My search for the Oregon Trail has started. This past weekend I was fortunate enough to spend some time with my youngest son on the Snake River in Hells Canyon. On the way back home I took the time for some trail searching. This post will be the first of many, I hope, documenting my search for visible evidence of the Oregon Trail and highways/roads located on or near the trail.
The first pictures were taken on the Sisley Creek Road just north of the Weatherby Rest area off of I-84. This road is located on top of the actual Trail. The emigrants used this route to get around Gold Mountain, which could not be climbed with the wagons and oxen.
The next images were taken in Birnie Park on the south edge of La Grande, Or. It is a City Park situated on the location of an emigrant campground along side the OT. This park contains some excellent education info for kids and adults which makes it a good stop if you are following the Trail. The actual trail ran just to the left of this picture.
This picture was taken looking south from Birnie Park and shows "B" Avenue in La Grande going up the hill from left to right. The actual Trail runs under "B" Avenue.
The next series of pictures was taken in the Deadman's Pass area along I-84. There are two rest areas at this exit, one for eastbound and one for westbound traffic. The first picture is of an Oregon Trail Marker located on the South side of the east bound rest area. Next to the marker there is a steel stairway over the fence leading to some visible Oregon Trail Swales. There are at least two sets and maybe more as it is hard to tell, but they are approximately 100 yards long.
These two images are of the actual swales, portions of which are visible without climbing over the fence.
From this spot in the eastbound rest area, you can sight diagonally across I-84 to the south side of the other rest area and visualize the actual route of the Trail through the interchange. Located just to the south of the westbound rest area you can find these swales leading up the hill towards the Pendleton area. There appear to be at least two swales here.......one I am standing in while taking this picture and one just to the other side of the large tree. The tree is growing on the hump between the trails.
This next image was taken just slightly to the right of the last one and may show a third set of tracks leading up the same hill......I'm just not for sure. It is really hard to tell when standing there and even harder in the pictures!
That was all for this trip, but I plan on taking my grandson on an Oregon Trail Discovery Trip this summer. We plan on doing a Power Point Presentation together so he can report on our trip for his history class next year. He is 9 years old and we are really looking forward to the trip. I also plan on updating this thread as time goes along with my "discoveries" of Oregon Trail history an actual swales. I just hope this is as enjoyable for some of you as it is for me.
Hutch
