National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center

Jill's Journal: When we left on this journey, visiting significant historic sites like Plymouth Rock were top on our list as important educational lessons for the girls. Never once did the Oregon Trail cross our minds, but after our visit to the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center near Baker City, Oregon, yesterday, I would say it made at least as big of an impact on the girls (and on us) as Plymouth Rock did last year. Maybe bigger.

“Located on a well-preserved segment of the Oregon Trail in northeast Oregon, its setting is the great sagebrush steppe between the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Range. Pioneers reached this point 1,600 miles into their journey. Following weeks of sagebrush and monotony, they caught their first glimpse of the Blue Mountains, the lush Baker Valley, and the promise of a new life in Oregon.” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

Just steps out of the car on the 500-acre site was a real wagon dating from the 1880s and the period of Eastern Oregon settlement. These things didn’t have shock absorbers and were constantly breaking. It was not uncommon for pioneers to resort to cutting up their prized kitchen table or any other furniture they’d fit inside to make a new wheel.

Replicas nearby showed how space inside was at a premium. Unless someone was very ill, it was unusual for anyone to ride inside (even the drivers walked alongside). The space was needed for all of a family’s worldly possessions, plus enough food (dry goods) to last the six month journey on the Oregon Trail.

Let’s back up for a moment…

“At one time or another, four different countries claimed the great Pacific Northwest: Spain, Russia, Great Britain, and the United States. By 1825 (just 42 years after the end of the Revolutionary War), only Great Britain and the U.S. remained in the contest. They each based their claims on the ‘right of discovery.’ ‘The Oregon Question,’ a hot political issue, revolved around ownership.

“America insisted Oregon was hers after Captain Robert Gray’s ‘discovery’ of the Columbia River (1792), Lewis and Clark’s explorations (1804-06), and the labors of John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company at Astoria. Great Britain pointed to the explorations of Captain George Vancouver, the investments of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the presence of her citizens.

“The conflict of claims almost pitched the nations into war. The northern U.S. boundary served as part of a slogan for President James K. Polk’s campaign in 1844: ’54 40 or Fight!’ Within two years he had secured the Oregon Treaty and the U.S. gained the empire of the Columbia – the vast Oregon Territory.” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

Even before the Oregon Treaty, emigrants started pouring into the land that would become the state of Oregon. Who were they?

“They came from Missouri and Virginia, from Maine, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey; solid Germans from Bavaria and Hanover; land-loving sons of the middle border from Iowa and Illinois; Irishmen, always looking for adventure, workmen from crowded cities and labor camps; Danes, Swedes, Canadians, Englishmen, those perennial settlers…” –Giles French, The Golden Land

“Oregon was new, mysterious, alluring, magical. Letters, sermons, editorials, and government documents all made the case. The emigrants sold out, packed up, and headed for the head of the trail.” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

“The Oregon Trail lay like a slender strand of rope winding its way across the continent. The prospect of traveling its length was daunting: 1,924 miles of wilderness journey, 150 to 180 days on the trail – if lucky.” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

“Between 1812 and 1842, each season saw only a trickle of travelers on the Oregon Trail. With the start of large scale migration (in 1843), the Trail was seldom a lonely place. Each summer thousands juggled for a place on the route, competing for campsites and grazing areas.

"There was no accurate count of all the emigrants… People started at various locations and ended at various locations. Babies were born and people died along the way. Wagon trains formed, split up, regrouped, and many people turned back east and went home. Modern day historians estimated somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000 travelers used the overland trails…” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

“No one had ever seen anything quite like it before... “They brought their institutions, ideas, talents, and energies to a land already long occupied. They displaced the Indians and wrested a new territory and several states from what they perceived as wilderness. Despite some tragic consequences, the story of the Oregon Trail is an epic of human endurance, and reminds us of those who came as empire builders.” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

It was not an easy journey.

“Death stalked the trail. Teams ran away and spilled children beneath grinding wheels. Guns misfired and blasted into arms and legs. Young men drowned; wagons overturned and crushed the women riding in them. Then there was the dreaded cholera. At morning all was fine. In the afternoon people complained of not feeling well. By dusk they were dead.

“Smallpox, mountain fever, and gut-wrenching dysentery plagued the travelers. Murder, suicide, or conflict with Indians were rarer causes of death, but they too made their marks. By the mid-1850s the Oregon Trail was one great cemetery stretching 2,000 miles across the continent. Add grief to the list of hardships the emigrants had to face.” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

“After months of travel, you’ve learned the odds: nearly one out of every 10 dead, a grave every 80 yards. But numbers can’t describe a child’s death under the wagon wheels, a mother’s sudden end from disease, or a friend’s fatal gunshot accident...” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

Knowing the risks, the courageous pioneers set forth anyway. Their first major hurdle was getting to the trailhead in Missouri from wherever in the country they were located. And then…

“Emigrants struggled to determine the best departure time. The wagon trains had to wait until the prairie had firmed up after the winter snows and spring rains. But they had to get underway before the summer sun scorched the grasses. Late April and early May proved to be the best time to start.

