Klamath County Museum

05/17/2026

HOME AND MARTIN CHAPEL, c. 1948

Klamath County Museum's photo of the week for May 17, 2026, is an image of the Latter-day Saint chapel in the Mills Addition of Klamath Falls. It is commonly referred to as the "Home and Martin" chapel, as it is located on the corner of those streets.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as "Mormons," began settling in Oregon in 1855, and Charles Darley became the first church member to settle in the Klamath Basin nearly 50 years later. Darley worked for the both the railroad and the Klamath Project. One of his employers insisted Darley hide his religion to avoid any kind of negative impact on him and presumably the business.

The first branch of the church was organized in Macdoel in 1924. Latter-day Saints began holding meetings in Klamath Falls the following year. The Klamath Falls branch formed in 1931.

The congregation continued to grow, and by the early 1940s, nearly 100 members gathered each week for services in the basement of the library. It became necessary for them to have their own meeting house as their numbers grew.

The Latter-day Saints saved enough money to purchase four lots on the corner of Home and Martin streets. They then purchased one of the drying sheds from the Lamm Lumber Company at Modoc Point. The mill was closing down, and had been selling its buildings using sealed bids.

The building was dismantled and transported to Klamath Falls, where church members, who did most of the work themselves, built the chapel that now stands at the intersection. One of the remarkable aspects of the construction is that the trusses from the drying shed were kept intact and transported whole to the building site.

When additional material was needed to complete the construction, church members purchased a construction shop from the Marine barracks on Old Fort Road and used the materials to complete the structural work.

Local businesses pitched in, and the work was completed in April 1947. The public was invited to the dedication, which was performed by Elder David O. McKay on May 18. Prior to that time, Latter-day Saints had been meeting in the main sanctuary for over a year, as it had been one of the first parts of the building to be finished.

Within ten years of the dedication of the building, the number of Latter-day Saints in the area grew to roughly 800. There are now two Latter-day Saint meetinghouses in Klamath Falls, and over 2,000 church members living in the region.

The large steeple was replaced around 2000 with a white steeple.

05/14/2026

Don't miss it!

05/13/2026

The Klamath Basin Chapter - Native Plant Society of Oregon is holding their annual native plant sale at the museum this Saturday.

Check out the link in their post to see some of the plants they are offering. They have also provided recommendations about soil types, water requirements, and other information.

Don't miss it!

Just 3 days until our annual native plant sale. The trailing link will bring up a plant list with this weekend's available plants. Get a start on you shopping list! There's a list of "ideal growing conditions" with each plant and whether they're useful for pollinators and hummingbirds.

https://klamathbasinnps.com/resources/Documents/2026-0516%20Native%20Plant%20List.pdf

05/10/2026

A NIGHT OFF
Klamath Falls, 1912

Klamath County Museum's photo of the week for May 10, 2026, is an image of actors and actresses in a play entitled "A Night Off." The play took place in December 1912 in Klamath Falls.

An article in the Evening Herald on December 14, 1912, stated that the play was "a comedy brimful of funny situations, and the ludicrous tangles continue to become more difficult to unravel until the very last, when everything ends well."

A promotional article that came out the day of the program implied that the play was so much fun that it would be illegal if it had not been explicitly endorsed by the police.

The play was sponsored by the local Women's Civic League, which used the proceeds to help beautify one of the city parks.

"The worthiness of the cause, together with the well known histrionic ability of the members of the cast," asserted an article in the Evening Herald, "is proving a great drawing card, and there has been a big demand for seats ever since the seat sale opened at the Bonhonniere [meaning the elaborately decorated Houston Opera House] this morning."

05/09/2026

Collage art began in the early 1900s when artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque started combining paper, newspaper clippings, fabric, and other materials into their paintings. The word collage comes from the French word "coller", meaning “to glue.” This creative technique challenged traditional art by turning everyday objects into imaginative works. Over the years, collage has been embraced by artists around the world and remains a popular way to tell stories, preserve memories, and transform ordinary materials into something extraordinary!

