Popular exhibits
Barbie
“You can be anything.”
And if you are Barbie, you can even be an exhibit! Come see newest exhibit showcasing 14 dolls, six outfit sets, a Barbie suitcase closet, handmade clothing, and a vintage rag doll. Items were carefully chosen to illustrate Barbie’s evolution over the decades.
This collection was originally donated as part of the Barbara Heriford Estate in 1991, the entire collection includes nearly 60 boxed dolls and 20 accessory sets.
Textiles
The dictionary defines textile as “fabric” or “raw material used for making fabrics”. Our display includes raw materials, tools, accessories and many handmade items.
You will see an antique weaving loom that was donated to the Museum as a pile of unrecognizable “sticks” and has been restored to a working loom that demonstrates the process used during the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. This “traveling” loom is set up to make rag rugs, the first floor covering made by the North American colonists.
For those in a new land, every scrap of fabric was precious and nothing went to waste. Scraps of fabric would be torn into strips, connected together, and then rolled into a ball to be braided, crocheted, knitted, woven, knotted or loomed into rag rugs. Our current rug material was supplied by the Pendleton Woolen Mill (our neighbor across the parking lot) and is called selvage. This selvage is created during manufacture of Pendleton Blankets when the edges of the blankets are trimmed for finishing.
This loom came to us in pieces and required the collaboration of a weaver, a woodworker, and a retired Pendleton Loom Maintenance Supervisor to assemble and set up for weaving.
Indigenous HandWoven Baskets
At Two Rivers we are honored to be the custodians of a beautiful collection of handwoven baskets and bowls.
These artifacts are a part of the Gracia Ough Jones Collection. Gracia was a descendant of the local Washougalles tribe of the Chinookan People. She was the granddaughter of Richard and Betsy White Wing Ough and great-granddaughter of Schluyhus and Running Fawn.
