Volunteers Jeff Andrus & Jeff Johnson during restoration of the Rock Bunkhouse

The Ice Age Flood Museum in the Historic Rock Bunkhouse makes its public debut on Saturday, June 22 from 10-2:30 p.m., as part of The Farmer’s Festival Celebration in LaCrosse, Washington, June 21-23.

The Ice Age Flood Museum features an interpretive film, photographic displays and artifacts depicting the significant geographic history of the land and the remarkable people who’ve called it home. 

Historically significant in its own right, the Rock Bunkhouse was meticulously restored by LaCrosse Community Pride in 2017. The Bunkhouse was one of a group of rock structures originally built by local businessman Clint Dobson in the mid-1930s. Dobson used basalt stones collected from the surrounding fields as it was a readily available and affordable building material during the Great Depression.

The entire group of structures was listed on Washington’s Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of Most Endangered Historic Places in 2015. The museum is the first of the structures to be renovated and put into public use thanks to a partnership between LaCrosse Community Pride, Whitman County Library and the Ice Age Flood Institute. Funding was provided by a Whitman County .09 Economic Development grant. 

For more information about the Ice Age Flood Museum and Rock Bunkhouses, contact Alex McGregor at 509-397-4355. For more information about Farmer’s Festival, call 509-549-3498. Learn more about the Ice Age Floods Institute!