Page 9 - Allisons Newsletter, Lakewood Village - Aug 2018

the old west

“Modern-day
travelers in Oregon

can retrace history at
numerous spots along

the legendary trail.” TRAVEL

FOLLOWING IN FOOTSTEPS

OR WAGON RUTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY ON OREGON TRAIL

by Terri Colby the 2,000-mile, six-month-long at the time and shortly thereafter, of leaving something you love visit to Oregon is a way to follow
trek to the Oregon Territory in the but even still, details about that for the goal of getting something in the footsteps of the pioneers.
A cold wind from the Blue American West. A tan-and-green group vary widely. Some say as better, and the whole trail thing, Outside Baker City, in the eastern
Mountains carries the scent valley covers the foreground, and many as 1,000 people began the the opening of the West, the part of the state, is the National
of sagebrush as it whips the majestic and imposing forested trek; others say it was between 500 infinite possibilities,” Burns said.
Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive
your face. Each step stirs dust on the Blue Mountains dominate the sky. and 700 people in 113 wagons, It took between five and six Center, a 23,000-square-foot
dry path in this high desert plateau It’s impossible to ignore the with as many as 5,000 livestock months to make it to Oregon City, facility atop Flagstaff Hill that
in eastern Oregon, where hundreds ghosts of the pioneers who along for good measure. the end of the trail, where in later overlooks the well-preserved ruts
of thousands of American pioneers walked this way and helped shape What’s clear is that the U.S. years a man could file papers to from the 19th century.
walked, changing the course of America’s destiny. With at least government encouraged people to claim 320 acres of land—640 if he Engaging exhibits include
history. a month’s journey still ahead at make the journey, hoping that a was married. short movies, dioramas and a
A roadside sign beneath Flagstaff this point, did they appreciate the greater population of Americans in Roughly 400,000 people are spot where children can stock a
Hill points the way to this path, beauty of the mountain view? Or the Oregon Territory would help estimated to have made the wagon- wagon, deciding on what is most
where you can walk in the actual was it just stark evidence of another wrest control of the disputed land train journey. About 10 percent important to bring when packing
ruts made during the mid-1800s near-impossible task to master? from the British. died along the way. The peak year for a new life. But exploring the
by the wagon trains on the Oregon This year, Oregon is marking Politicians were determined to was 1850, when some 55,000 outdoor spaces and the actual ruts
Trail. the 175th anniversary of the trail, expand the United States “from traveled the route. The caravans in the valley might be the most
The sage and other brush along commemorating the first large, one ocean to the other,” but started trailing off in the 1870s evocative activity.
the trail may have thinned or organized wagon train that left individuals were looking for a when train travel became an option. On the other side of the state,
thickened over time, but the vista in late May of 1843 from near better life after economic woes hit What’s striking to a visitor is in Oregon City, is the End of the
is undoubtedly the same as that Independence, Mo. during the 1830s, said Kelly Burns, how near the history of the Oregon Oregon Trail Interpretive Center,
seen by the adventurers who made There were diary accounts made supervisory park ranger at the Trail seems, not just in physical a smaller, but similarly well-done
National Historic Oregon Trail terms but in time. It’s not really all facility that also documents the
Interpretive Center near Baker that long ago. history of the trail.
City. For example, Baker City Today’s travelers can visit both
But there was more to it than winemaker Travis Cook, 33, is spots over the course of a couple of
that. The sense of adventure and a descendant of one of the last days with stops along the way for
the monumental challenge of families to travel the trail, in 1894. rest and refreshment, sometimes
traveling so far and so long into His great-grandfather was born driving along the original route
mostly uncharted territory shows shortly after the family arrived in that took the pioneers about a
determination. Oregon. month to traverse. You’ll be able
Cook said the spirit of the to restock your provisions, but
OREGON TRAIL pioneers—one based on hard work instead of making history, you’ll
More than 400,000 pioneers and striving for a better life _ is still be retracing it. n
traveled west on the Oregon Trail, part of the culture around Baker
which turns 175 years old in 2018. City. ©2018 Chicago Tribune
Modern-day travelers in Oregon “Every day, we look forward and Visit the Chicago Tribune at
can retrace history at numerous try to make our dreams happen,” www.chicagotribune.com
spots along the legendary trail. he said. Distributed by Tribune Content
“We can all understand the idea For lovers of American history, a Agency, LLC

WWW.SUPERBROKER.COM

562-882-1581 | ALLISON@SUPERBROKER.COM

9