Category Archives: History

MAGIC OF THE FALLS OF MCCHORD CREEK

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An antidote to the Multnomah Falls circus.

Above Elowah Falls looking across the Columbia River to Hamilton and Table Mountains beyond.
Above Elowah Falls looking across the Columbia River to Hamilton and Table Mountains beyond.

Many waterfalls await discovery in Oregon. Some of the best are found in the Columbia River Gorge. Some are out there obvious to all while some like to hide away from prominent view. Multnomah Falls is the tallest and one of the most majestic. A large car park built in between the lanes of the freeway tries to accommodate the many who come for a visit. It is a standard by which others are measured. The Northwest Waterfall Survey rates Multnomah at 89.92 points. The falls are enchanting, but some of the magic wears off with the crowds you endure to witness. McChord Creek calls.

Driving up the Gorge on a Thursday in April, the car park at Multnomah Falls was, as normal, completely full. Five miles further east on the freeway, I-84, there were two cars parked at the Yeon State Park lot just off the freeway. Granted, two of the three trails leading out from here were closed – one from a fire in 2017 and another from a recent landslide this winter – but the one trail still open was pure enchantment.

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FORT SIMCOE – SHORT STORY PAUSE TO THE STORM

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two pound cannon
Looks like a two-pound cannon, one of two on the east side of the Parade Ground with Officer’s Row on the opposite side. Artillery would have consisted more probably of M1841 mountain howitzers.

Of the many military posts erected by the US Army during the 19th century, few remain as well preserved as the collection of buildings found here in the middle of the Yakama Nation at Fort Simcoe. The post was only manned for three years before the fort was abandoned; the men sent north to Fort Colville.

Brevet Captain George McClellan’s party, in 1853, found traces of gold along the upper reaches of the Naches or Yakima Rivers. They searched for a railroad route over the Cascades, something McClellan continually stressed when meeting with Natives from the local Yakama tribes.

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RE-FOCUSING THE ARMY EASTWARD ON THE COLUMBIA – FORT DALLES

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A restored version of James Madison Alden's tryptich view over Fort Dalles. Fort Dalles Museum.
A restored version of James Madison Alden’s triptych view over Fort Dalles. Fort Dalles Museum.

Fort Dalles was one of the original forts set up by the Army as it came west after the 1846 treaty with Great Britain solidifying borders on the 49th parallel. Before 1855, the fort was a small fort with room for one or two companies of troops. The Yakama War changed that. From the middle of 1856 until the beginning of 1859, the fort became one of the Army’s main centers in the Northwest. Home for the Ninth Regiment, Fort Dalles became the jump-off point for campaigns, interior explorations, road, and fort building and a supply depot for all these activities.

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BLOCKHOUSE GUARDIAN ON THE COLUMBIA – FORT CASCADES

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Steamboats making for the Cascade Locks near the Upper Cascades later in the 19th century. Fort Lugenbeel was just around the corner to the left.

Fort Cascades served as the main post comprising several blockhouses set up to defend the vitally important transportation corridor along the Columbia River through one of the treacherous points along the river.

The Oregon Trail was a long and perilous route. Perhaps the most difficult section lay almost at the trail’s end as it made its way through the Cascade Mountains to the promised lands of the Willamette Valley. Once the Trail dropped down out of the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon, it followed near the Columbia River. It was possible to float your wagons down much of the river, but most kept to the road leading up and down further to the south of the Columbia. Crossing the John Day and Deschutes rivers were minor difficulties compared to the last difficulty lying ahead in the mountains.

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PRESIDENTIAL MAGIC OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS

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Rocky path with cairns along the way to Mt Adams from Mt Jefferson.

The White Mountains of New Hampshire are seen by many as the pinnacle of mountain ranges in the Northeast and the eastern Seaboard, in general, no malice intended towards the Blue Ridge, Smoky or Adirondack ranges. Topped by Mount Washington – 6,289 feet – the range is historic. The mountain is almost the same height as its namesake in the Olympic Mountains of Washington State – 6,260 feet. That peak being a bit more difficult to climb. Rising above all other peaks in the White Mountains are the Presidents.

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FORT HOSKINS AND YAMHILL – WHITE EYES TURNED TO THE COAST

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fort hoskins
Looking down on the former site of Fort Hoskins, literally at the edge of valley and mountain.

Fort Hoskins and Yamhill were two of the earliest uses of the U.S. Army in the newly acquired Northwest lands gained in the middle 1840’s. The sites, long abandoned, have undergone extensive archaeological excavations. Protected as public parks today, a visit gives a fascinating insight into the antebellum Regular Army and the interactions between Native Americans and newly-arrived white settlers intent on occupying new grounds.

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STORMIN’ ON THE CENTRAL OREGON COAST

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cape perpetua
Wave churns into the Good Fortune Cove near Cook’s Chasm with the headland of Cape Perpetua rising beyond.

The Oregon Coast is a scenic wonderland long discovered by tourists. Many tourists take in the long coastline in one long excursion up or down US 101. While continually spectacular, that is like Americans “seeing” Europe in one or two weeks. The history and geography of the coast is better taken in parts. Clatsop County in the north is very different from Lincoln in the middle and Coos and Curry Counties in the south. This trip we travelled to the Central Oregon Coast – Lincoln County, basing ourselves in the county seat of Newport. 

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MONUMENTS FROM THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, FORGOTTEN PRELUDE TO EMPIRE

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USS Oregon
USS Oregon mainmast in Riverfront Park Portland

The Spanish-American war, forgotten mostly today, was a very popularly received event among the American public.  The ongoing rebellion in Cuba was recurrent front-page news. Newspapers ever eager to entice readers with lurid tales of Spanish atrocities.  Forgotten by most now, the Spanish-American War is remembered by numerous monuments spread around the country.  Like the war they memorialize, those monuments tend to be overlooked and passed by today without much notice.

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BASEBALL HISTORY FOUND IN THE NECROPOLI OF PORTLAND

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Wayne Twitchell, former pitcher during his days with the Philadelphia Phillies

Portland, Oregon is not synonymous with baseball. Professional baseball has been around in some form or another since 1890 – amateur teams date back to at least 1866. The longest running professional team in the Rose City was the Portland Beavers, a founding member of the Pacific Coast League in 1903 – the name “Beavers” did not come until 1906. The team would finish first only on rare occasions for much of its long history. The Beavers even occasionally changed their name to attempt to revise their standing. They also changed affiliations with major league teams on a regular basis. As a child, I remember them from their affiliation with the Cleveland Indians and Sam McDowell and Luis Tiant on the mound for the Beavs.

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MALA MOJSTROVKA THE EASY WAY UP – Vršič Pass

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north face mala mojstrovka
The magnificent north face of Mala Mojstrovka from Vratica saddle.

Slovenia is not a flat country. There are lots of hills culminating in the Julijske Alpe – the Julian Alps. The border with Italy bisects the range leaving the highest peak, Triglav 2,864 meters, in Slovenia and the second highest peak, Jôf di Montasio 2,755 meters, in Italy.  The mountains figure deeply into the soul of Slovenia with Triglav being featured on both the Slovene flag and coat of arms. To explore this mountainous wonderland, you can do it cursorily from a car or motorcycle. But at some time, you will need to wander the trails and climb the peaks to understand the specialness of these mountains. There is no better place to explore Slovenia from the top than to join the crowds parked atop Vršič Pass – 1611 meters – and walk. From Vršič Pass, the magic of Mala Mojstrovka awaits.

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