“The trail crossed the Plains, Rockies, Snake Plateau, Blue Mountains, and followed the Columbia River – all Indian country. The dreaded Columbia Gorge or arduous transit of the Cascade Mountains presented a final test. Despite the monumental risks, the emigrants looked it over and thought themselves able to face the length and breadth of the land.” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

“By July and August…the country (they passed through appeared) burnt to death... When the emigrants managed to find water, they often discovered that 'many cattle [had] taken up their everlasting abodes in it.' Livestock laid down and died from poisonous weeds and water, rattlesnake bites, scorpion stings, and diseases carried by ticks.

“The bloated and stinking bodies were, as Esther McMillan Hanna described it, 'so numerous that we can scarcely get a pure breath of air anywhere!'” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

“I do not think I shall ever forget the sight of so many dead animals seen along the trail. It is like something out of Dante’s Inferno, this barren waste of lava peopled with the skeletons of animals.” –Esther McMillan Hanna, August 6, 1852

It wasn’t just the animals lost during the Trail.

“Pioneer accounts note land alongside the trail was heavily grazed and in places littered with broken wagon parts, dead animals, and castaway possessions.

“…The travelers had to throw away all but the bare essentials. (A man named) Handsaker had this experience: ‘…We left one of our wagons, two boxes of valuable books, trunks, chairs, etc. worth at least $300. This is sad destruction, but it cannot be avoided.’” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

An interesting note is that oxen were usually the beast of choice to pull settlers’ wagons. They were slow, but they were gentle and steady and could be eaten if pioneers were starving. Horses were fast and willing to work themselves to death, but with sensitive digestive systems and as a prime target for thieves, they were more of a liability. Mules were fast like horses and resilient like oxen, but they were stubborn and damaged many a wagon by either kicking or running away.

As a cloven hoofed animal, oxen feet quickly wore to the quick on the Oregon Trail. Owners shod them with shoes like this one found on the Trail or with buffalo hide or leather in a pinch.

A personal journal from an 1863 crossing.

“For those who risked all – life, limb, health, and wealth – the banks of the Willamette symbolized the completion of a dream. They had not truly arrived at the end of the trail; they still had lands to claim and homes to build…

“What did it all mean? It was the greatest mass migration in North American history. The pioneers crossed nearly 2,000 miles of wilderness to chart a new destiny on the Pacific Slope. The experience marked their lives forever. Their journey became a badge they wore until death…” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

After our time in the Interpretive Center and really getting a glimpse into the courage and hardship these people faced, it was time to head outside and hike down to the actual ruts made by the Trail when it passed through here.

“In 1843, emigrants sent a wagon and team ahead to break down the sagebrush on Virtue Flat. Over time the dusty earth on the flat gained the distinct imprint of several sets of parallel ruts, the traces of thousands of wagon wheels and animal hooves carrying the goods of the pioneers to the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Trail ruts resemble a swale of slightly packed earth, rather than the more familiar set of parallel tracks typically made by automobiles.” –U.S. Department of the Interior literature

It was an extremely hot day, but we were determined to make the trek. There’s four miles of trails leading to the Oregon Trail and back, all down and then back up a nearly 400-foot “mountain” called Flagstaff Hill (where the Interpretive Center is located). There's a flat spot to the left in the picture above; that's where we were headed.

It is said the landscape is virtually unchanged since the days of the Oregon Trail. Sagebrush populates the land now, just as did then.

We came across this lone tree, a welcome respite from the sagebrush surroundings. How the pioneers must have celebrated when they reached landmarks, each urging them closer to their destination.

And finally we made it to the lasting impressions made by the Oregon Trail. In spite of kids miserable from hiking in the heat, it was so moving to be there, surrounded by the heightened quiet of the desert, in the footsteps of those brave, hardy souls.

The girls took a few steps of their own on the actual trail. Rob and I both said later that we wondered while we were there if we would have been courageous enough to take the Oregon Trail if we’d lived during that time. We like adventure, but these people risked their children’s lives.

That’s Rob in the red shirt at the wheel ruts. I’d stepped back to help settle a skirmish between sisters and it dawned on me that you wouldn’t even know the Trail was there unless you were actually on it. It’s hidden so well in the sagebrush and growth, which makes it all the more amazing it can still be found all these years later.

