Along the Oregon Trail

As we traveled along the Columbia Gorge and followed the Columbia River we were once again following in the footsteps of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. At The Dalles we picked up the Oregon Trail and followed it Eastward to Baker City, Oregon.

Mt View RV Park is a cute park located on the West side of Baker City and convenient to the historical mining town and stop-off point along the Oregon Trail.

The highlight of our stay in Baker City was a visit to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Located on Flagstaff Hill, a major landmark for immigrants entering Oregon Territory, the center walks the visitor through the history of the trail along a timeline of the trail.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants left homes in the eastern USA and European countries for the promised land in the Willamette Valley. Many lost their lives, possessions, and innocence as they mostly walked the 2000 miles from Missouri.

Think of it, walking the length of the modern Pacific Crest Trail or Appalachian Trail with a wagon load of your prized possessions and necessaries. That’s four to six months on the trail with little to no support along the way. No grocery stores, no hospitals, no rest stops with fresh water and clean restrooms.

I came away believing that just like Colonial Williamsburg and Gettysburg, this place in Eastern Oregon, where you can still see the ruts made by the wagons moving West is must-see historical place for young Americans.

The Center has several special features throughout the year and we were treated to a discussion and presentation of a medicine show.

Dr. Balthazar’s Medicine Show was presented by Mike Follin an Ohio Historical Society Education Interpreter. The forty-minute show explained, in an entertaining way, the origins of the medicine show and its impact on the American frontier.

Other highlights of our Baker City stay was a steak dinner in the nearby village of Haines, a drive along Hell’s Canyon Byway with stops in Joseph, Oregon in the shadow of the Wallowa Mountains. Once home of the Nez Perce nation, the  valley is the final resting place of Chief Joseph one of the greatest leaders of the Nez Perce nation.

Once again we realized after our short stay that we need to slow down and stay longer at most places we travel. We’ll be back to Eastern Oregon. There’s a lot to see and a lot to do.