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    Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum

    4.8 (13 reviews)

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    Parachute inspection room
    Kate F.

    Wasn't sure what to expect, but this was fascinating! Staffed by volunteers, former smokejumpers, we essentially got a personal tour with lots of historical information and first-hand stories for about an hour. The former jumpers are passionate about their role in managing fires in challenging conditions, jumping over tall trees from about 800 feet wearing about 60 pounds of gear, sometimes getting tangled in the branches. Another (60?) lbs of tools are dropped, and after controlling the burn hiking out 20 miles or so with well over a hundred pound packs. Highly recommend this experience.

    Look at the years when the smokejumpers were in service - no big wild fires - unlike the years after the government closed the base.

    Do not miss this museum if you are in the area. Gary gave us an informative and interesting tour. We learned a lot about the history and interesting fact of smokejumpers. They are true heroes. It was sad the government decided to close the base in 1981, it was a huge mistake. The smokejumpers stops the wild fire when it first starts, which is the most effective and cost efficient way.

    The logo of the museum
    Ronn C.

    If you like history this is going to be an interesting place to visit. This museum is the located at the base camp of the smokejumper training facility that operated from 1943-1981. The original buildings are still standing and have been restored for tours. The site offers a self-guided tour for visitors that features photos and write-ups about the buildings and people being depicted. The photos are extremely interesting photos of action shots of smoke-jumpers in action. The museum is still being completed and buildings restored, but there is still lots to see. They have a small gift-shop that sells miscellaneous food and beverages along with T-shirts, hats, and toy parachute smokejumper figures. The museum tells is the story of the 555th segregated military regiment that was brought in to learn smokejumping and wildfire fighting techniques, but what makes the story fascinating is the WWII connection that they have. The 555th was brought in as a response to Japan's balloon attacks on USA mainland. Their story is a interesting piece of history that isn't well reported due to secrecy of the project at the time. I would suggest that if you are on highway 199 and you have time stop in and check this museum out; then do it. You will be glad you did.

    Barbara G.

    We saw the sign for the Museum on our way to Crater Lake. On the way back, we stopped, and it was a terrific stop. A retired smokejumper named John took us through the Museum and made it come alive. The equipment and photos were so interesting. John gave it so much more by describing training and daily life. If you are in the area, do yourself a favor and visit the Museum. Well worth the stop.

    Dave showing a us a heavy duty sewing machine that could sew through plywood or fingers.

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    Review Highlights - Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum

    A retired smokejumper himself, Gary Buck toured us through the museum and it was a wonderful experience.

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    Del Norte County Historical Society

    Del Norte County Historical Society

    4.7(9 reviews)
    35.4 mi

    We made a pit stop here to Del Norte County Historical Society as one of our last stops of our…read moreCrescent City stay. This small, unassuming building was quite a welcome surprise for the sheer number of historical items it houses within its seemingly small walls. Starting from Native American artifacts, clothing and artifacts from the pioneer days, down to WWII uniforms and armaments. This historical museum houses quite an extensive collection of California history, all categorized and grouped neatly by era and type. Despite the emptiness of the parking lot in the rear as we entered at the early morning hours shortly after they opened, the inside was already busy with a lot of foot traffic of tourist and historical enthusiasts alike. And in addition to the historical significance of the various items on display, the building itself was quite significant as well. As it used to be the former town Hall of Records back during its construction in 1926, as well as the Sherriff's Office and County Jail. You can still see remnants of the jail on the 2nd floor, where the former women's section of the jail is still intact. Highly recommend giving this spot a visit if you're either staying in Crescent City, or even just passing through. Shouldn't take more than 30-45 minutes out of your day, but is definitely time well spent!

    Very personable staff and definitely worth the donation. Could have spent a long time looking…read morethrough each exhibit. It had so many donations in the exhibits that it did seem cluttered, but it is greatly appreciated to see such items from around the town.

    Photos
    Del Norte County Historical Society
    Del Norte County Historical Society
    Del Norte County Historical Society

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    Kerbyville Museum - Outside.

    Kerbyville Museum

    3.7(3 reviews)
    7.0 mi

    I love museums. When we were driving up I-5, my boyfriend saw "museum" on a sign, and we…read moreimmediately pulled over to check out. This is obviously a small-town museum, so I pretty much knew the sort of thing I was walking into beforehand. It has character, but it could use a lot of work. It's... ok. My main problem is the fact that there isn't a cohesive theme. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it focused on local / Oregon history. Unfortunately, it seems to mostly be a collection of "old things from wherever." There was a large section on just general war memorabilia, and there was even a random Greek urn? There was an older house on the location that was pretty neat. Again, the rooms are just filled with things - some of them looked to be previously used in the house, but I think one of the rooms was just filled with old dolls. Personally, I would prefer if it had been staged a little more realistically / historically. The museum also had an old schoolhouse and miner's cabin. Apparently the schoolhouse was "partially condemned" and you could only go in a certain distance to a half wall. They both had mannequin dioramas set up inside. Both buildings were relocated from their original locations, and both buildings felt like they were moderately unsafe to be inside. There was also a barn out in the back with more antiques. $6 per adult to check out the museum. We did show up a few minutes before closing time, and I did appreciate the fact that the person staffing the museum kept the doors open for us. We signed a guest book when we came in. They could really improve this place by culling their items, improving the signage (most of it looked like it was created in Word and just printed on an inkjet), and just sprucing up their displays.