And then we had to head back up Flagstaff Hill in the blazing sunshine and oppressive heat, back to our vehicle. That tiny, little building is actually the very large Interpretive Center. Everyone was so thirsty we ran out of water long before we hit the top. But our girls were amazing troopers and it gave them a smidgeon of appreciation – better than anything else could have – of what the travelers on the Oregon Trail went through.

“I feel like we’re like pioneers on the Oregon Trail,” said Madelyn. “This is awful. Let’s never do this again. Oh, those poor people.”

Here we are at the end of the hike, taking a break. We’re only getting smiles and thumbs up signs because we were done!

A 13-mile section of the Oregon Trail route can be clearly seen from atop Flagstaff Hill. Look at the black line on this placard…

…and then compare it to this scene. Pretty awesome. Of course, it worked better with the naked eye than in a photo!

After rehydrating, we stopped at the Oregon Trail Monument on the way back toward Baker City. It didn’t compare to actually having been on the Trail itself. We’re so glad we made that hike.

We had promised the girls if they behaved well for the long day, we would stop on the 90+ mile drive home (to Pendleton) at the Union County Fair in La Grande (which we could see from the road on our drive down). They were so excited and weren't about to let us forget it.

It was the tiniest, cheesiest, least-satisfying fair you can imagine, but Madelyn held her own against the boys in a giant hamster wheel of sorts. In the dainty little dress she insisted on wearing this day, she was the last one to wipe out!

The Oregon Trail

Jill's Journal: Ranking among the most memorable and worthwhile things we’ve done on our 14-month journey so far is this: the girls walking on the Oregon Trail. Literally, those are the wheel ruts left behind these 170 years later. Simply, completely amazing.

We have so much more to share about our day, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. Hiking four miles down and then up a mountain in 95 degree heat to get to the trail has wiped us out!

A Day in Pendleton

Jill's Journal: Pendleton was named the “Top True Western Town in 2011” by True West Magazine. Sweet Victoria still gets excited every time she sees anyone in a cowboy hat. “Mommy, look! It’s a real cowboy with a real hat and a real belt!” I love it.

Here's a view of downtown, set in the hills around the Umatilla River.

Outside of town, it's wheat, wheat, and more wheat as far as the eye can see.

Friendly touches are everywhere.

I loved this sign. From the best I can tell, the Mainstreet Cowboys serve as a sort of welcoming committee for folks attending the Round-Up.

The girls and I spent part of the day at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute (no, I can't say it either). It's an American Indian-owned and operated interpretive center that celebrates the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes. No pictures were allowed inside, but the girls got a lot out of it.

This is a tule reed lodge, the standard dwelling used by the Columbia River Plateau peoples about 200 years ago. It's large, about 30' by 16' by 16'.

A demonstrator invited the girls to meet Ula (but sounded like Olga), the Golden Eagle. Obviously not knowing we've seen several birds of prey in Oregon, he was telling the girls and the audience about the basic physical differences between Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles (the color of the heads, how far down the feathers reach on the legs, etc.). He finished and Erika, our sponge, spoke up, "Yes, and I've also noticed their beaks are shaped differently. The ___ Eagle's (I forget which one, she didn't) is longer and more pointed."

"Why yes," the man said, a little surprised, "if you were to study them very closely you would definitely see that." I later asked her how she knew that. She shrugged and said like it was the most normal thing in the world, "I just noticed." Like I said, she's a sponge.

Look at those talons. I wouldn't trifle with these birds!

We did learn at the Tamastslikt center about the Pendleton Round-Up being a true collaboration between the cowboys of the area and the tribal people, both a century ago when it started and to this day. Later, we happened to be driving by the Round-Up grounds when we noticed the gate open. We snuck in for a peek. Look at the size of this place! How many thousands of people must it hold? The arena is unique in rodeo for two reasons: it’s still grass (the outside dirt is where the Indian Relay Races are held) and there’s no advertising on the walls.

Erika found a barrel racing toy she desperately wanted in a store a few days ago and we returned so she could purchase it with her own money. We made her think about it, especially as it was an expensive toy ($40) that more than cut her cash savings in half. She had been saving for a pony and we reminded her of how long it took to earn $40. She said, "I know, but we'll be traveling at least another year or two so I have plenty of time to earn it back. Besides, I need to learn about barrel racing and this will help. And it's my money and I earned it!" Who can argue with that? She had clearly prepared her argument ahead of time!

One last picture from the day: Oregon produce continues to be amazing. We stopped by a Farmers' Market today and picked up our first yellow watermelon. It tastes like...watermelon! The flavor was a little different from a perfectly ripe watermelon, but it was still good.

