Oregon Trail – MacKenzies on the Road

July 11, 2019July 10, 2019

We walked in their footsteps…

And were completely humbled
Hundreds of thousands of people
Desperate, hopeful, unprepared, running away, running towards, ever westward
2,000 miles
6 months
10 to 20 miles walked every day
Snow, rain, hail, scorching sun, wind
Plains, rivers, mountains, plateaus
Mud, dust, ruts, rocks
Rattlesnakes, buffalo, antelope, bears
Cholera
Indians
20% died…in some areas a grave every 80 yards
Dead and abandoned animals all along the way

These are the people of the Westward Migration, the Oregon Trail, the California settlement, and eventually the gold fever

Today, we visited the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center outside Baker City, Oregon. We actually walked a small section of the trail. It is mind blowing what they endure and conquered for a piece of land to call their own.

6 months, your family and all your possessions inside 1 tiny wagon. Many possessions thought to be essential were abandoned along the way as the hardships of daily life on the trail became a reality.

Miles to go. Parts of the trail are still visible and walkable today.

The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is a well thought out and informative museum.

March 19, 2019March 17, 2019

Down the Hobbit Hole!

Beautiful day, Beautiful hike! We traversed the Heceta Headlands and down the Hobbit Trail to the beach. We are getting our legs back in shape! Just under 6 miles today. We wanted to give a shout out to our friend Bundy who is on the mend from a pretty nasty fall down a winter Hobbit Hole; all the best and get well soon!

Looking south down the coast. We love hikingthe headlands above the ocean. We could hear Sea Lions, but never caught sight of them.

No fun on this beach…I guess on the weekends and during the summer this area is overflowing with people.

Tidbit: All of the little trails along the coast are part of the Oregon Coastal Trail, a long-distance hiking trail that goes from the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border, similar to the Long Trail or Appalachian Trail back home.

March 16, 2019March 15, 2019

Moxie

A visit to the Eugene, Oregon Pioneer Cemetery takes one back to an era of individuals who had more moxie than most of us could ever imagine. These people left everything known to them, their homes, families and friends, to travel across prairies and over mountains, and through Native American and Mormon territories to find a new home. They braved the cold and heat, the wild animals and rushing rivers to create a new life in an unknown place. They didn’t have cell phones or Instagram or even good old snail mail. Most of the time these individuals are forgotten in the dusty corners of history, replaced by movie stars or the latest singing idol. But, today, these individuals stole the show for me. I am humbled by their fortitude and courage.

The cemetery was on a wooded hill. Over time, neglect let Mother Nature slowly reclaim what man had lovingly created. Now a group of local people are slowly restoring the graves and putting up information placards on the town’s founding citizens. What a great way to preserve the past.

Eugene Skinner and his wife Mary were the first known white settlers in the Eugene area. They were from upstate New York and Eugene City, yup you guessed it, is named after him. The original gravestones are laying down in the background, too damaged by time to stand.

The stump grave (to signify a life cut short) of a Woodsmen of the World, a fraternal order.

And the back. These types of gravestones were quite expensive and eventually phased out.

A Vermonter turned Oregonian. I bet his trip to Oregon was a lot more arduous than ours.

The sadest gravestones of all are the children. The infant mortality rate was very high. This little gravestone was all alone. Most likely there were other graves around that have disappeared over time.

Tidbit: Visiting a town’s graveyard can be a treasure trove of information about a town’s past. I should wander through those in my own town back home.