In the first of a series about the little museums that you don't want to miss, one parent headed with her 3-year-old and 5-year-old to Pioneer Square to check out the museum that is called a park and provides an entertaining lesson on a colorful time in Seattle's history.
Like most moms i know, I consider our area's children's museums a staple in my rotating repertoire of awesome rainy-day activities. So when I received the assignment to visit a few museums outside this realm – places that aren't just for kids – I wondered how my children were going to respond.
My 5-year-old son, Nathan, and 3-year-old daughter, Caitlyn, ventured off the beaten path with me to visit four King County museums and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Given the right mix of interactive activities and parental encouragement, my kids were getting their dose of history and having fun, too.
This week: Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
One of five international historical parks for the Klondike Gold Rush, this Pioneer Square museum (called a park, but it is a museum) took Nathan and me back to 1897, when tens of thousands of fortune seekers passed through Seattle on their way to the gold fields of Alaska and Canada. We were presented with a junior ranger pamphlet upon arrival, containing various activities for Nathan to complete in order to earn a junior ranger badge. The museum has two booklets – one for 4- to 8-year-olds and one for 9- to 13-year-olds – that offer kids a great way to both participate and learn.
Nathan had a blast on the scavenger hunt, trying to find the items pictured in his booklet. The hunt took us through the museum's series of interactive stations, which focus on everything from the preparations to the hardships of the journey to gold. The stations each have touch screens, telling the stories of the time.
We visited an old general store, with canned fruit and gold-hunting supplies, and embossed our ranger booklet as if we were getting our own tickets stamped on the way to the gold fields. Nathan enjoyed the scale, where he found out his weight in gold would be over half a million dollars, and the Klondike "Strike it Rich" wheel of fortune, which we spun infinitley trying to land on the tiny sliver that indicated we had struck gold. This game demonstrates that, of the estimated 100,000 people who embarked on the Klondike journey, only about 300 were able to make decent money.
The museum's mini log cabin was the site of some in-depth searching for the last item on our scavenger hunt – the elusive mouse. (Hint: Look up, not down.) With the scavenger hunt complete, Nathan finished the activities in his booklet and received a certificate and his junior ranger badge, which he proudly wore to school the next day.
During the summer, the Klondike Gold Rush museum offers daily walking tours, twice-daily gold-panning demonstrations and multiple film screenings. The films are available in the off-season as well, upon request.
The details:
No admission fee, but donations are accepted.
Located in the Pioneer Square area in Seattle, in the historic Cadillac Hotel, 319 2nd Ave. S.
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
206-220-4240;
www.nps.gov/klse/index.htm.
In the Area
If you have additional time, there are two other free historical museums within a few blocks of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park:
The Last Resort Fire Department Museum (301 2nd Ave. S.) houses eight rigs used from the 1830s to the 1950s as well as a collection
of gear and artifacts. www.lastresortfd.org/museum.htm
The Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum (317 3rd Ave. S.) explores the history of our area's law enforcement. www.cityofseattle.net/tour/policemuseum.htm.
Both have limited hours, so check out hours online before going.
Coming Next Week: Museum of History & Industry
