End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, 1996 Photo: Gary Poush
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End of the Oregon Trail
Long before pioneers crossed the continent in their
covered wagons and challenged the British claim to the Pacific
Northwest, the area in the Willamette Valley now known as Oregon
City was the center of commerce and culture for the Native American
tribes of the region. The Indians had been attracted by the Falls
of the Willamette River, one of the biggest salmon fishing holes in
the American West. In the early 1800s Americans made sporadic
efforts to set up competing trading posts, but did not seriously
challenge British sovereignty until the 1840s. By then Chief Factor
John McLoughlin of the Hudson Bay Company, a loyal British subject,
but now recognized by his adopted country as the "Father of
Oregon," had been in control of the area for about 20 years. His
goal was the colonization of the area, which he began at Willamette
Falls (called Oregon City by the Americans) to take advantage of
the falling water which would supply power for mills. McLoughlin's
claims to mill sites at Willamette Falls were wrested from him in a
conspiracy by a handful of prominent early American pioneer
settlers.
For, in 1843 several hundred Americans from the
Midwest had sold their farms, closed their businesses, packed up
their families and possessions, to journey 2,000 miles to the
Oregon country. These pioneers were the beginning of the single
largest land migration in history. Over the next three decades,
300,000 people would cross the vast plains, travel over the Rocky
Mountains and the Continental Divide, and struggle through Oregon's
diverse terrain to reach Oregon City at the End of the Oregon
Trail. At Oregon City, the pioneers filed land claims and
reprovisioned their supplies to start their new lives in the
Pacific Northwest. Oregon City became the commercial and cultural
center of the new territory, site of the largest mills in area, and
home to the first opera house, bootleg moonshine still, and
newspaper published in English west of the Continental Divide. In
1859, Oregon became the 33rd state.
By the 1860s, Oregon City had lost its position of
prominence, following the establishment of Oregon's new capital at
Salem and the growth of the downriver town of Portland. It still
remained a literal crossroads, as the Willamette Falls marked the
division between steamboat traffic on the upper and lower river
until construction of the locks in the 1870s. It was also a favored
site for the railroads, and the Southern Pacific placed its
water-level route along the coast.
Upon the sesquicentennial of the Great Migration of
1843, there began an organized effort to develop an appropriate
commemoration of the history surrounding Willamette Falls. In 1987
the Oregon Trail Foundation was incorporated as a nonprofit entity
to oversee the development and operation of the End of the Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center. The End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive
Center tells the compelling story of the early pioneers by
combining live history presentations, a mixed media show about the
trail journey and exhibits of artifacts and heirlooms from the
Trail. It is located at Abernethy Green, once the main arrival area
of the immigrants in Oregon City. Three 50-foot-tall
covered-wagon-shaped buildings dominate the 8.5 acre site. Through
a number of annual events, the Interpretive Center fosters the
preservation of vanishing skills, music, and languages. Living
history interpreters guide visitors through the Center explaining
why early pioneers risked the journey and giving a sense of life on
the Trail. The exhibit gallery houses both fixed and rotating
exhibits and focuses on topics such as religion, agriculture, and
issues of race and gender on the frontier. There is a "hands-on"
area primarily for children where they can play with old-fashioned
toys, smell medicinal herbs, practice penmanship on slates, and
learn about foodstuffs of the period. In a typical year, there are
70,000 to 80,000 visitors to the Center from as far away as
Germany, Japan, Australia, and South Africa.
The project is documented with six pages of text, 11
color slides with descriptions, and a promotional brochure.
Originally submitted by: Darlene Hooley, Representative (5th District).
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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.
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