    This was my first time out of the state and I had a lot of fun looking around this place. They are…read morevery welcoming and enjoy what they are doing. I also liked how they had a different building for each section. I would recommend any one who is new like me visit this place.

    Photos
    Kerbyville Museum - Old Kerby post office desk.

    Old Kerby post office desk.

    Kerbyville Museum - Historic House.

    Historic House.

    Kerbyville Museum - Outside.

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    Outside.

    Schneider Museum of Art

    Schneider Museum of Art

    4.0(8 reviews)
    51.5 mi

    I went in for free and did Virtual Reality for the first time in this museum. It was so weird, I…read morewent in an elevator and looked at a bunch of rooms. My friend/roommate was holding my virtual right hand and I was holding the left and the whole time we were trying to get the virtual person to hold virtual hands with itself. I called her my "literal right hand man".

    It was a sunny and worn Ashland morning, so Gayle and I decided to take a nice walk down to the…read moreSouthern Oregon University Campus and among other things wander through the Schneider Museum of Art. It's a relatively small space that consists of 2 large gallery spaces, plus a little bit within the entrance area, and all situated within SOU's Art School campus. There's some nice less formal displays within those buildings as well. A voluntary donation of $5 is requested at a "free will" box at the entrance to the museum. We happened upon the "Fighting Men: Golub, Voulkos, Kirby" Exhibition. Most interesting were the various comic book displays by Jack Kirby and Leon Golub's cautionary paintings that depict the violence stemming from political power gone awry. Bridging this gap are Peter Voulkos' powerful ceramic pieces. You can easily (and slowly) spend up to ~30 minutes here. I would also recommend entering and leaving the Museum on the University side, just so you can enjoy wandering around this pretty campus.

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    Schneider Museum of Art
    Schneider Museum of Art
    Schneider Museum of Art - Current artists on exhibit

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    Current artists on exhibit

    Jacksonville  Oregon

    Jacksonville Oregon

    4.4(19 reviews)
    39.9 mi

    I really enjoyed visiting Jacksonville, Oregon. My wife and I went on a camping trip near by and on…read morethe way back home, we wanted to check out Medford, Oregon. Once in Medford, everyone was telling us to go to Jacksonville, Oregon to look at the historic building and all the fun things to do there. We redirected there, it was only about a 15 min drive to Jacksonville. The downtown area was very cute, we saw a farmers market type event setup at City Hall. We parked and walked over to check out all the things the different booths were selling. We saw lots of unique things there like woodcarvings, pictures & paintings and even some food and drinks. After a short time we continued driving through all the neighborhoods, enjoying the different types of old homes.

    "Jacksonville is named for Jackson Creek, which runs through the community & was the site of one of…read morethe first placer gold claims in 1851. It includes  Jacksonville Historic District which was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1966." The gold was played out so Jacksonvlle went into a big sleep which may not have been so good for the residents at that time, but in hindsight, Jacksonville went into suspended animation thus preserving the 19th century buidings intact. Strolling along California Street is like goIng back to the 1890's. You almost expect a barber shop quartet to be singing some old fashioned tunes, or player pianos playing in a saloon. In fact one saloon, J-Ville Tavern occupying the former Anderson & Glen General Merchandise Bldg, touts itself as a "Husband Daycare Center" for wives who want a break from their spouses. The barber shop still sports an old time barber pole w/ a dome light on top. The window displays spitoons & other objects from that bygone era. Jacksonville Lumber Company on a side street does reverse chic and displays a Pink Flamingo & artificial flowers as if to slyly make a reference to John Waters' infamous cult film by the same name. We found the Cheese Monger's Wife to be a great place to get Euro style sandwiches, local Rogue Creamery Blue Cheeses, Siskyou Wild Honey, Pistola Côte du Rhône style white wine. Their cheese board was an impressive exercise in aesthetic composition. The lady owner goes out of her way to inform her customers who are curious about the gourmet products that she stocks & sells. Nice two or three hours to soak up some Southern Oregon charm with a fin de dix-neuvième siècle ambience.

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    Jacksonville  Oregon
    Jacksonville  Oregon
    Jacksonville  Oregon

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    Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum - museums - Updated June 2026

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