Travelling along at 70 mph along Interstate 84 along the Columbia River, it is easy to think Oregon’s mid-19th century pioneers just shuttled along rambling into Portland on Sandy Boulevard in no time at all. Drive out to Well Springs and that idea disappears very quickly. The long drive out here on the south side of the US Navy’s Boardman Bombing Range gives one the best example of what it must have been like to drive a wagon along the Oregon Trail with the end coming finally into view.
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WAGON RUTS ON THE OLD OREGON TRAIL – ECHO MEADOWS-CORRAL SPRINGS
Following the deaths at the Whitman Mission in December 1847, emigrants travelling the Oregon Trail elected to bypass the jaunt of the trail to the north following the descent out of the Blue Mountains. Instead, the new path led down the Umatilla River before heading out across the dry Columbia Plateau roughly parallel to the river about 6-8 miles to the south.
Continue readingDEADMAN PASS – OREGON TRAIL OUT OF THE BLUES
Pioneers on the Oregon Trail found the crossing of the Blues to be a taxing affair, especially so late in their journey. Some writers have declared the passage over the Blue Mountains as the last big challenge faced by the Overlanders.
Continue readingTERRITORIAL OREGON – IN THE THRALL OF THE SALEM CLIQUE
With the Cayuse War, the federal government finally acted in Washington, D.C., 18 August 1848, to develop an official form of government over the region of the Oregon Country transferred to American control by the Oregon Treaty of 1846 officially ending the awkward condominium shared with Great Britain since 1818. The new territorial government ushered in new power brokers – aka the Salem Clique – to administer the political machine during the next decade. This setting the stage for a Statehood granted 14 February 1859 with war clouds gathering furiously back in the East.
Continue readingOREGON TRAIL TAKES THE HIGH ROAD ON THE COLUMBIA PLATEAU
Driving down Interstate 84 today, you might be forgiven for thinking your route follows that taken by the pioneers of the middle 19th century coming to the new lands of Oregon. The hardest part of the Oregon Trail came at the end, from The Dalles through the Cascades. Before the Barlow Trail became a viable alternative in 1847, pioneer families put their wagons onto handmade rafts floating them through Columbia Gorge, whitewater of the Cascades Rapids and all. The river served as a highway for Lewis and Clark in their journey to the Pacific Ocean. It did not serve as such a fine route for the settlers who came later. But today, we focus on the Trail crossing the arid Columbia Plateau.
Continue readingFINALLY, THE RIVER! LAST MILES ON THE OREGON TRAIL
Just a few miles before the potentially difficult crossing of the Deschutes River, Pioneers – also known as Overlanders – got their first glance of the mighty Columbia River. A little over 1900 miles lay between Independence and Oregon City, the beginning and terminus of the Oregon Trail. Until 1846, the end of contiguous overland journey was not at Oregon City. The end of the wagon journey ended at Wascopam Mission. The mission would later give rise to the town of The Dalles, milepost 1819.
Continue readingEASIER WAY OVER THE CASCADES? HIGHLIGHTS ON THE BARLOW ROAD
Like the beginning, the Oregon Trail had various endpoints. For most, the overland passage ended at The Dalles. From here, emigrants with enough cash used barges to float their wagons down the river to the confluence of the Sandy River where they disembarked (Sandy Boulevard is the old route they took to finish the journey). In 1846, an alternative to the river journey arose – the Barlow Road.
The river route was expensive – $50 or more – and dangerous. By the time emigrants reached The Dalles, the season was fall. Water levels in the Columbia River were low meaning rocks in the Cascades Rapids – now submerged in the waters of Lake Bonneville at Cascade Locks – making the passage more perilous. Rafts and barges could easily flip causing loss of life and household goods.
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