Pendleton Round-Up and Hall of Fame

Jill's Journal:

“Well, it's bulls and blood
It's dust and mud
It's the roar of a Sunday crowd
It's the white in his knuckles
The gold in the buckle
He'll win the next go 'round
It's boots and chaps
It's cowboy hats
It's spurs and lattigo
It's the ropes and the reins
And the joy and the pain
And they call the thing rodeo.

“It'll drive a cowboy crazy
It'll drive the man insane
And he'll sell off everything he owns
Just to pay to play the game
And a broken home and some broken bones
Is all he'll have to show
For all the years that he spent chasin'
This dream they call rodeo.” –Garth Brooks

One of the premier rodeos in North America, the Pendleton Round-Up has a rich and storied past. At a Fourth of July celebration in Pendleton in 1909, a group of folks had the idea of hosting an annual rodeo. Determined to do it right, they spent a year preparing. The first Round-Up was held the next September (allowing farmers to finish their harvest) with the slogan, “Let’er Buck.”

That first year, about 7,000 people attended the inaugural festivities (Pendleton's population at the time was 4,500 souls). It was such a success that the next year 20,000 attended the final day alone. Today, the numbers have swelled far beyond that. The Round-Up is officially a four-day show, although there’s two additional days of Professional Bull Riders events, plus parades, concerts, cowboy shows, and so much more in the days leading up to it.

“The Pendleton Round-Up has long been synonymous with tradition. In Pendleton, the arena is still grass, the chutes are still wood, and the celebration of western heritage is still lead by the call of ‘Let’er Buck!’” –Hall of Fame literature

“Rodeo was born in the 19th century when groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches met to settle arguments over who was the best at performing everyday ranching tasks. Since then, rodeo has evolved into a hugely popular sport, though a cowboy’s standing still depends on his skills with a rope or his ability to ride a bucking animal.” –Hall of Fame literature

“Rodeo events are generally divided into roughstock events – saddle bronc, bareback, and bull riding – and timed events – calf roping, steer wrestling (bulldogging), team roping, and steer roping.” –Hall of Fame literature

These seven major Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events are run each day at the Pendleton Round-Up, plus women’s barrel racing and such wild crowd pleasers as Indian relay races and wild cow milking. The Round-Up is still held the second week of every September. How we would love to attend! It's far too late to get tickets or RV (or hotel) space for this year, but...road trip in 2012 anyone? :)

“…For tough-fibered fortitude, practiced skills, and sheer bravery, there are no other athletes in the world to compare with those who people the violent world of rodeo. They are athletes and competitors and one thing more – they ride the last frontier of rugged individualism, paying their own dusty way earning only what they are good enough to win.” –Red Smith, commentator

In 1969, the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame was founded and is now located across the street from the facilities. Each year, stand-out men, women, and occasionally livestock who impacted the rodeo’s past are inducted. The Hall of Fame also has a museum of memorabilia from the bygone days of the Round-Up. (Happy Canyon, by the way, is a pageant that has been nearly unchanged since 1916. An important part of the Round-Up experience, it’s the evening’s entertainment and features everything from early American Indians to Lewis and Clark to the Old West. There’s a live orchestra and it’s supposed to be quite the show.)

“The horse in front of you is War Paint, a symbol of the spirit and tradition of the Pendleton Round-Up. He was one of the greatest and most well-known saddle broncs of all time. During a career that spanned nearly 20 years during the 1950s and 1960s, War Paint bucked off about 90 percent of his riders. He was very powerful out of the chute and the cowboys called him an “honest bucker” – a horse that bucks hard and with nearly the same movement every time. But even when the cowboys knew what was coming, War Paint still managed to shed riders.” –Hall of Fame literature

This is Hamley & Co.’s original pattern for that 1919 bronc saddle I mentioned two days ago.

The girls really enjoyed the museum’s exhibits on ladies who have competed (and held their own against the men) at the Round-Up. This cowgirls’ outfit featured a “ladies’ riding skirt.”

Until the 1950s, this light was on the special Union Pacific Railroad train arriving for the Round-Up each year from Portland.

Made by Hamley & Co., this was the 1912 trophy saddle for the Pendleton Round-Up’s Champion Saddle Bronc Rider.

Isn’t this the greatest Christmas tree ever? It wasn’t technically part of the museum, but we spied it in a hallway and had to get a closer look.

The girls had fun playing Cowboys and Indians in the Hall of Fame’s children’s section. Don’t mess with Madelyn!

Erika perfected her rodeo clown skills…she coerced her sisters to get in this barrel and relentlessly rolled them through the area. Belly laughs filled the air.

