Travelling along at 70 mph along Interstate 84 along the Columbia River, it is easy to think Oregon’s mid-19^th 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.

WEST FROM THE UMATILLA

From the Lower Umatilla Crossing, wagons headed straight west across the dry Columbia Plateau towards the McDonald Crossing over the John Day River.  There were some minor ups and downs along the way, though only the dip and rise out of Willow Creek – the hamlet of Cecil, today – was of any consequence to the Overlanders by this point of the Trail.

Much of the Trail in Oregon lies obliterated under wheat fields today.  World War 2 came about preserving some of the longest stretches of wagon ruts still observable.  Most of the bombing range reserved for wartime training of the US Army Air Force saved the ruts until today.  Much of the southern region of the range became leased out to local ranchers to use as grazing lands, their operations have erased some of the ruts. 

OCEAN OF GLOOM

To stand at the Oregon Trail exhibit shelter – even better, cross Emigrant Lane to the north and wander out to other exhibit tablets – is supremely educational in understanding the experiences endured by Overlanders crossing to new lives in the Willamette Valley to the west..  Coming across on the Trail in 1852 John Kern wrote “if this is Oregon, it is not the place I started for … have endured too many hardships and privations … to ever be put off into such an ocean of gloom, eternal horrors and desolations such as this.  The creator must have intended an abundance of wickedness in the world … and this country as a refuge to those who could not bear the countenance of honest men.”

Before the Whitman killings at the end of 1847, most pioneers went north after dropping out of the Blue Mountains for if nothing better than to resupply and commiserate with the good doctor.  The journey to the mission added miles, however, to their journey.  It also brought the pioneers into continual contact with local Native Americans, especially those of the Cayuse tribes.

WATER

Following the Whitman deaths and the Cayuse War, the Oregon Trail headed straighter west from the Blue Mountain exit.  The new Trail led down the Umatilla valley to cross at Echo and then head west over the Columbia Plateau.  This route avoided mixing with Native Americans, with watering holes becoming very critical.  From the Lower Umatilla, the stops became determined by the watering holes – Butter Creek, followed by Well or Tub Springs.  Further west, the next stop was Willow Creek.

The Columbia Plateau is very uniform west of Butter Creek.  A few ups and downs where intermittent stream washes run. For the most part, the wagons traversed level ground, not too sandy with only sagebrush to knock down.  The trick was to get from spring to spring, there were only so many out here on the plateau.  In between Butter Creek and Willow Creek to the west, there were only the two springs – Well and Tub – counted upon in the early Fall when the Overlanders passed through. 

As described on one of the tablets at the Well Spring Interpretive Shelter, Amelia Stewart Knight described Well Spring in 1853 as “not much better than a mud hol ..”  Elizabeth Dixon Smith, earlier in 1847 noted, “… we found a great hole of water 12 or 15 feet across had to water a hundred and fifty head of cattle with pails had to stand out all night in the rain to keep the cattle from drownding each other after water in this hole.”

Patterson Fletcher Luark recorded 19 August 1853, “Twenty miles to day to what is called Wells springs (Well Springs) being strong Sulphur and mirey at head good grass no fuel but a little Sage.”

TODAY?

There is no water today.  Irrigation in surrounding fields has lowered water levels.  Only alkali sands tell the story of what may have been before.  It is a dry hostile landscape, probably worse than what the Overlanders endured.  Dust was an ever-present problem as the wagons moved westwards – 16 miles east of Butter Creek and another 15 miles before Willow Creek.

CAYUSE WAR

At the end of 1847, Cayuse tribesmen attacked the Whitman Mission killing thirteen people including the Whitmans.  The Provisional Government of Oregon responded by calling out a volunteer militia to find those responsible for the murders.  The militia gathered at The Dalles and moved eastward in January 1849.  Colonel Cornelius Gilliam commanded the militiamen. He had previous experience fighting in the Black Hawk and Seminole Wars. Before coming west, Gilliam settled in Missouri where he served as a county sheriff and as a state senator.

SAND HOLLOWS

His force engaged a Native American force in the Battle of Sand Hollow about nine miles to the northeast from here.  The battle used a lot of ammunition though few died.  Charles McKay joined Thomas McKay – stepson of John McLoughlin and son of founder of the American Fur Company Fort Astoria, Alexander McKay – along with other French Canadian and Métis volunteers as part of the militia sent east.  Supposedly, it was Charles, at the Battle of Sand Hollows, who shot Cayuse chief Five Crows.  Meeting with Five Crows later in life, Five Crows said, “You tried to kill me and I tried to kill you, but I am not mad at you.” 

