Maryhill Museum of Art

"What the Sam Hill is that place?!" you exclaim as you sight a large building in the middle of a beautiful park down there between the highway and the Columbia River.

Well, my friend, you have come upon Maryhill Museum of Art, built as a home by Sam Hill, of railroad fame, for his wife and daughter Mary (that's what the poster inside says, honest. I think they mean "for his wife and his daughter, both of whom were named Mary.") It didn't work out as a home, but for about 65 years now it has been a well-visited museum of art, the cultural center of the eastern end of the Gorge.

I wish I could show you all the beautiful photos I took inside the museum, of a collection of chess sets you wouldn't believe, of many Rodin sculptures, of Queen Marie of Romania's artifacts. But alas, I had the camera set wrong, so the photos did not turn out.

Outside, my luck got only slightly better, as the camera was still not set correctly. But I did get some sculptures. . .

. . . and a peacock taking a rest. The pavonine muster on the grounds, although a bit of an ostentation, is the pride of the museum.

The Lewis and Clark Sculptural Overlook, unfinished as of summer 2004, will explain the geology and history of the area, and allow uninterruped views of the Gorge to the east.

©D.L. Mark 1999