The Loomis Museum stands in the Manzanita Lake Area near the park's Northwest Entrance. Benjamin Franklin Loomis built it in 1927 to display his photographs of the Lassen Peak eruptions, and it now offers park history and visitor information.
Details
- Type
- Historic Site
- Accessibility
- Limited accessibility
Overview
Benjamin Franklin Loomis built the museum in 1927 to house his collection of photographs of the 1914 to 1917 Lassen Peak eruptions, images that helped build public support for creating the park. He and his wife Estella built it of native stone and reinforced concrete, with a domed roof set with 20 skylights, as a memorial to their daughter, who had died seven years earlier. In 1929 the Loomis family donated their 40-acre property to the park.
What to See
The main hall holds geologic exhibits and Loomis's eruption photographs. A back wing displays mounted animals against hand-tinted backgrounds painted by Estella, and an adjacent seismograph building holds earthquake-recording equipment. The museum was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and is part of the Manzanita Lake Naturalist's Services Historic District.
Know Before You Go
The museum provides park history, current visitor information, maps, ranger staff, and a gift shop. It has parking and is wheelchair accessible.