Fodor's Expert Review Northern Kittitas County Historical Society Museums

The local historical society preserves two distinct aspects of the town's colorful history. At the three-story 1914 Carpenter House Museum, you can view rotating art exhibits and see furnishings, clothing, and historical documents that belonged to some of the community's founding families. A few blocks away on Cle Elum's main drag (221 East 1st Street, closed early September–late May), the Telephone Museum contains the manual switchboard that the town used until 1966 (the town was one of the last in the nation to switch to automated telephone exchanges), as well exhibits on the history of telephone technology and memorabilia related to the area's vibrant mining heritage.