Julie Reese of the Heritage Station Museum, and Shey Hyatt of the High Desert Museum in Bend, hang a photograph Wednesday at the Heritage Station Museum in Pendleton. <i>Staff photo by E.J. Harris</i>

The Umatilla National Forest turns 100 years old this year and a new exhibit at the Heritage Station Museum will help celebrate the centennial.

The “Century of Service” exhibit examines the lives and work of the men, women and communities of the U.S. Forest Service in Eastern Oregon during the course of the last century. The exhibit also explores the evolution of the Forest Service from its earliest beginnings to its modern-day multiple use role managing timber, wildland fire, land use and recreation.

The High Desert Museum in Bend designed and developed the exhibit to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Forest Service in 2005. Bob Boyd, the museum’s curator of Western history, put the exhibit together over a span of about 10 years.

The exhibit displays more than 1,000 pieces of Forest Service memorabilia, including photographs, uniforms, surveying tools and field guides and handbooks for rangers. Former Forest Service employees provided much of the exhibit’s materials.

This is the first time the exhibit will show outside of Bend. High Desert Museum members came to Pendleton to help set up the exhibit. Tracy Johnson, collections manager for the High Desert Museum, explained the exhibit has a 1940s ranger camp theme, complete with an authentic Forest Service tent that will house a cot, old radio and a 1940s U.S. flag. The idea is to give visitors a sense of what life in the field was like for rangers.

Johnson said this makes “Century of Service” a personal experience.

To help add to that touch, the High Desert Museum has provided “living history uniform props” that exhibit interpreters can wear while giving tours or presentations.

The Bend museum displayed the exhibit for almost two years. Johnson said a hundreds of thousands of visitors a year toured the museum during that time, and past and present Forest Service employees came from all over to see the exhibit.

Kevin Martin, supervisor of the Umatilla National Forest, said the exhibit is one of many events the Forest Service has planned to celebrate the forest’s 100th anniversary. In addition, the Forest Service is planning “Umapalooza” on June 28.

The Umatilla County Historical Society and Umatilla National Forest will host a free open house from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Heritage Station Museum to unveil the exhibit. At 7 p.m., Patty Baker of Adams will present information about the six Civilian Conservation Corps camps that flourished in Umatilla County during the Great Depression. The camps were closely tied to the national forests and provided steady employment for many men from 1933-1942.

Heritage Station Museum, 108 S.W. Frazer Ave., will display “Century of Service” through mid-October. For information about hours of operation and costs, call the museum at 276-0012.