Since 1992, we have been a destination in the heart of rural Parkdale.

The Hutson Museum, a barn-red, old-style building with a panoramic view of Mount Hood, is a prominent landmark in Parkdale in the upper Hood River Valley. The museum, located on the two-acre Red Barn Park at the southern terminus of the historic Mount Hood Railroad, began as a display of family rock collections in the basement of Jesse and Winifred Hutson's orchard home. Avid rock collectors and colorful story tellers, the Hutsons created a popular attraction for local schoolchildren in the decades after World War II.

Following the deaths of Jesse and Winifred, the Hutson heirs looked for a way to continue the family tradition. Local residents responded by establishing a community corporation in 1992 and constructing a building in the style of the nearby Ries-Thompson House, the oldest remaining residence in Parkdale (ca. 1900). Packed with exhibit cases, the museum displays an eclectic mix of rocks and minerals, indigenous artifacts, military items from the two world wars, and local memorabilia. "In all the world," reads its brochure, "you won't find another museum like this one."

A small native garden of local plants adjoins the museum grounds next to the railroad's two-acre Red Barn Park. Interpretive signs dot the park. A beautiful sculpture of a small girl and a big draft horse adorns the park, along with cherry and magnolia trees. The museum is staffed by volunteers and attracts visitors and occasional student field trips from June through October.