Historians see the results of the skirmish as a bit of a draw, but the Native Americans did disperse somewhat after the battle as the volunteer force pushed on to the Whitman Mission site.  By dispersing, the volunteer force was unable to bring about any conclusion to the “war”.  Pressure from those in the Oregon Country were able to bring to bear changes regarding both a new territorial government and the sending of federal troops to quiet the situation in the Cayuse country.

DEATH OF COLONEL GILLIAM

Gilliam found himself also appointed as one of the Provisional peacemakers. This served to still somewhat his hotheaded solutions to ending the conflict.  He was on his way back to Oregon City to report on the progress made in trying to bring to justice those responsible for the Whitman murders and to resupply his forces.  Stopping here at Well Springs, he accidentally shot himself when his rifle dropped killing him 24 March 1848.  His body was brought back to Oregon City. Today, he lies buried next to his wife in the Dallas Cemetery in Polk County.

A monument to Colonel Gilliam sits in one of the largest pioneer cemeteries to be found along the Oregon Trail.  The cemetery fenced in to keep out grazing livestock.  No names of the buried survive.  Graves were marked with wooden headstones all weathered away today.  This is unforgiving ground.  Several explanatory tablets pop up across the road from the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.  Today, the explanations are all fading a result of sun, wind, environment.

STAGECOACHES TO BOMBS

One of those explanatory tablets is placed at the foundation of a former stagecoach stop.  This is probably the most faded of all.  Before the railroads extended east along the Columbia and then over the Blue Mountains in the early 1880’s, a stagecoach road existed using the Trail in spots and its own parallel route in others.

Even before the stagecoach station, Well Springs seems to have changed a bit with the constant flow of emigrants. Hattie Loughary recorded in August 1864, “

Aug. 18th Have to make another dry stretch of 15 miles to Butter Creek, which is well
night dry, with grass very scarce. No wood except what we buy from the ranchers.
Aug. 19th Another 18 mile dry stretch is announced the morning. Our road is through
rolling sand hills, plenty of dry grass which is very rich, but without water is comparative
useless. Reach the “well spring” at 4 o’clock. This is a small oasis in the middle of a great
waste. Have large number of teams and pack trains. Can buy oats, wood, mild, etc.

The Trail section here at Well Springs covers seven miles of wagon ruts.  As many signs warn, this land is part of the Boardman Bombing Range – official name, Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman.  The Range dates to World War 2 – 1943 – when the 96,000-acre area served to train pilots and crew for the US Army Air Corps.  After the war – 1960 – the range was turned over to the Navy giving pilots practice opportunities.  They operate out of the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island north of Seattle, Washington. 

BOMB RANGE DIVIDED

Half of the original range transferred to Oregon for development – this is the area where the Portland General Electric Company has its large natural gas powerplant.  Boeing also leases some of the land from Oregon for farming – the original thought was to use the land as a space park.  The area leased covers about 94,000 acres originally for aerospace development and testing.  Zoned as “Space Age/industrial” Morrow County allows for agricultural use.  Boeing subleased its property to a subsidiary company Boeing Agri-Industrial Company for farming and ranching purposes, also gaining water rights to irrigate 63,000 acres.  Boeing sold off its subsidiary and its land lease in 2000 to Threemile Canyon Farms – R. D. Offutt Company of Fargo, North Dakota – though Boeing has leased back some land from the Farms.

The Threemile Canyon Farms today covers 225 square miles.  It is a mega-dairy with over 6,000 cows producing milk for Tillamook cheese.  The cheese plant is found on the east side of Boardman on the north side of Interstate 84.  Cow manure powers a small electric plant with plans to add wind power.  Threemile Canyon Farms and the development of the western half of the former bombing range certainly deserves its own post.

WALKING THE RUTS TODAY

The bomb range – a little over 37,000 acres – concentrates on the northern and central areas of the reservation.  Inert training bombs are used in place of live ammunition – no more bomb craters.  Both the Navy and National Guard utilize the range for various training purposes with further development planned.  Presently, the Navy operates EA-18G Growler aircraft and drones over the range.  The southern third of the range is leased out to local ranchers.

Efforts to preserve areas of the original range accelerated with the discovery of the disappearance of habitat for the endangered Washington ground squirrel. Some of the area of the Threemile Canyon Farms and on the present Bombing Range is set aside as a nature preserve.

Permission can be obtained to walk along the seven miles of wagon ruts north of Well Springs inside the range, but one needs to call the Naval Weapons Station a few weeks beforehand to make a reservation 541-481-2565. All together there are twelve miles of wagon ruts still found, the largest stretch of continuous Trail still to be found.