The Douglas County Museum has been collecting, preserving and exhibiting natural and cultural history items for nearly forty years.

Home to Oregon's largest natural history collection on display, the Museum's more than 7,500 items are used to help tell the ancient and contemporary stories of the Umpqua River Valley. In addition, DCM houses one of the Northwest's most comprehensive plant collections in its research Herbarium with nearly 3,000 catalogued specimens.

The historical artifact collection is one of the most extensive in the state with over 8,640 items that illustrate area history. The Museum holds Oregon's second largest historic photograph collection with more than 24,000 images going back as early as the mid 19th century.

The museum also provides public access to research materials for those who are interested in the people, places and events of Douglas County. Through the Lavola Bakken Research Library, public access is granted for a wide array of printed materials including books, manuscripts, photos, newspapers, and much more.