Lawrence and Ada Ruth Whitmore's Whoop-N-Holler Museum is located 11 miles north of Roosevelt, Washington on East Road leading to Bickleton. The rolling hills and surrounding farmland give no clue to the interesting cache of curios, antiques and fine artifacts the Whitmores have collected over the years.
 
Lawrence has one of the largest antique and classic auto collections in the state, featuring Model T Fords, pickups, and even an ancient horse drawn hearse on sled runners. Some of the oldest cars have names now relegated to the history books, like Maxwell, Edsel, and Studebaker.

The Whoop-N-Holler Museum also highlights memorabilia used by area pioneers. Ask the Whitmores where they got their pipe organ, or about a particular display, and you'll get a colorful story of the history of east Klickitat County.

Some of the most valuable pieces have been handed down in the family.

Mounted on the wall is the tin bath tub that Lawrence and Ada Ruth used the first three years they were married. There's the 1926 Studebaker they courted in and there's a sepia-tinted photograph of a heavily mustached man with snakes draped around his arms and neck: "Lawrence's grandfather Churchill and 13 live rattlesnakes," according to the caption. Ada Ruth says he often carried snakes around, and they never bit him.

At the Whoop-N-Holler, you can see everything from hand-carved rock doll furniture to an electrified metal lunch box-plug it in and it heats your food.

The Whitmore ranch was affectionately named "Whoop-N-Holler" after the antics of the now-grown children. The place is somewhat quieter now, except when young visitors discover the museum's play and picnic area.

The Whoop-N-Holler is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from April 1 through September 30, with a $3 admission. For more information, call Whoop-N-Holler Museum (509-896-2344).