Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Cabin |
Other Name |
Hellyer cabin |
Collection |
Metro Parks Tacoma - Permanent Collection |
Date |
1942 |
Description |
Pediatrician and naturalist Dr. David Hellyer and his wife Connie purchased Horseshoe Lake and the surrounding land near Eatonville in 1937. In 1942, the Hellyers built a permanent cement-and-wood house to replace their first home, a wooden cabin. Thirty years later, "Doc" and Connie donated their land and structures as the basis for an outdoor animal park, now known as Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. Today, the 1940s cabin is incorporated into a larger brick structure built in 1968. This building houses the Hellyer Natural History Center, and visitors have the chance to view the furnished interior of the original home. With its rooms preserved as they were when the Hellyers lived there, today the cabin serves as a museum exhibit commemorating Northwest Trek's founders. Plaques and photographs line the walls, and many Western-themed artifacts and art works the Hellyers collected are on display, including horse tack and Navajo blankets. |
Location |
Northwest Trek |
Object Number |
NWT-005 |
Web link |
Metro Parks Tacoma, Northwest Trek |