Exploring Oregon City, Oregon

Hello Fellow Wayward Travelers!!!

Today I went exploring Oregon City, Oregon which was the “End of the Oregon Trail”. I went to an Interpretation Center and Museum which was actually on the site where the trail ended. Here is a marker that informs us of that!

 The Museum was closed for renovation and won’t be reopened until June 2013 (no luck there). Here's the outside --- of course, it looks like a covered wagon!!!!

Speaking of wagons, here's a picture!

These covered wagons were as long and as high as my little Nomad Travel Trailer, but not as wide, so I have a little more room.

At the tourist information center, I talked to a very informative volunteer who had quite the stories!!! One story centered on what the wagon train travelers (pioneers) did in Oregon City before they went to their new 650 acres that the US Government had promised to give them. You see, these pioneers arrived in Oregon City just before the Northwest Winter started. You know what that is like --- rain and mud and snow and no place to be driving a wagon without roads. And most of the pioneers were not staying on in Oregon City --- they were going to other parts of Oregon, Washington, California, and the coastal areas. So a minister from the East set this area up as a camp for all the pioneers to stay until they were ready to move on. And the land where this museum (its closed) sits is that camp! Now I found that fascinating!!!

From here I went to another museum called the Museum of Oregon Territory!!! Now this museum should tell a lot of the history of the Oregon Territory before it became a state and that should include the Oregon Trail, right??? Well, I don’t know because it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. So, I will be staying an extra day and night right here in Pheasant Ridge RV Resort just to make sure I can see that museum!!! The locals say it is worth it!!??

From here I did a kind of walking and driving tour of Oregon City. This city was founded and developed by a man named Dr. John McLoughlin. He worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company and did many things in the area. He built a sawmill here on the Willamette River which started the industrial part of the city. This part of the river has a waterfall that made for a perfect dam to run machines with water power. It was eventually made into an electric power dam. Here's a few pictures of the existing dam, waterway, and industrial area---

 

As the town grew, the riverside became more industrial with more of the residences being built on the bluff above the river. In the early 1900s, the town decided to move the older historic residence buildings to the top of the bluff overlooking the river. Since some of the historic houses were already built on this bluff, it made sense to move them all up there. The only problem was the tourists and how to get them from the old historical business district to the historical housing district. They solved this problem by building an elevator onto the side of the cliff. It is called the Oregon City Municipal Elevator and Promenade. It even has an operator – with just two floors --- top and bottom.

I spent the rest of the day walking along the river in the River Walk Park, which was really nice as you can see from these pictures.

 
On the way back to the RV Park, I got hungry (it was 4:30 PM and I ate breakfast at 9:00 AM). And here was a drive-in called Mike’s Drive-In!!! It was set up like the old A&Ws, so I went in. They had all kinds of milkshakes, so I ordered the Mike’s Special Deluxe Burger (of course) with fries and a banana milkshake. I think that I had one of the best burgers I have ever had!!! It was a normal burger (made by hand, of course!) with the normal fixings, but also with cheese, bacon, Thousand Island Dressing (my favorite), and one fried egg!!! I have never had a fried egg on my burger!!! It was GREAT!!!!

Then I went back to my RV Park and laid down to rest!!! I needed to!!!

Tomorrow, I will be exploring the portion of the Oregon Trail that follows The Columbia River. In the area of The Dalles in Oregon, the trail spits into two trails. I will follow one tomorrow and the other when I drive East with the trailer on Thursday.

Well, I need to get organized for tomorrow, so I will go for now, but I will see you all again tomorrow and to quote the great comedian, Red Skelton, “Good Night and May God Bless!”

There’s more to come, so keep in touch!!!

Happy Trails --- Jon