by Rusty Rae and Sheila Hunter
There is another “Greatest Generation,” although mostly long forgotten — the 300,000 men, women, and children who made the 2,200 mile trek from Independence, MO to Oregon’s Willamette Valley and beyond between 1846 to 1869. You can experience the trials and tribulations of these Americans by visiting the Oregon Trail Interpretative Center five miles east of Baker City, Oregon, off I-84 in the state's northeast corner.
Located in the middle of scrub desert on a hill just above the actual Oregon Trail, the interpretative center offers a wide variety of educational experiences for those who want to learn more about history of the US and the sacrifices that were made in building this country on the way west.
Welcoming you to the center are several covered wagons that stand around a quiet fire pit. Seeing these wagons conveys a feeling of what life may have been like around the campfire from 150 years ago on the Oregon Trail. These six exact replica of the wagons of the Oregon Trail are also used in the annual labor day reenactment of a “nooning” and mountain man camp.
It’s a short walk from the wagons to the entry to the modern, air-conditioned, Oregon Trail Interpretive Center building. You are welcomed at the entrance by a miniature replica of one of the wagons.
At various times outside the museum entrance you may find a variety of activities, such as a mountain man in full regalia, with an interactive display of tools from the era, who mentors visitors on how to use them. The center includes a wide range of activities in addition to its Oregon Trail exhibit inside the center. There are also four miles of trails to explore as well as regular educational activities that broaden one’s knowledge of the life and times of those pioneers who made the long journey west.
Inside, the strategically sited and well-laid-out floor plan takes visitors through one of our most a dramatic periods, the largest known migration in American history. The exhibits start with a life-size diorama of what a segment of a wagon train looked like.
The concrete floor is designed to give a feel of a riverbed. Walk “upstream”. On your right see the wagonmaster atop his steed behind a wagon. Beside the wagon and next to the “riverbed”, see a woman holding her daughter’s hand, as if trying to hold the girl back from getting too close to the imaginary swiftly flowing river. Cross the “river”. On your left see a man with herding his small flock of sheep. The only things missing are the movement and sounds.
Past the flock of sheep look straight ahead. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, see the valley unfolding below. You may feel you’re with that wagon train 150 years ago, beholding the valley for the first time.
You can actually visit the remnants of the Oregon Trail just a short drive from center. They say that if you listen carefully in the quiet of the evening you can hear the echoes of wagon trains of the past rolling through the high desert.
Now that is really getting in touch with that other "Greatest Generation".
photos by Rusty Rae
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