The Oregon Trail
(fair warning…the incredibly inspirational history of these vast western landscapes, and my own personal story, will likely encourage me to digress from current travel news from time to time, to share some philosophical or historical observations. You may want to fast forward then)
Towards the end of yesterday we drove along part of the old Oregon Trail, a 2,200 mile east–west, wagon trail that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Western Oregon in the 1840’s and beyond.
Here in the dry, brown grass hills east of Baker City is sits the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, a must stop for anyone heading through this area.
Ruts from large wheeled, overloaded emigrant wagons that passed by almost 200 years old are still visible in places here today.
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(I’ve developed some kind of neurological issue my doc thinks might be a precursor to Parkinson’s. Some times my hands shake a bit making it harder to take clear pictures. I may resort to using a stock photo then and will note that with an *)
I marvel at and celebrate the unbelievable grit and cooperative effort shown by those determined pilgrims in the face of the unrelenting deprivations they endured to get across uncaring hostile lands, to make new and better lives for their children.
The mining, ranching, farming and logging and general commerce they engaged in helped make our still young country strong and wealthy. And less than 100 years later, their offspring helped save the world by building innumerable merchant ships and naval vessels and war planes (working 24 hr shifts in shipyards and aluminum smelters and huge Boeing plants).
They were our betters in many respects.
Sadly today attempts continue to try to muffle their history and diminish the importance of their contributions, by labeling them genocidal oppressors. I get that our past often might be painfully complicated and murky and messy or even terribly violent and don’t wish to belittle or ignore that. But the full story of the people whose efforts helped successfully build this country is so much more than that. Traveling this country, and meeting with and talking to others and learning their history, seems to help one better understand and appreciate this.
