"The Collection" Museum

Adjacent to the Trees of Mystery roadside attraction in Klamath, California, there is the most incredible display of Native North American artifacts in a gorgeous little museum simply called "The Collection."

As I mentioned in my last post, other than the Heard Museum in Phoenix, this has to be my favorite and possibly the most beautiful collection of Native American Artifacts that I have found in my travels so far.

Colorful Kachinas, clay pots, baskets, rugs, maps, intricately cut and stitched clothing, a vast array of fishing gear, totems and superstitious tokens, feathers, furry skins and polished hides, weapons, ingenious fire and food making artifacts, jewelry and so much more. It was well laid out and covered the more familiar work of the Apache and Navajo tribes in the south, to local Klamath tribes such as the Modoc, to tribes spanning across the whole of America including the Dakotas, Sioux and Seminole.

Marylee Thompson Smith was the main collector and benefactor of this unexpected find. She said these words when the little museum opened on March 10, 1968:

“Dear Friends, Welcome! What you see here in our Collection is the culmination of a dream that began over 30 years ago when I became interested in the ancient and modern cultures of our “First Americans”. These people, to my way of thinking, invented the noun “ingenuity”- my definition being “doing with what you’ve got”! It is interesting to see what each geographically located groups of peoples did with what was available, be it on land or water. With the “advantages” of modern civilization, it is no longer necessary to hunt food or clothing, or to spend long hours gathering materials and weaving baskets. Sad, but true, much of what you see here is already a lost art. Every year, these treasures become lost to our future generations by fire, flood, neglect and time itself. With this collection, a part of their culture will be preserved – for your children and mine. This is my promise.”

The museum was a treasure trove of the art of the First Americans. You could feel their history, heart and soul, through their hands and their handiwork. Truly, sadly, a lost art.

​It reminded me of these lines from Keats' "Ozymandias:"

"Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Seeing the Redwoods and the history of logging that took down 80% of the majestic giants, followed by the tour of this museum, by the end of the day I was reeling from a feeling of loss regarding nature, art and humanity itself.