YAKIMA, Wash.– Yakima Valley Museum, from its humble beginnings in the basement of City Hall, celebrates 75 years of educating and inspiring.
Technically, the museum began in1917, a log cabin at the State Fairgrounds, housing Native American historical items. Eventually, after a brief stay at the Larson mansion, the museum was officially founded by the Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington in the basement of Yakima City Hall.
Since then, the public, patrons like Cragg Gilbert, staff like Executive Director Liz Hobson, along with her husband and Museum Soda Fountain owner Jeff Hobson, have worked to cement the museum as one of the best, and definitely the largest, in Eastern Washington.
The festivities begin Saturday, Feb 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the museum will offer free admissions for the entire day, along with face painting, retro games, and more.
Gilbert, who’s been a big part of the museum’s family, as well a big part of Yakima’s history, believes museums should be “muses,” or inspiration, for the public.
The Museum Soda Fountain serves sandwiches, soups, and more. It was opened originally as a drug store, became the museum’s restaurant in 1996, then re-opened in 2025.
For more information on the Yakima Valley Museum’s History, click here.
For more information on Saturday’s event, click here.
FOX41 Yakima©FOX11 TriCities©
