The Tenino Depot Museum was built in 1914 as a depot for the Northern Pacific Railway on the new Point Defiance Cutoff. It was the third depot to be built in Tenino. The beautiful Tenino Sandstone building was active for passenger service into the 1950's and freight service into the 1960's. Located on the main line between Seattle and Portland, eight or nine trains stopped daily at the height of train travel. In 1965, Northern Pacific sold the depot to City of Tenino, and with the help of a federal grant, it was moved 10 blocks to our city park and converted to a museum.
The building is well preserved and is listed on the National Historic Register. It now houses the press used to make the original wood money along with historic logging tools, quarry tools, railroad office, and many local artifacts, including a 1920s doctor’s office. The museum complex is also home to the Ticknor School House and our Great Northern Caboose.