Tonight... enjoy a little bit of chill music, expressive art, and tasty beverages!

YOUND ADULT COLLAGE NIGHT AT KCM, 6 P.M. - 8 P.M.

See you at the Museum!

FREE! Listen to music, make art, and make friends! Collage supplies provided, but you can bring your own as well!

This event will be held in the Banquet Hall on the back entrance of the Klamath County Museum's main branch.

- Must bring a parent if under 18
- Sober event

Bring your scrappiest, most creative, and most fun-loving selves.
See you at the Museum!

05/08/2026

COMING UP NEXT IN THE SNAKE WAR SERIES
Oregon Volunteer Troops in the Snake War

Join us on June 12 at 7:00 p.m. for a presentation by Dr. James Robbins Jewell about Oregon volunteer troops during the Snake War.

Dr. Jewell is a professor of history at North Idaho College. He has published two books on the Oregon volunteers, including "Agents of Empire: The First Oregon Cavalry and the Opening of the Interior of the Pacific Northwest during the Civil War," which was released in 2025.

The Oregon troops were Civil War volunteers who were assigned to protect the trails and settlements of the Pacific Northwest, and they were the military arm of the United States in the first years of the Snake War. They were also responsible for the establishment of Fort Klamath in 1863.

Don't miss this highly informative event!

05/07/2026

LECTURE AVAILABLE ONLINE

Did you miss our program with Wilson Wewa on Friday? You can now view it on our YouTube channel!

Click the link to watch this special presentation.
https://www.youtube.com/live/PV05NHiIDss?si=hy4d_4uYy4E5fQa5

05/03/2026

CAMP MAKUALLA, c. 1980s

Klamath County Museum's photo of the week for May 3, 2026, is an image of a volunteer worker repainting the mess hall at the Camp Makualla Boy Scout Camp on Crescent Lake.

The camp was established in 1938 by the Crater Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It would be hard to find a prettier location for a Boy Scout camp. The flags rest on a low rise above the south shore of Crescent Lake. Just across the lake looms Diamond Peak.

Boy Scouts past and present (now known solely as Scouts) can attest to the many adventures to be found at Makualla - from marauding chipmunks to floating Marsh Creek. For some, a mere mention of the name brings back the scent of the lodgepole pines and firs.

An unforgettable experience of many scouts is the early morning polar bear swim in the crystal clear and utterly frigid lake while a cold wind blows.

Volunteers have been major contributors to the success of the camp. As seen in our photo, one of the past projects has been repainting the large mess hall.

The museum has very few photos of the camp. We welcome any with photos of the camp to share them with us. We'd like to have better photographic representations than we currently have in our collection.

05/02/2026

TODAY

Please join us from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. to visit with K.C. Winters, author of One Balloon.

Please note, purchases of One Balloon are currently very limited and on a first come, first serve basis.

See you at the Museum!

The Klamath County Museum is pleased to host author K.C. Winters for a Meet the Author event.

In One Balloon, Winters examines the Japanese balloon bomb incident that resulted in loss of life in Southern Oregon during World War II, bringing depth, care, and attention to a story that remains an important part of our region’s history.

"One Balloon is based on a true World War II event that happened in southeastern Oregon near Klamath Falls, May 5th, 1945. A young pregnant woman and five youths were killed by an explosion of "undetermined cause". It was covered up by the US government and classified as top secret for several weeks.

Through the author's emotion-filled illustrations and imagining, One Balloon weaves war events and the power of human spirit in facing them into a compelling tapestry of unexpected compassion and forgiveness."

We welcome you May 2nd from 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. to join us in conversation on how this book came together, and the author's personal connection to the event.

05/01/2026

HAPPENING TOMORROW!

Thanks to a great winter and early spring propagation effort, our greenhouse is now packed with healthy natives. To make room, we’re holding a greenhouse overstock sale on 5/2.

It’s a separate, early sale ahead of our main native plant sale on 5/16. Both events are at the back of the Klamath County Museum, 10 am to 2 pm.

The May 16th event is also posted on our website where you can access a plant list for that sale.