Goldendale Observatory State Park is a five-acre educational facility on a 2,100-foot-high hilltop. The observatory houses one of the nation’s largest public telescopes and has attracted sky-watchers since its opening in 1973. The observatory is open to anyone who wants to view the universe. Goldendale Observatory is the fruition of the dream of four amateur astronomers, M. W. McConnell, O. W. VanderVeldon, John Marshall and Don Connor. These four citizens of Vancouver, Washington began constructing a 24-inch, Cassegrain reflecting telescope for Vancouver’s Clark college. They ultimately donated the telescope to the town of Goldendale, which constructed observatory buildings on a hilltop north of Goldendale. Funding for construction was provided by donations, a federal grant and a bank loan.