and several other items. The display was set up at the North Bend Grade School and proved so popular among Valley residents that the decision was made to hold it over beyond the original celebration. Because of continuing requests from the public, the display became permanent, and Mrs. Hill became the defacto curator.
By 1960 the school could no longer spare the space for the display, and the school district gave the Museum a June 15 deadline to move. According to the Snoqualmie Valley Record, December 1960, “Many interested persons felt that items displayed in this museum were of concern and interest to the entire Valley rather than one town, therefore they founded the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society with representation from all corners of the Valley”. The newly formed Society consisted of the following; John Sater, president, North Bend; Ms. Devora Bayer, North Bend, vice president; Mrs. Margaret (Kenneth) Corliss of Fall City, secretary; Mrs. Paul Pieper, North Bend, treasurer. The Executive Board included Mrs. Jack Dubey of Snoqualmie; Mrs. Wayne Felt, Snoqualmie Falls; and Ted Boalch, North Bend. Mrs. Ada Hill was named an honorary member of the board, as by this time she was living in California. The City of North Bend stepped in at that point and offered a small piece of land in a vacated alley adjacent to the North Bend branch of the King County Public Library to the Museum on which to build a “permanent” display. The Museum membership and the community as a whole donated funds, material and labor to construct a 16’x30’ concrete block building. This building was completed in the fall of 1960. By 1965, the Museum had outgrown it’s space, so once again the community came together and the building was doubled in length.
Ten years later, in 1975, the Museum Board of Trustees began searching for a larger building to house the growing collection. The building in which the Museum is currently housed had been declared surplus by the State Department of Highways, and negotiations began with the State and the City of North Bend to relocate once again. The State eventually deeded the property over to the City of North Bend, which then exercised a long term lease with the Museum. More volunteer labor and donations resulted in remodeling the building, and the Museum moved in to its present location in 1977.
Since it’s beginning in 1939, the Museum has been run by volunteers. We currently have a paid part time director and a paid part time docent coordinator. Our Board of Directors, all volunteers, represent all areas of the Valley, and work hard to assure the mission to “collect, preserve and present the history of the Snoqualmie Valley from Preston and Fall City, through Snoqualmie and North Bend up to the Snoqualmie Pass” is carried forward for the benefit of all who live here and those who come to visit. We are funded by donations from individuals, our membership, and fund-raising events, and with help from the Cities of Snoqualmie and North Bend. The Museum is located at 320 Bendigo Blvd. S. in North Bend in the Gardiner Weeks Memorial Park and is open Thursday through Sunday, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, April through October. Membership is $10.00 per year for individuals, $15.00 for families, and $100.00 for a lifetime individual membership. Please come visit – we know you will leave with a renewed interest in the Valley and it’s history.
