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COLLECTIONS
Our Collections
Since 1961, we have received more than 30,000 items relating to history, heritage, and culture of Kittitas County. These items help to tell the stories of the people, places, and events and activities that have taken place throughout our communities since the earliest days to the present.
The collection contains a wide array of physical items ranging from our local Indigenous culture to rocks and minerals, to thousands of photographs and archival items, and much more.
We continue collecting items that represent and reflect our ever-changing community, as well as items from our distant past to the present – since history is made every moment that passes.
Collection strengths include local Indigenous cultural items (especially that of the K’tɨ́taas and Pshwánapam bands of Indigenous people), geological specimens and the Ellensburg Blue Agate, household goods and furnishings, military ephemera, textiles, historic photographs, agricultural tools, and business history.
Viewing the Collections
Visitors to the Kittitas County Historical Museum are able to see many items in our permanent collection on display with more than 50 different exhibits and displays throughout the Museum.
Items on display are frequently rotated, along with exhibits, to allow for exhibit (and interest) changes but also to ensure proper preservation and museum care for items within the museum collection. When an item is rotated into storage, we review its condition, providing the most appropriate care for it (per museum industry best practices and standards) and update our records and information on the item.
Donating an object to KCHM
The Kittitas County Historical Museum began its collection in 1961 with the donation of items from individuals, families, and businesses interested in preserving local history, heritage, and culture in Kittitas County. Since then, the collection has steadily grown. We continue to accept items to ensure that we remain relevant and representative of our ever-changing community today and into the future. We also seek to tell a more complete story of all people, places, and events and activities in Kittitas County, past and present.
