The Dillard Depot, constructed in 1882 now stands on the DC Museum’s grounds and is the last standing station of the Oregon & California Railroad.
The Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum and the Douglas County Museum exist to preserve and present the natural and cultural history of this region and are a department within the governmental agency of Douglas County, Oregon.
Exhibits
Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum
Discover the history of the area and how the Lighthouse has been part of the coastal community for more than a century with displays ranging from early explorers of the Pacific coast to the adjacent Coast Guard station of today.
Douglas County Museum
Travel far back in time when Oregon was under the sea with locally discovered ocean fossils through the chilling Ice Age where wooly mammoths roamed the land up to today with exhibits describing contemporary Douglas County and all it has to offer.
Events & Activities
Our two sites offer a range of unique experiences. Befriend us on Facebook to keep up to date on great programs that the museums provide.
Research Library & Collections
The Douglas County Museum has been collecting, preserving and exhibiting natural and cultural history items for half a century. Through the Lavola Bakken Research Library, public access is granted for a wide array of printed materials including books, manuscripts, photos, newspapers, and much more.
Home to Oregon’s largest natural history collection on display, the Museum’s more than 7,500 items are used to help tell the the prehistoric through contemporary stories of the Umpqua River Valley. In addition, DCM houses one of the Northwest’s most comprehensive plant collections in its research Herbarium with nearly 3,000 catalogued specimens. The historical artifact collection is one of the most extensive in Oregon with over 8,640 items that illustrate area history.
Historic Photo Collection
A picture truly is worth a thousand words, if not more! The Museum holds Oregon’s second largest historic photograph collection with more than 24,000 images going back as early as the mid 19th century. These images are available for research and can be purchased as digital copies for professional and personal purposes.
Kids at the open day of the Douglas County Museum in 1969.
Contact the Umpqua Valley Museums
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