Escape the Museum- SOLD OUT
2025-10-10 - 2025-10-25 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
The Curse of the Curate’s Collection
New Escape Room Experience, October 10-25, 2025
The Deschutes Historical Museum announces an escape room experience based on real local history. Your team of up to six players work together to find clues, solve puzzles and escape The Curse of the Curate’s Collection. Playing the part of Research Interns, participants assist historian A.R. Chive in locating the missing collection before your rivals do. Oh, and times-a-ticking… you only have 60-minutes on the clock, so every moment is crucial to your escape.
The real history:
In 1909, the Bend Bulletin announced that Rev. J. Anthony Mitchell, local curate and acquirer of antiquities, was “collecting towards a museum” for the community of Bend. After his death in 1911, Mitchell’s relics and curios were frequently exhibited around town, eventually finding a permanent home at the Deschutes Public Library.
However, in 1969, the few remaining items in the collection mysteriously disappeared from a small, locked room in the library’s basement. The only remnants of the once-noted collection, purchased by the public and the city of Bend in 1912 to form a city museum, were never found… Until now!

The Case of the Curate’s Collection escape room experience will kick off October 10 and 11, with additional dates throughout the month of October.
Tickets go on sale October 1 CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
A fundraiser and membership drive, Escape the Museum is sold as an immersive adventure for up to six people. Escape the Museum cost for non-members $180/hour session for up to six players, and Museum members is $150/hour session for up to six players. As a bonus, each non-member purchasing a session receives one free household membership. Grab your friends and family, form a team, and get ready to uncover the location of Father Mitchell’s collection. For more information contact the Deschutes Historical Museum.

History Pub: The Klamath Termination Act of 1954: To Help Native Americans or Take What They Have?
2025-10-28 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | McMenamins Old St Francis School, 700 NW Bond St, Bend, Oregon, 97703
Presented by Perry Chocktoot
In 1954, the Klamath Termination Act of 1954 revoked the federal recognition of the Klamath Tribes which resulted in the sale of their tribal lands. Join Klamath tribal member Perry Chocktoot for a presentation on the history of this termination, its impacts, and the long fight for tribal restoration.
Perry Chocktoot is a member of all three of the Klamath Tribes: Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin Paiute. He was raised in the traditional lands of the Klamath Tribes, and the history of his family is found throughout the area. Chocktoot is the former director of the Culture and Heritage Department, former chairman of the Intertribal Fish and Water Commission, and former member of the Oregon Governor’s Task Force for Cultural Resource Identification. He also conducts the Annual C’waam Ceremony of the Klamath Tribes. Chocktoot’s parents, grandparents and Elders raised him to be self-sufficient and live off of the land and waterways. As a lifelong fisherman, Chocktoot is active in the restoration of the C’waam fishery and supports stream restoration to aid in environmental recovery.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., Presentation starts at 7:00 p.m.
Reservations required, $5 per person CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Annual Chili Feed and Raffle Fundraiser
2025-11-07 11:00 - 15:00, 2025-11-08 11:00 - 15:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
The Annual Chili Feed and Raffle takes place at the Deschutes Historical Museum over the weekend closest to Veteran’s Day and is the Deschutes County Historical Society’s largest annual fundraiser. The 2025 event will be our 42nd anniversary of the Annual Chili Feed and Raffle, and takes place
November 7 & 8 with chili being served from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day. Museum admission is free throughout the event.
Over 20 raffle packages from local businesses and donors will include potential prizes for adventurers, wildlife enthusiasts, bibliophiles, pet owners, wine connoisseurs, and everyone on your holiday list!

November History Pub: Oregon Search and Rescue Presented by Glenn Voelz
2025-11-18 19:00 - 20:00 | McMenamins Old St Francis School, 700 NW Bond St, Bend, Oregon, 97703
Oregon’s long tradition of volunteer search and rescue dates to the territorial days, when good Samaritans and mountain men came to aid those in need. On the coast, surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service protected mariners traversing the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” In the early twentieth century, outdoor clubs like the Mazamas, the Skyliners, and the Obsidians served as informal search and rescue units, keeping Oregonians safe in the mountains, rivers, and wilderness areas. After World War II, Oregon’s volunteer teams began to professionalize and became some of the most effective units in the country. Join author Glenn Voelz as he recounts the history of Oregon Search and Rescue.
Glenn Voelz served as an intelligence officer for 25 years in the Army, holding senior leadership positions at the Pentagon, the White House Situation Room, and NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. He was an assistant professor of history at West Point and has authored several books on Oregon history, including Mount Bachelor: A History, Oregon Search & Rescue: Answering the Call, and The Oregon Skyline Trail. He serves as a board member of the Deschutes County Historical Society and the Deschutes Historical Museum.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., Presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. Reservations Required, Click here for tickets
Click here to purchase “Oregon Search & Rescue: Answering the Call”; books will be available for sale at the presentation as well.

Holiday Gelatin Salad Show
2025-12-13 13:00 - 15:00
Does your family have a weird holiday gelatin salad? Let your freak holiday salad SHINE at the HOLIDAY GELATIN SALAD SHOW Saturday, December 13 at 1 pm. Join the Deschutes Historical Museum in a celebration of weird vintage salad recipes. This Saturday will also complete the last weekend of our Food Drive with KSJJ 102.9 and Backyard Media.
Enter a salad in one of four different categories:

Best Presentation — Knock our socks off with a molded creation Grandma would be proud of!
Most Savory — Gelatin isn’t just for dessert!
Your Family’s Salad Recipe — Let’s face it, there is always that one salad that has to be at every family holiday. Maybe it’s pink, maybe it’s green. Whatever it is, we need to see it. (Bonus points if you have a family photograph with the salad in it.)
Nailed It! Best Ooops You Tried — Just because you bought the mold doesn’t mean you can get it out of the mold. But we don’t care! You gave it your best and we still want to see it.

Entry is simple: print and fill out the Holiday Gelatin Salad Show Entry Form. Arrive with your salad, recipe, and entry form at the Deschutes Historical Museum between 12 and 1 pm on Saturday, December 13. Public viewing begins at 1 pm, judging begins at 1:30 pm. One winner and one runner-up will be selected in each category, with a Best in Show award chosen from the four winners.
For more information about the Deschutes Historical Museum and this event contact us at info@deschuteshistory.org or call 541-389-1813.
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2024’s Best in Show: Rainbow Layered Gelatin by Lorlee Ackerman