The Most Fun Tour We Can’t Do

Jill's Journal: Pendleton history may start out a little dull (a trading post was established in 1851; the town was officially named in 1868 for George H. Pendleton, a candidate for Vice-President in 1864 (why, I haven’t been able to figure out as Congressman Pendleton was from Ohio, not Oregon))…

…but it certainly revs up considerably. Pendleton used to be known as the “entertainment capital of Eastern Oregon,” a seedy side that the town has since embraced and preserved. In the late 1800s, Pendleton had 18 brothels and 32 saloons for a population of around 3,000!

Over the decades, the bordellos thrived and the four blocks that made up the red light district were still thriving until an abrupt shut down in 1953. It seems a Presbyterian minister threatened to name the brothel patrons in church. It is said there was a lone holdout, a madam named Stella Darby who refused to close and continued to operate her establishment until she retired in 1965.

In 1991, one of Pendleton’s brothels was restored and reopened as a bed and breakfast called Working Girls Hotel. Kids aren’t allowed because of the antiques and nature of the place (and I’m not ready to explain the term “brothel” to my kids anyway!), so I could only admire the character of the building from the outside.

Pendleton called bordellos “Cozy Rooms.” Apparently there are a number of tunnels and secret passageways under Pendleton’s red light district that once led to the Cozy Rooms, plus a Prohibition card room, an opium den, and many other not-quite-so-upstanding places. About 20 years ago, several of the tunnels were restored and these days tours are offered. Children under six aren’t allowed and we’re not ready for them to delve into this part of the world anyway, but I suspect this would be one of the most fun tours around.

Hamley & Co.

Jill's Journal: From the best I can tell, there are two types of females in this country. There are the ones who might go gaga over a visit to Tiffany & Co. in New York City. And then there are the ones who might have the same reaction on a visit to Hamley & Co. in Pendleton. I’ve been to both and while I can appreciate both, it’s the latter that I’d pick for a shopping spree every day of the week.

What? You’ve never heard of Hamley & Co.? The brothers Hamley established the business in 1883, the same century Tiffany & Co. got their start. And other than Hamley belts being sold at Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s in New York City early in the 20th century, that’s probably where the similarities end.

After successful stints in South Dakota and Idaho, the Hamleys relocated permanently to Pendleton in 1905. They set up their harness and saddle shop along the old Oregon Trail, in the same building it remains in to this day. Before long, their saddles became known throughout the West as the “finest saddles man could ride.”

By 1928, over 1,200 locations in the U.S. also carried the Hamley Kit, a shaving kit made out of their scrap leather.

Hamley’s carries about 25 different types of stock saddles for immediate purchase, but their true calling is in their custom saddles. If you’d like one, the base price starts at $3,350 and it’ll be ready in about five to 10 months. One of their most famous saddles is the standard bronc saddle they developed in 1919. It is still used in rodeo today.

There's also hats, clothing, art, jewelry, and just about anything "Western" you can imagine. If you can envision it, it's probably here.

And of course boots! Lots of boots.

The girls had strict instructions not to touch anything, but Madelyn’s self-control caved at the red hats. She simply could.not.resist.

The door to the saddle shop/leather shop was ajar and we peeked in as we walked by. The very kind gentlemen invited the girls in to take a look around.

They unrolled some cow hide and let the girls feel it. That’s a whole cow right there!

Saddle trees drying; Hamley’s is known for their exceptional wood trees.

This saddle belonged to Yakima Canutt, who was crowned the World’s Champion All-Round Cowboy at the Pendleton Round-Up (a famous rodeo; more on that in a few days) in 1917. He eventually found his way to Hollywood and became a celebrated stuntman whose most famous scene is probably in 1939’s “Stagecoach.” He doubled for John Wayne dozens of times, as well as Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Roy Rogers, Henry Fonda, Tex Ritter, and many, many others. In 1966 he was awarded with an Oscar for pioneering the stuntman profession.

And this curious saddle belonged to an unnamed Hollywood luminary, who once owned a spread in Beverly Hills. Allegedly, this movie star loved nothing more than to ride around his property drunk and had a little trouble staying on his horse. He commissioned Hamley's to make him a saddle that would hold him on even after his flasks were empty. This is the bizarre but effective result.

Pendleton, Oregon

Jill's Journal: I am seriously loving this 16,000-strong town of Pendleton, Oregon (probably a lot more than my husband and children, who are most definitely not loving the drastic change of weather from mild and cool to sizzling hot). But if Eastern Oregon is this “western” and winsome, I cannot wait to see Montana.

Here’s a few images from around Pendleton. More tomorrow.