Location

In Klickitat County, one mile north of Goldendale just off Columbus Avenue on a bluff.

Acreage

Five acres.

Acquired

Acquired in one parcel from the City of Goldendale in 1980 for a total cost of $100,000.

Historical Background

The observatory is the result of the efforts of four men, M.W. McConnell, John Marshall, Don Conner and O.W. VanderVelden who built the 24.5 inch telescope. These men offered to donate the telescope to the City of Goldendale on the condition that a building be provided to house it. Funds for the building were provided by a federal grant, and the observatory was dedicated October 13, 1973. The Goldendale Observatory Corporation, a non-profit group led by a volunteer board of directors, leased the observatory from the City of Goldendale until December 1980, when the Commission purchased the site. From January 1981 to July 1981, an interim agreement between the Commission and the corporation operated the observatory. The Commission assumed full operation on July 1, 1981, and the corporation board now acts in the capacity of a Friends Group..

Facilities

Parking lot for 30 cars, lecture room, restrooms, and a small science library. The observatory houses a 24.5 inch reflecting telescope (one of the largest apertures in the USA available for public use). There is also a secondary dome which houses an eight-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain reflecting telescope. The facility has twelve portable telescopes and special camera accessories available to the public. The lecture room contains astronomical displays.

Activities

Hands-on observing through telescopes, interpretive lectures and viewing scientific displays.