Snoqualmie Valley Museum

Mission

We collect, preserve, and share the history of the Snoqualmie Valley, so present and future generations can understand our past.

Description

The Snoqualmie Valley Museum came into being as the result of the initial work of one woman, Ada Snyder Hill. She came into the Valley in 1910 to teach school and early on began collecting the historic items that made up the exhibit she arranged for the 1939 celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Statehood and the platting of North Bend and Snoqualmie. They were the nucleus for the present-day collection that includes cherished artifacts and anecdotes from all corners of the Snoqualmie Valley.

The first home for our collection was a room in the North Bend High School, where Mrs. Hill taught. Over the next decade, the community rallied around her, donating items and supporting her efforts. Without their help, she cataloged the items, arranged the displays, and guided visitors on tours. This early community involvement was crucial to the museum's growth and is a testament to the Valley's commitment to preserving its history.

The collection has since grown and was moved to a larger building. It is presently housed at 320 Bendigo Blvd S in North Bend in the Gardiner Weeks Memorial Park. The collection includes the ledger from the Meadowbrook Hotel, items interpreting the Snoqualmie Tribe, William Taylor's hat and gun, the Fall City Study Club scrapbooks and memorabilia, among many amazing photographs and artifacts. A visit will give you a unique prospective on the evolving Snoqualmie Valley history. Current exhibits that opened this spring are the Real History of the Real Twin Peaks and the 1950s Snoqualmie Valley.

Today, the Museum is working to reimagine itself. We are working with the Snoqualmie Tribe, Fall City Historical Society, Tolt Historical Society, and Duvall Historical Society to build partnerships that will allow for a future museum that will interpret the full Valley and its nuanced depth and breadth of history. We are in the early stages of this reimagining, working on capacity growth and partnership building. This spring we have created a new mission and are working on a new vision and strategic plan to guide our path forward. We have recently drastically increased our open hours by hiring a second staff member after feedback from the community. Please help support us in becoming a more vibrant community asset.