Our Mission is to preserve and promote the heritage of the Upper Wenatchee Valley
Hear stories about the first peoples of the p’squosa (or Wenatchi) or the height of the logging and train depot days, or how we became today's Bavarian Village.
And as special treat, take in our newest exhibit that is part of the statewide America 250: Out of Many, One project, our museum, in partnership with residents across the seven Upper Valley communities—Peshastin, Dryden, Plain, Stevens Pass/Merritt, Blewett, Lake Wenatchee, and Leavenworth—has selected meaningful artifacts that tell each community’s unique American story. These items, drawn from our collection and community loans, come together to reveal the shared history that shaped the entire valley.
Come celebrate Museum Day with us, enjoy free admission, and experience the stories that make our valley one of a kind. Bring friends, family, and neighbors—everyone is welcome!
Celebrate Museum Day with FREE Admission!
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, Washington State has declared a special Museum Day, and the Greater Leavenworth Museum is joining the celebration with FREE admission for all visitors!
Come experience the stories that make our town and the surrounding area unique and special.
MUSEUM DAY
August 8th
Fee Admission!
t́iĺ x̌əšt (hello)
Our museum sits on the ancestral homelands of the p'squosa. We offer this acknowledgement to present a deeper understanding of their presence past and present.
The Greater Leavenworth Museum acknowledges that it sits on the ancestral homelands of the p’squosa (or Wenatchi) people since time immemorial. The p’squosa lived off this land with a deep understanding of the importance of stewardship and appreciation for this place. P’squosa, meaning “people in between'', had villages positioned along the Wenatchee River and surrounding areas.
The p’squosa people are still here and continue to practice their culture, harvest their traditional foods and medicines and hold their ceremonies that have been passed down from their ancestors. They fish, hunt and gather roots, berries, medicines and basket making materials. The traditions of harvesting these sacred foods and medicines are practiced with the teachings to take only what you need and leave the area in better shape than when you arrived.
The p’squosa are named in the Yakima Treaty of 1855. Language to establish the Wenatchapam Fisheries Reservation was never followed through on, even with the required surveying completed. They were forced off their land and most now live on the Colville Reservation, 150 miles northeast of Leavenworth.
Their traditional language is nxaʔamxčǐn, (in-hum-cheen) an Interior Salish dialect, and we would like to welcome you all by saying hello in their language: t́iĺ x̌əšt (till-husht)
The Greater Leavenworth Museum shares this land acknowledgment with you to honor those that were here first and who continue to live here and take care of the land today. We stand as an ally to recognize their connection to the land and their rights to practice their culture on these sacred lands.
We encourage you to learn more about the p’squosa people. Let us all remember that it’s our responsibility to protect our lands and nature now and for the future generations that are yet to come.