The nationally recognized Columbia River Maritime Museum offers guests of all ages a special and unique glimpse into the history of the Columbia River, featuring seafaring vessels, maritime artifacts, fine art, and more. Here, visitors can engage in exhibits that open them to the stories of the one and only Columbia River Bar, one of the most dangerous passages in the world.

This Fall, the Columbia River Maritime Museum will welcome two new exhibits that celebrate the traditions, contributions, and cultures of Indigenous People.

ntsayka ili/i ukuk – This Is Our Place

In partnership with the Chinook Indian Nation, the Museum will take visitors on a moving journey through Chinook maritime traditions and cultures, through the photographic lens of Amiran White. This is Our Place will open mid-September.

Bruce Jones, executive director of the Museum shares, “It’s an honor to collaborate with Chinook Indian Nation Chairman Tony Johnson in sharing stories of Chinook maritime heritage and culture as lived today. We are excited about the future possibilities as the “This is Our Place” exhibit evolves over time.”  

Cedar and Sea Exhibit

Opening in mid-October, this exhibit features the voices of contemporary Indigenous artisans as they present their work as part of their living traditions. Museum-goers can learn about the various tools and implements fashioned from stone, bone, shell, wood, and other natural materials, representing thousands of years of innovation. 

Jones said, “While the Chinook exhibit focuses on vitally important local Indigenous stories from the Lower Columbia River, Cedar and Sea’s scope encompasses coastal Alaska and British Columbia through Washington and Oregon and will expose our visitors to a wide variety of traditions, arts, and lifeways, through contemporary Indigenous voices.”

This world-class Astoria-based museum is not to be missed. 

Jeff Smith, curator at the Columbia River Maritime Museum said, “Both of these exhibits provide the museum with the opportunity to share aspects of local cultures that have roots going back thousands of years. Previously, this narrative has been a shadowy backdrop, or footnote, to the more commonly understood history of the last 500 years, that focused on European and U.S. exploration and colonialism. Placing these exhibits front and center in the Museum space provides our visitors the opportunity to learn and appreciate the rich and resilient Indigenous cultures that exist in the Pacific Northwest and gives our historical understanding the proper context and perspective.”

Stop by and experience the unique Columbia Maritime Museum soon! Located at 1792 Marine Drive in Astoria, the Museum is open every day from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Learn more about admission or how to become a museum member here.