In Baker City in Eastern Oregon, thirteen miles of visible wagon ruts cut across the sagebrush. They were left by travelers on the Oregon Trail, a movement west that brought hundreds of thousands of people to Oregon during the mid-1800s in search of opportunity. Standing in the tracks, it is hard not to wonder about the lives and experiences of these travelers — and at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, you can learn more about what life was really like on the trail.
Imagine Life on the Trail and Take a Hike
With its newly renovated exterior, the center tells the story of fur trappers, traders, farmers and other European settlers who traveled the Oregon Trail mostly between the years 1840 and 1860. In addition to containing nearly a mile of wheel ruts on its grounds, the Center provides visitors with many opportunities to learn more about the Oregon Trail through its interactive exhibits, multimedia presentations and ranger programs offered throughout the day.
Life-size dioramas demonstrate pioneer life on the trail, from interactions with Indigenous peoples to the mourning of loved ones lost on the trail. Become a pioneer yourself by dressing up in period clothes or preparing your wagon at the “Pack Your Wagon” exhibit.
Multimedia presentations, like the hour-long film “West to Oregon,” offers a recounting of the lives of pioneers through imagery and storytelling. There are also interactive ranger talks, like “One Shoe, Two Shoe,” which is all about domestic pack animals on the trail. Check the schedule for events and exhibits on the Center’s website for times.
Over 4 miles of interpretive trails can be accessed from right outside the visitor’s center Hike through the open sagebrush steppe, which is home to pronghorn, mule deer and pygmy rabbits as well as many birds, like the sweet singing sage sparrow. There are also plenty of historical sites. You’ll pass by a replica wagon encampment as you head out on your hike, then pass the remnants of the Flagstaff Gold Mine and the nearby Stamp Mill along the trail, signs of the gold rush that once brought white and Chinese settlers to Baker City. For a perfect viewpoint of the area, head up the popular 3-mile Ascent, Mountain Ash, and Panorama Point Loop for sweeping views of the Elkhorn Crest in the distance.
Before you head out, be sure to check out the onsite gift shop, Lone Pine Mercantile, for unique, locally made items. The store offers a variety of Oregon Trail-themed items, clothing and books for visitors of all ages. Many items are handcrafted and all support the center and its mission.
Take in Modern-Day Arts and Culture
Less than 10 miles west from the center, historic Baker City is a hub for arts and culture in Eastern Oregon. The Northeast Oregon Arts Trail is a great resource for finding galleries, theaters, shows and events, and includes an interpretive map with marked sites throughout the region.
For performing arts, check out the Churchill School Arts Center’s regular concert lineup and Eastern Oregon Regional Theatre for community play productions. A former elementary school, Churchill School Arts Center was given a second life by longtime Baker City residents and has become a destination arts and music hub.
Interested in visual arts? Check out the First Friday Art Walks through downtown Baker City, where businesses and art galleries stay open late to show local art. The walk starts at the Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, the city’s regional art hub. Visit the Center’s rotating gallery space to soak up works by local artists, or check the event calendar to see if your visit coincides with a musical or theater performance or an inspiring class.
Continue your immersion in local history with a visit to one of several small-town museums like the Baker Heritage Museum and Adler House Museum in the heart of downtown Baker City. Travel back in time to the early 1900s at the Adler House and embrace your philanthropist spirit as you learn of Leo Adler’s family and fortune in the very home he lived in for 94 years. At the Baker Heritage Museum, you can view historical objects like farming equipment and carriages as well as the renowned Cavin-Warfel rock collection, including a 950-pound crystal from Arkansas. For more ideas, check out the Baker County Culture and Heritage Passport Program.
Stop In for Some Food and Drinks
Experience enough culture and you’re bound to work up an appetite. For a morning boost, head to Sweet Wife Baking, a scratch bakery famous for its house-made pecan-cinnamon sticky buns. Grab a pastry and a latte, or sit down for a hot sandwich at lunch. For dinner head for the award-winning Barley Brown’s Brew Pub and Tap House for burgers and brews, or grab a table at Latitude 45 Grille and tuck into comfort-food classics like creamy pesto pasta or baby-back ribs.
For drinks that also double as great souvenirs, stop at Glacier 45 Distillery for its award-winning vodkas, or Copper Belt Wines, which makes small lots of wines with fruit from the Snake River wine-growing region. Then head to Peterson’s Gallery and Chocolatier to finish up with something sweet, like truffles, drinking chocolate and other treats served in an art-filled space.
