Launched in 1971 through the generosity of the Bowman family and newly expanded through the contributions of hundreds of community members and supporters in 2012, A.R. Bowman Museum serves more than 10,000 students, scholars and visitors each year. The Bowman Museum is operated by the Crook County Historical Society, which was founded in 1969 to preserve and promote understanding of the history of Crook County.

Exhibits

Bowman Museum is housed in the old two-story Crook County Bank building. Built in 1910, its interior has changed little in the last 100 years. As you enter the museum you will view the beautiful marble counter tops, the metal teller cages and wander through the original bank vault. Throughout this area are exhibits featuring local notables and historic features from the past.

Two floors in the Old Bank Building feature tantalizing exhibits that tell Central Oregon history in detail, including, a firearms exhibit, an old tack shop, a fully-furnished 1800s parlor room, a medical office with all of the intriguing medical devices of the time, and so much more!

Thirty-two exhibits and dioramas telling Central Oregon history from the earliest explorers to local wildland firefighters. In our bedroom diorama a young lady prepares for her 1912 wedding day.

The Making of a Museum

In 1971 the A.R. Bowman family boosted the Historical Society’s efforts when they donated the Crook County Bank for use as a museum. A Kansas native, civic leader Arthur Ray Bowman served as Crook County Judge and promoted initiatives creating the Ochoco Irrigation District, the Prineville Airport, U.S. Highway 26, and the Crooked River Project, which today includes the A. R. Bowman Dam.

Through generous public and private support the Bowman Museum has created a vivid collection of pioneer history and organized programs serving more than 10,000 people annually. In 1991 its building was entered on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1996 it hosted the first Smithsonian exhibit in Central Oregon. In 1997 it won national recognition from the Institute of Museum Services.

Today, in addition to hosting students and visitors, the Bowman Museum publishes books and field guides, presents a lecture series, conducts historical field trips, and through the Internet links its collection with museums and libraries throughout the world.